2 Corinthians 10:17

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.—Better, He that boasteth, the English translators having again yielded to their besetting weakness for variation. On the general meaning of the phrase, which has been used before, see Note on 1Corinthians 1:31. Here it has a more special force. “To boast in the Lord” was to boast as in the sight of Christ of that of which the boaster thought as done, not by himself, but by Christ as dwelling in him.

Benson Commentary

2 Corinthians 10:17-18. But he that glorieth — Whether it be of planting or watering the churches; let him glory in the Lord — Not in himself, but in the power, love, and faithfulness of the Lord, who only can render any man’s labours successful. Let every minister remember it is to Christ that he owes all his ability for his work, and all his success in it. For not he that commendeth himself — With the greatest confidence, or boasts of any thing done by his power, or has a good opinion of himself, on account of any service he has performed; is approved — As faithful and sincere; but whom the Lord commendeth — By conferring on him the gifts and graces of his Spirit, and by blessing his labours. Let those, therefore, who are so ready to applaud themselves and each other, maturely consider this, and learn to be more solicitous than they are about approving themselves to their great Master, whether they be more or less regarded by their fellow- servants.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:12-18 If we would compare ourselves with others who excel us, this would be a good method to keep us humble. The apostle fixes a good rule for his conduct; namely, not to boast of things without his measure, which was the measure God had distributed to him. There is not a more fruitful source of error, than to judge of persons and opinions by our own prejudices. How common is it for persons to judge of their own religious character, by the opinions and maxims of the world around them! But how different is the rule of God's word! And of all flattery, self-flattery is the worst. Therefore, instead of praising ourselves, we should strive to approve ourselves to God. In a word, let us glory in the Lord our salvation, and in all other things only as evidences of his love, or means of promoting his glory. Instead of praising ourselves, or seeking the praise of men, let us desire that honour which cometh from God only.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But he that glorieth - He that boasts. Whatever may be the occasion of his boasting, whether in planting churches or in watering them; whether in his purposes, plans, toils, or success. Paul himself did not deem it improper on some occasions to boast 2 Corinthians 11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:5, but it was not of his own power, attainments, or righteousness. He was disposed to trace all to the Lord, and to regard him as the source of all blessing and all success.

Let him glory in the Lord - In this serious and weighty admonition, Paul designs, doubtless, to express the manner in which he was accustomed to glory, and to furnish an admonition to the Corinthians. In the previous part of the chapter there had been some severe irony. He closes the chapter with the utmost seriousness and solemnity of manner, in order to show on his part that he was not disposed to glory in his own attainments and to admonish them not to boast of theirs. If they had anything valuable they should regard the Lord as the author of it. In this admonition it is probable that Paul had in his eye the passage in Jeremiah 9:23-24; though he has not expressly quoted it. "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth." The sentiment is a favorite one with Paul, as it should be with all Christians; see the note on 1 Corinthians 1:31. On this verse we may here remark:

I. That nothing is more common than for people to boast or glory. Little as they really have in which to glory, yet there is no one probably who has not something of which he is proud, and of which he is disposed to boast. It would be difficult or impossible to find a person who had not something on which he prided himself; something in which he esteemed himself superior to others.

II. The things of which they boast are very various:

(1) Many are proud of their personal beauty; many, too, who would be unwilling to be thought proud of it.

(2) many glory in their accomplishments; or, what is more likely, in the accomplishments of their children.

(3) many glory in their talents; talents for anything, valuable or not, in which they suppose they surpass others. They glory in their talent for eloquence, or science, or gaining knowledge; or in their talent for gaining property or keeping it: for their skill in their professions or callings; for their ability to run, to leap, or to practice even any trick or sleight of hand. There is nothing so worthless that it does not constitute a subject of glorying, provided it be ours. If it belong to others it may be valueless.

(4) many glory in their property; in fine houses, extended plantations, or in the reputation of being rich; or in gorgeous dress, equipage, and furniture. In short, there is nothing which people possess in which they are not prone to glory. Forgetful of God the giver; forgetful that all may be soon taken from them. or that they soon must leave all; forgetful that none of these things can constitute a distinction in the grave or beyond, they boast as if these things were to remain forever, and as if they had been acquired independently of God. How prone is the man of talents to forget that God has given him his intellect, and that for its proper use he must give account! How prone is the rich man to forget that he must die! How prone the frivolous and the beautiful to forget that they will lie undistinguished in the grave; and that death will consume them as soon as the most vile and worthless of the species!

III. If we glory it should be in the Lord. We should ascribe our talents, wealth, health, strength, and salvation to him. We should rejoice:

(1) That we have such a Lord, so glorious, so full of mercy, so powerful, so worthy of confidence and love.

(2) We should rejoice in our endowments and possessions as his gift. We should rejoice that we may come and lay everything at his feet, and whatever may be our rank, or talents, or learning, we should rejoice that we may come with the humblest child of poverty, and sorrow, and want, and say, "Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake;" Psalm 115:i; see the note on 1 Corinthians 1:31.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

17. glorieth—Translate, to accord with 2Co 10:16, "boasteth." In contrast to his opponents' practice of boasting in another's line or sphere, Paul declares the only true boasting is in the Lord (1Co 1:31; 15:10).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

But we have none of us any thing to glory in, neither I Paul who plant, nor Apollos who watereth; whether God maketh use of us as the first planters of the gospel, or as instruments to carry on the work of the gospel already planted, we have nothing of our own to glory in.

God giveth the increase; we have therefore no reason to glory in ourselves, or in our own performances, but only to give thanks to God, who maketh use of us, poor earthly vessels, to carry about and distribute that heavenly treasure, by which he maketh souls rich in faith and good works: all that we do is only instrumentally; God is all, and in all, as to primary efficiency.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Not in himself, nor in his outward circumstances of life, or inward endowments of mind; not in his natural or acquired parts; not in his wisdom, knowledge, learning, and eloquence; nor in his own righteousness, labours, and services, much less in other men's labours; nor in his own sense of himself; nor in the opinion and popular applause of others; but in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author and donor of all gifts, natural and spiritual; in his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; and in his judgment and approbation of men and things, which sense the following words direct unto.

Geneva Study Bible

{6} But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

(6) He somewhat moderates that which he spoke of himself, and in so doing also prepares the Corinthians to hear other things, witnessing that he seeks nothing else but to approve himself to God, whose glory alone he seeks.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

2 Corinthians 10:17 f. The ἐν ἀλλ. καν. εἰς τὰ ἕτοιμα καυχ. was the way of the opponents, whose self-glorying was selfish ostentation. Therefore Paul now lays down the law of the right καυχᾶσθαι, and establishes it in a way (2 Corinthians 10:18), the application of which to the perversity of the opponents’ boasting could not but be obviou.

δέ] leading over from the previous καυχήσασθαι to the law of the καυχᾶσθαι. “But as regards self-glorying, the maxim applies: Let him that glories glory (not otherwise than) in the Lord,” let him have God as the object of his καυχᾶσθαι, inasmuch as it is God, by whose grace and power he has and does everything. Paul himself gives a glorious example of the ἐν κυρίῳ καυχᾶσθαι in 1 Corinthians 15:10. Comp. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

As ὁ καυχ. ἐν κυρ. καυχ. is an O. T. maxim well known to the reader (Jeremiah 9:23 f.; comp. 1 Corinthians 1:31), and the context contains nothing at all which would be at variance with the original reference of the ἐν κυρίῳ to God, viewed as object of the καυχᾶσθαι, in which this is grounded (see on Romans 2:17), it is not to be understood of Christ (Erasmus, Estius, Flatt, Rückert, and others), nor is ἐν to be taken in the sense of communion (Calvin, Bengel, Osiander). Observe, moreover, what a moral difference there is between this Christian καυχᾶσθαι ἐν θεῷ (comp. Romans 5:11) and that of the Jewish particularism, Romans 2:17.—2 Corinthians 10:18. For not he who acts in the opposite way, not he who, instead of glorying ἐν κυρίῳ, makes himself the object which he commends to others, is approved, is in the position of attested Christian character, but he, whom the Lord commends. The latter is—and that in contrast with the opponents extolling themselves—the practical commendation, which God bestows on those concerned by His whole gracious aid, by the success and blessing attending their work, by their rescue from dangers, etc. In this de facto θεῖα ψῆφος (Theodoret), which is made known before the eyes of the world, they have at the same time the right de facto self-commendation, 2 Corinthians 6:3 ff., without being αὐτεπαίνετοι (αὐτεπαινέτους γὰρ μισεῖ ὁ θεός, Clem. 1 Cor. 30).

Observe, further, the emphatic ἐκεῖνος as well as the unrestricted δόκιμος, the notion of which is not to be referred merely to human recognition (Hofmann), as in Romans 14:18, where τοῖς ἀνθρώπ. stands beside it; comp. rather 1 Corinthians 11:19; Romans 16:10; Jam 1:12.

Expositor's Greek Testament

2 Corinthians 10:17. ὁ δὲ καυχώμενος κ.τ.λ.: but he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, a quotation from the O.T. (see reff.) used before by St. Paul (cf. also Romans 15:18, 1 Corinthians 3:7). For not he that commendeth himself is approved (cf. Proverbs 27:2), but whom the Lord commendeth (cf. Romans 2:29, 1 Corinthians 4:5). And the Corinthian Church itself is his “letter of commendation” (2 Corinthians 3:2).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

17. But he that glorieth] See note on 2 Corinthians 10:8. This passage occurs in 1 Corinthians 1:31, where it is prefaced by the words ‘it is written.’ It is in fact a paraphrase of Jeremiah 9:24. Meyer remarks that a noble example of this kind of glorying is given by St Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 15:10. Cf. also ch. 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Bengel's Gnomen

2 Corinthians 10:17. Ὁ δὲ, but he who) He hereby in some measure sounds a retreat; and yet by this very clause of after-mitigation,[72] he again gives a blow to the false apostles.—ἐν Κυρίῳ, in the Lord) and therefore with the approval of the Lord [2 Corinthians 10:18].

[72] See App., under the tit. EPITHERAPIA.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 17. - But he that glorieth, etc.; literally, he that boasteth, etc. (see note on 1 Corinthians 1:31; Jeremiah 9:24). 2 Corinthians 10:17