2 Corinthians 7
Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit. Make room for us — we wronged, corrupted, took advantage of no one; you are in our hearts, to die and to live together. In Macedonia our flesh had no relief — outside fights, inside fears — but God who comforts the lowly comforted us by the coming of Titus. If I grieved you with the letter I do not regret it — you were grieved according to God, unto repentance. Sorrow according to God works repentance without regret; the sorrow of the world works out death. That grief worked out in you diligence — what defence, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, justice. We rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus — his spirit was given rest by you all. Our boasting became truth. I am of good courage in you.
Why this rendering
2Cor.7.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
ταύτας οὖν ἔχοντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀγαπητοί, καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἐπιτελοῦντες ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ. Χωρήσατε ἡμᾶς· οὐδένα ἠδικήσαμεν, οὐδένα ἐφθείραμεν, οὐδένα ἐπλεονεκτήσαμεν — Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Make room for us. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. μολυσμός (once in the New Testament) is the noun of μολύνω, ‘be soiled’ (1 Cor 8:7), the word for dirtying clothes. ἁγιωσύνη is the word of Rom 1:4, ‘spirit of holiness’. In v.2 χωρέω is the verb of Matt 19:11 ‘contain’ and John 8:37 ‘find place’ — after the widened heart of 6:11-13, ‘make room for us’. Three οὐδένα, three aorists; the third, πλεονεκτέω, is the active of 2:11 ‘be taken advantage of by Satan’. In v.3 συναποθανεῖν καὶ συζῆν are the two verbs of Mark 14:31 ‘die with’ and Rom 6:8 ‘live with’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Defilement’ is the received noun; English has no natural noun from ‘soiled’, and the loss of the root is recorded.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Impurity’ collides with ἀκάθαρτος, ‘unclean’, in 6:17, one verse away.
Basis The familiar paraphrase of χωρέω.
Rejected ‘Receive’ is δέχομαι (v.15); the room-word of Matt 19:11 and John 8:37 disappears.
Lost in translation
μολυσμός ↔ μολύνω (1 Cor 8:7) — ‘defilement / soiled’ do not share a root.
χωρέω — one word with Matt 19:11 ‘contain’ and John 8:37 ‘find place’; ‘make room’ keeps the space, not the word.
οὐδένα ×3, aorist ×3 — ‘no one’ three times stands.
Why this rendering
2Cor.7.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
Καὶ γὰρ ἐλθόντων ἡμῶν εἰς Μακεδονίαν οὐδεμίαν ἔσχηκεν ἄνεσιν ἡ σὰρξ ἡμῶν, ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι— ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι— ἀλλ’ ὁ παρακαλῶν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς παρεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ Τίτου — For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were pressed in every way — outside, fights; inside, fears — but God, who comforts the lowly, comforted us by the coming of Titus. The narrative broken off at 2:13 resumes here — there too ἄνεσις was ‘relief’. ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι are four words without a verb (the two adverbs of Matt 23:25, ‘outside / inside’). θλιβόμενοι hangs as a participle with no main verb (anacoluthon). παρουσία is the word of Matt 24:3, the ‘coming’ of the Son of Man, here of Titus. In this chapter παρακαλέω and παράκλησις come seven times.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Four words for four — the adverbs as fixed at Matt 23:25.
Basis Supplying a verb.
Rejected It adds a verb and ‘conflict’ cuts μάχη from μάχομαι, ‘fight’, in Acts 7:26.
Basis A more idiomatic noun.
Rejected It cuts the word from the παρουσία, ‘coming’, of Matt 24:3.
Lost in translation
παρουσία — one word ‘coming’ with Matt 24:3.
ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι — four verbless words stay verbless.
παρακαλέω / παράκλησις seven times — ‘comfort / consolation’ do not share a root in English.
Why this rendering
2Cor.7.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἐργάζεται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου λύπη θάνατον κατεργάζεται — For the sorrow according to God works repentance unto salvation without regret; but the sorrow of the world works out death. Two sorrows take two verbs — ἐργάζεται and κατεργάζεται (⸀ — the Received Text reads κατεργάζεται in both). In vv.8-11 λυπέω comes six times and λύπη twice. There are also two words for turning back — μετάνοια (vv.9, 10), ‘repentance’, and μεταμέλομαι (v.8, twice), ‘regret’, with ἀμεταμέλητος (v.10; Rom 11:29), ‘without regret’. κατὰ θεόν is the phrase of Rom 8:27, ‘according to God’ — three times (vv.9, 10, 11). Whether ἀμεταμέλητον modifies μετάνοιαν or σωτηρίαν the text does not decide (both are feminine accusative).
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text has two verbs; the κατα- of the second is carried by ‘out’ (Rom 4:15 ‘work out’).
Basis The Received Text’s reading, and the familiar rendering.
Rejected The base text has two verbs; one word renders the Received Text instead.
Basis The KJV-type rendering, folding μεταμέλομαι into ‘repent’.
Rejected It merges μετάνοια and μεταμέλομαι, which ‘repentance’ (Matt 3:8) and ‘regret’ (Matt 21:29) keep apart.
Lost in translation
ἐργάζεται / κατεργάζεται — ‘works / works out’ show the prefix.
μετάνοια ↔ μεταμέλομαι · ἀμεταμέλητος — ‘repentance / regret · without regret’ keep the two roots apart.
Which noun ἀμεταμέλητον modifies — ‘repentance unto salvation without regret’ leaves the English adjective phrase at the end, where it can be read with either.
‘Work’ for ἐργάζομαι also renders the verb in Matt 21:28 and Rom 2:10; no addition.
Why this rendering
2Cor.7.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἰδοὺ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ θεὸν λυπηθῆναι πόσην κατειργάσατο ὑμῖν σπουδήν, ἀλλὰ ἀπολογίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀγανάκτησιν, ἀλλὰ φόβον, ἀλλὰ ἐπιπόθησιν, ἀλλὰ ζῆλον, ἀλλὰ ἐκδίκησιν· ἐν παντὶ συνεστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς ἁγνοὺς εἶναι τῷ πράγματι — For look, this very thing, being grieved according to God — what diligence it worked out in you: what defence, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what justice! In everything you commended yourselves as pure in the matter. Seven nouns pile up on six ἀλλά — here not ‘but’ but ‘what is more’. ἀγανάκτησις (once in the New Testament) is the noun of ἀγανακτέω, ‘be indignant’ (Mark 10:14); ἐπιπόθησις (vv.7, 11 — two places, both here) is the noun of ἐπιποθέω, ‘long for’ (Rom 1:11); ἐκδίκησις is the ‘justice’ of Luke 18:7. Verse 12 sets the active and passive participles of one verb ἀδικέω against each other (ἀδικήσαντος · ἀδικηθέντος).
Rendering options · 3
Basis The sixfold repetition is kept; ‘what’ repeats the πόσην of the head noun over each.
Basis Folding into a plain list.
Rejected The six ἀλλά vanish and the climb flattens.
Basis (English adopts this.)
Rejected Not a rejection in English; listed to record that Korean keeps ‘노함’ on the verb of Mark 10:14.
Lost in translation
ἀλλά ×6 — ‘what’ six times keeps the climb.
ἀγανάκτησις ↔ ἀγανακτέω (Mark 10:14) · ἐπιπόθησις ↔ ἐπιποθέω (Rom 1:11) — ‘indignation / indignant’ and ‘longing / long for’ keep the roots.
v.12 ἀδικήσαντος / ἀδικηθέντος — ‘the one who did wrong / the one who was wronged’ keep one verb in two voices.
Why this rendering
2Cor.7.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
διὰ τοῦτο παρακεκλήμεθα. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ παρακλήσει ἡμῶν περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον ἐχάρημεν ἐπὶ τῇ χαρᾷ Τίτου, ὅτι ἀναπέπαυται τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων ὑμῶν — Because of this we have been comforted. And on top of our consolation we rejoiced still more abundantly at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been given rest by you all. περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον stacks two comparative adverbs — ‘still more abundantly’. ἀναπέπαυται is the verb of Matt 11:28, ‘I will give you rest’, in the perfect passive — Titus’ spirit in the state of having been given rest. In v.14 κεκαύχημαι · καύχησις (perfect and noun) are the pair of Rom 2:17 and 3:27; ‘our boasting became truth’ keeps ἀλήθεια as ‘truth’. In v.15 σπλάγχνα is the ‘bowels’ of 6:12, now Titus’, and φόβου καὶ τρόμου the pair of 1 Cor 2:3. In v.16 θαρρῶ is the good courage of 5:6.
Rendering options · 3
Basis περισσοτέρως ‘all the more’ (2:4) with μᾶλλον ‘more’ laid on it — the stacking is kept.
Basis Folding to one comparative.
Rejected Two adverbs become one.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Refreshed’ cuts the verb from Matt 11:28, ‘give rest’.
Lost in translation
περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον — ‘still more abundantly’ keeps the stacked comparatives.
ἀναπέπαυται ↔ ἀναπαύσω (Matt 11:28) — ‘given rest / give rest’ keep one verb.
κεκαύχημαι / καύχησις (v.14) — ‘boasted / boasting’ keep verb and noun together.