2 Corinthians 8:19

And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19) Who was also chosen of the churches.—The word, as in Acts 14:23, implies a definite appointment, in this case, obviously, by popular election—on the part of the Macedonian churches. This falls in, it need hardly be said, with the facts of the case as indicated by the use of the first person plural in Acts 20:5, and through the rest of the book.

With this grace.—The word is used, as in 2Corinthians 8:4; 2Corinthians 8:6-7, as we familiarly use the word “charity,” for the liberality which was the result of the grace.

To the glory of the same Lord.—Better, if we keep the Received text, of the Lord Himself; but the better MSS. give, of the Lord, only. There is no need of inserting the word “declaration of”; in relation to the glory of the Lord and to your readiness gives a perfectly intelligible sense.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:16-24 The apostle commends the brethren sent to collect their charity, that it might be known who they were, and how safely they might be trusted. It is the duty of all Christians to act prudently; to hinder, as far as we can, all unjust suspicions. It is needful, in the first place, to act uprightly in the sight of God, but things honest in the sight of men should also be attended to. A clear character, as well as a pure conscience, is requisite for usefulness. They brought glory to Christ as instruments, and had obtained honour from Christ to be counted faithful, and employed in his service. The good opinion others have of us, should be an argument with us to do well.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And not that only - Not only is he esteemed on account of other services which he has rendered by his preaching and writings; but he has had a new mark of the confidence of the churches in being appointed to convey the collection to Jerusalem.

Chosen of the churches - Chosen by the churches. Many concurred in the choice, showing that they had entire confidence in him. Paul had been unwilling to have charge of this contribution alone (1 Corinthians 16:3-4; compare 2 Corinthians 8:20), and he had procured the appointment of some one to undertake it. Probably he expected that the church at Corinth would concur in this appointment.

With this grace - Margin, "Gift;" see 2 Corinthians 8:1. The word here refers to the alms, or the collection which had been made.

Which is administered by us - That is, which is undertaken by us. Paul had been the instrument of procuring it.

To the glory of the same Lord - The Lord of us all. The design was to promote the glory of the Lord by showing the influence of religion in producing true benevolence.

And declaration of your ready mind - That is, to afford you an opportunity of evincing your readiness to do good to others, and to promote their welfare.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. not that only—not only praised in all the churches.

chosen—by vote: so the Greek.

of the churches—therefore these companions of Paul are called "messengers of the churches" (2Co 8:23).

to travel—to Jerusalem.

with this grace—Greek, "in the case of this grace," or "gift."

to the glory of the same Lord—The oldest manuscripts omit "same."

declaration of your ready mind—The oldest manuscripts read, "our," not your. This and the previous clause, "to the glory of the same Lord," do not follow "administered by us," but "chosen of the churches to travel," &c. The union of the brother with Paul in this affair of the collection was done to guard against suspicions injurious "to the glory" of the Lord. It was also done in order to produce a "readiness" on the part of Paul and the brother to undertake the office which each, by himself, would have been less ready to undertake, for fear of suspicions arising (2Co 8:20) as to their appropriation of any of the money.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

And that he was chosen by the churches to go along with Paul and Titus, to carry the charity of other churches to the distressed Christians in Judea; which charity is here again called grace, for the reason before mentioned, 2 Corinthians 8:1. He declares that their end in this administration, was the glory of God, and the proof and

declaration of these Corinthians’ sincerity of brotherly love, and

ready mind to yield obedience to the will of God declared to them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches,.... Not only famous for preaching the Gospel, but he was also appointed by the joint suffrages of the churches, which were made by the lifting up or stretching out of the hand, as the word here used signifies; this brother was not chosen to this service by a few private persons, or by a single church only, but by several churches; which does not refer to the churches at Jerusalem and Antioch, as if the apostles were appointed, and others were appointed by these churches to travel with them, in order to collect money for the poor saints at Jerusalem; of which no mention is any where made, only of their being sent out by them to preach the Gospel. James, Cephas, and John indeed, when they gave to Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that they might go to the Heathen, desired them to "remember the poor"; Galatians 2:9 but these were not the churches. The church at Antioch did collect for the brethren in Judea, at the time of the famine among them, and sent their bounty by the hands of Barnabas and Saul, which seems to be the case here. This brother was chosen by the churches who collected, and not by the churches in Judea, for whom the collections were made; for it was usual, and what was right and proper, that the churches chose whom they thought fit to carry their liberality to Jerusalem; see 1 Corinthians 16:3. Now this brother had the honour to be chosen by these churches,

to travel, says the apostle,

with us, with this grace; bounty or beneficence of the churches, what they had freely and liberally contributed for the supply of the poor, from a principle of grace, and by the assistance of it;

which is administered by us; not given by the apostles, but collected by them; or what was procured by their means, in the several churches to whom they had moved it, and by proper arguments had excited them to it, with which they cheerfully complied: and this was done on a two fold account, both

to the glory of the same Lord: Jesus Christ, who is the one Lord over all; the same Lord of the apostles, and the church at Corinth; the same Lord of the Corinthians, and the Macedonian and other churches; and the same Lord of the poor saints at Jerusalem, and the rich members of the several churches that contributed to them: and also to

the declaration of your ready mind; or to stir up their ready mind to increase it and promote it in them, as well to make it manifest, and that it might appear to others, how readily and freely they came into this service; so that the apostle's concern in this administration was not from any sinister and selfish ends; no, nor so much for the relief of the poor, though this was greatly designed, as for the glory of Christ, and the honour of his churches.

Geneva Study Bible

And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this {k} grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

(k) These alms which are bestowed for the relief of the church of Jerusalem.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

2 Corinthians 8:19. As στελλόμενοι in 2 Corinthians 8:20 is connected with συνεπέμψαμεν in 2 Corinthians 8:18, 2 Corinthians 8:19 is a parenthesis (Beza, Lachmann) in which Paul “generali testimonio subjungit speciale, quod praesenti negotio congruit,” Calvi.

οὐ μόνον δέ] sc. ἐπαινούμενος (or ἐπαινός, praised, or ἔνδοξος, or the like) ἐστι ἐν τῷ εὐαγγ. διὰ πασ. τῶν ἐκκλησ.[280] Comp. Romans 9:10; Romans 5:3; Romans 5:11; Romans 8:23.

ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς κ.τ.λ.] but also having been chosen by the (collecting) churches as our travelling companion, etc. The χειροτ. ὑπὸ τ. ἐκκλ. contains a point so important in its bearing that we may not take it parenthetically, thereby breaking up the flow of the discourse. So Hofmann, assigning the incorrect reason, moreover, that the perfect participle must have been used. The perfect might be used; but the aorist expresses the Acts done, whereby the person concerned became ἀπόστολος of the churches in this case (2 Corinthians 8:23), and so Paul has conceived of it here.

The ἐκκλησίαι here meant are, according to 2 Corinthians 8:1 ff., the Macedonian.

χειροτον.] suffragiis designates. How this election was conducted, we do not know. Perhaps by the presbyters as representatives of the churches, and on the proposal of the apostle. Comp. on Acts 14:23.

ἐν τῇ χάριτι κ.τ.λ.] a more precise definition of the συνέκδ. ἡμῶν. It does not, however, simply mean: in the bringing over (Billroth; this arbitrary limitation was produced by the reading σύν), but in general: in matters of this χάρις, i.e. in the prosecution, in the whole bringing about, of this kindness (this work of love), which is ministered by us, is effected through our ministry (comp. 2 Corinthians 3:3).

πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου δόξαν κ.τ.λ.] is connected by most (including Theodoret, Beza, Grotius, Estius, Billroth, de Wette, Ewald, Neander) with τῇ διακον. ὑφ. ἡμ. But since in this way πρός (which is not, with Ewald, to be taken as according to, comp. 2 Corinthians 1:20) would have to combine two quite different relations: “in order to promote Christ’s honour and to prove our good-will;” and since, moreover, the latter element would be self-evident, tame, and superfluous,—we ought rather, with Chrysostom (who, however, reads ὑμῶν instead of ἡμῶν), to construe with χειροτονηθεὶς κ.τ.λ.: elected, etc., in order to further Christ’s honour and our good-will. The election of this brother had as its object, that by his co-operation in this matter Christ should be honoured[281] and our desire and love for the work should not be lessened “ob metum reprehensionis illius, de qua mox loquitur” (Bengel), but should be maintained and advanced by freedom from such hindering anxiety, and by a fellow-worker thus authorized. The connection with χειροτονηθεὶς κ.τ.λ., which Hofmann, attaching it also to συνεκδ. ἡμῶν, declares to be impossible (why?), places the election, which had primarily a business motive, under the higher ethical point of view.

[280] Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 252 [E. T. 292], takes it differently: “who stands in repute, not only on this account (ἐν τῷ εὐαγγ., i.e. as a preacher of the gospel), but also as one elected by the churches.” But from the general ἐν τῷ εὐαγγ. to χειροτονηθ. there is no logical climax, as respects the specifying of a reason for the ἔπαινος; whereas the predication ascends from the universal praise of the man to his being elected by the churches—so as to assign a ground for the συνεπέμψαμεν. Besides, his being elected was not the ground, but a consequence of his general repute, although it was the special ground for Paul’s sending him to Corinth.

[281] Rückert, though following likewise our mode of connection, holds that to the δίξα κυρίου this companionship could only have contributed negatively, in so far as it was a precaution against any suspicion falling on the apostle, which suspicion—according to a mode of view also Pauline—would have been transferred to Christ. Why, then, not positively also? The brother had in fact been chosen as a travelling associate co-operating in the work of collection, so that by his election the work might be prosecuted more extensively and more successfully. And thus the choice of this brother served positively to glorify Christ; hence also πρὸς … δόξαν is not to be held, with de Wette, as “rather unsuitable.”

Expositor's Greek Testament

2 Corinthians 8:19. οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ κ.τ.λ.: and not only so, but who was also appointed (χειροτονεῖν is, strictly, to vote by a show of hands, and hence it came to mean “to elect”) by the Churches, i.e., all the local congregations interested, as our fellow traveller in the matter of this grace (reading ἐν; see crit. note), sc., this contribution of money (see 2 Corinthians 8:6-7, 1 Corinthians 16:3), which is being ministered by us to exhibit the glory of the Lord (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:15), and our readiness. The MS. evidence requires us to read ἡμῶν, but it must be confessed that ἡμῶν is rather what we should expect, especially as προθυμία in 2 Corinthians 8:11 and in 2 Corinthians 9:2 is applied to the Corinthians and not to St. Paul; a plausible conjecture would be κατὰ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν for καὶ προθ. ἡμ., but the words give an intelligible sense as they stand (see Galatians 2:10).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

19. and not that only] i.e. not only is he praised throughout all the Churches.

but who was also chosen of the churches] i.e. chosen by the Churches. See note on 1 Corinthians 14:24, ch. 2 Corinthians 1:16, 2 Corinthians 2:6; 2 Corinthians 2:12 of this Epistle, and Hebrews 12:5, &c. The word here used signifies chosen by show of hands. So also in Acts 14:23. Voting by show of hands was the custom among the Greeks as among ourselves. See Xenophon, Anabasis, Book III. ii. 33. For the choosing by the Churches see 1 Corinthians 16:3-4 and note.

to the glory of the same Lord] The word ‘same’ is omitted by many MSS. and editors.

and declaration of your ready mind] Nearly all the MSS. and versions read ‘our.’ (To the glorie of the Lord and to our ordeyned wil. Wiclif.) The words ‘and declaration of’ are not in the Greek.

Bengel's Gnomen

2 Corinthians 8:19. Χειροτονηθεὶς [chosen] appointed) This participle is not construed with, he went unto you, 2 Corinthians 8:17 : for that construction would interrupt the connection, 2 Corinthians 8:18; 2 Corinthians 8:20, συνεπέμψαμεν—στελλόμενοι, we sent along with—avoiding. Therefore ὃς, who, is to be supplied, taken from οὗ, of whom, whose, in the preceding verse. The churches had given this companion to Paul, whithersoever he might go. Hence they are called the apostles, or messengers of the churches, 2 Corinthians 8:23 : and Paul declares, that this office here also has respect to the present business. From this it is evident, that the rights of the churches are mutual [reciprocal].—συνέκδημος, the companion of our travels. Those, who read with Wolfius, συνέκδημος ὑμῶν, refer to it by mistake the various reading of the pronoun at the end of the verse.[49]—ΣῪΝ, with) construed with συνέκδημος, the companion of our travels. They carried along with them the gift of the Macedonians to Jerusalem.—πρὸς, to) construed with χειροτονηθεὶς, chosen, appointed.—αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυριοῦ, of the [same] Lord Himself) viz. Christ, 2 Corinthians 8:21.—καὶ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν, our ready mind) The proofs for reading ἡμῶν are by far the most numerous, and ὙΜῶΝ has crept into a few copies, by an obvious exchange of the Greek pronoun, which was more readily made on account of the alliteration of the Υ in ὙΜῶΝ with ΠΡΟΘΥΜΊΑΝ. The churches had charged the brother of whom he is here speaking, the companion of Paul, with their own gift, not with a view to the readiness of the Corinthians, which had less relation to the churches, but with a view to produce readiness on the part of Paul and of that brother, i.e. lest for fear of that blame, of which he afterwards speaks, their willingness to undertake and finish the business might be lessened.

[49] Therefore both the margin of the 2d, as well as of the larger Ed. and the Germ. Ver., prefer the reading ἡμῶν.—E. B.

At the end of the verse ἡμῶν is the reading of all the best Uncial MSS., BCG, etc., Vulg., etc. Rec. Text has ὑμῶν with but slight authority.—ED.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. - Chosen. The word (literally, chosen by show of hands) implies a popular vote (comp. 1 Corinthians 16:3, 4). This brother Was not only widely known and valued, but also specially selected for this task. To travel with us. "As our fellow traveller." The word occurs in Acts 19:29. With this grace. The better reading is "in:" "in this matter of kindness." To the glory of the same Lord. The word "same" should be omitted. And declaration of your ready mind. The best reading is "our," and the clause should be rendered, to further the glory of the Lord and our readiness. 2 Corinthians 8:19

Vincent's Word Studies

With this grace (ἐν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ)

An obscure rendering, not much bettered by Rev. Grace is ambiguous. The reference is, of course, to the contribution as a work of love; χάρις being used in the sense of benefaction or bounty. Paul says that the brother was appointed as his fellow-traveller in the matter of this bounty; in the prosecution of this kindly act. For appointed, see on Acts 14:23; see on Acts 10:41.