2 Corinthians 8:4

2Co 8:4. Δεόμενοι, beseeching [praying]) They had been affectionately admonished by Paul, not to do beyond their power. The Macedonians on the other hand besought [prayed], namely, that their gift might be received.—τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν,[45] grace and fellowship[46]) a Hendiadys.

[45] Rec. Text adds after ἁγίους the words δέξασθαι ἡμᾶς. But BCD(Λ)Gfg Vulg. omit them.—ED.

[46] = their free gift of fellowship to be ministered to.—ED.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He calleth that, Grace, that other men would have called a burden. And this verse is to be expounded by the sixth verse.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

that we would receive--omitted in the oldest manuscripts. Translate therefore, "Beseeching of us . . . the grace and fellowship of (that is, to grant them the favor of sharing in) the ministering unto the saints." The Macedonian contributions must have been from Philippi, because Philippi was the only church that contributed to Paul's support (Phi 4:10, Phi 4:15-16).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. Praying us with much entreaty] We had not to solicit them to this great act of kindness; they even entreated us to accept their bounty, and to take on ourselves the administration or application of it to the wants of the poor in Judea.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. Beseeching us with much entreaty. He enlarges upon their promptitude, inasmuch as they did not only not wait for any one to admonish them, but even besought those, by whom they would have been admonished, had they not anticipated the desires of all by their activity. We must again repeat the comparison formerly made between the less and the greater. “If the Macedonians, without needing to be besought, press forward of their own accord, nay more, anticipate others by using entreaties, how shameful a thing is it for the Corinthians to be inactive, more especially after being admonished! If the Macedonians lead the way before all, how shameful a thing is it for the Corinthians not, at least, to imitate their example! But what are we to think, when, not satisfied with beseeching, they added to their requests earnest entreaty, and much of it too?” Now from this it appears, that they had besought, not as a mere form, but in good earnest.

That the favor and the fellowship. The term favor he has made use of, for the purpose of recommending alms, though at the same time the word may be explained in different ways. This interpretation, however, appears to me to be the more simple one; because, as our heavenly Father freely bestows upon us all things, so we ought to be imitators of his unmerited kindness in doing good, (Matthew 5:45); or at least, because, in laying out our resources, we are simply the dispensers of his favor. The fellowship of this ministry consisted in his being a helper to the Macedonians in this ministry. They contributed of their own, that it might be administered to the saints. They wished, that Paul would take the charge of collecting it.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(4) Praying us with much intreaty . . .—The words “that we would receive” are not in the Greek, which literally runs: asking of us the grace (or favour) and fellowship in the ministry of the saints, i.e., asking to be allowed to share in it.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. intreaty] Monestynge, Wiclif; instaunce, Tyndale. Exhortation, Rhemish. See note on ch. 2Co_1:3.

that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship] A more literal rendering would be, praying of us the gift and fellowship (perhaps we may take this as a Hebraism, meaning ‘the favour of the fellowship’), i.e. that the Apostle would allow them to take part in the good work. The word here translated gift is the same which is usually translated grace in the N.T. See note on ch. 2Co_1:12. And the words ‘that we would receive’ are not in the best MSS. and versions.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Praying us with much entreaty,.... They not only gave freely, being unasked by the apostles; but they sought to them, and earnestly entreated them,

that they would receive the gift; the beneficence, what they had so freely and generously collected: and

the fellowship of the ministering to the saints; what they had communicated for the service of the poor saints at Jerusalem, in which they testified their having and holding fellowship with the churches of Christ; and that they would receive it at their hands, and take it upon them, and carry it to Jerusalem, and distribute to the poor saints there, as should seem to them most proper and convenient; which they accordingly agreed to; see Rom 15:25.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

Ver. 4. Receive the gift] Gr. χαριν, the grace, i.e. the alms; it being of God’s free grace that we have, 1. What to give; 2. Hearts to give it. For naturally we are all like children, which though they have their bosoms, mouths, and both hands full, yet are loth to part with any.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Praying us with much entreaty - Earnestly entreating me to receive the contribution and convey it to the poor and afflicted saints in Judea.

And take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints - Greek, “that we would take the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.” They asked of us to take part in the labor of conveying it to Jerusalem. The occasion of this distress which made the collection for the saints of Judea necessary, was probably the famine which was predicted by Agabus, and which occurred in the time of Claudius Caesar; see note on Act 11:28. Barnabas was associated with Paul in conveying the contribution to Jerusalem; Act 6:30. Paul was unwilling to do it unless they particularly desired it, and he seems to have insisted that some person should be associated with him; 2Co 8:20; 1Co 16:3-4.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Begging of us the grace, &c. We may translate, benevolence, or charity, meaning their charitable alms or contributions. It also may be called a grace, a favour, or a charity, which they did for the poor. He exhorts them to these charitable contributions by the example of Christ, who being the God of glory, made himself the lowest and poorest of men to enrich us with grace and glory. (Witham) --- Towards the saints. The saints whom St. Paul is here speaking of, are the faithful of Jerusalem, who had been deprived of all their property at the beginning of their conversion, by their countrymen, for their steady adherence to the Christian faith, and were now reduced to the greatest want. It is for the support of their brethren in Palestine that the charitable contributions here mentioned by St. Paul, were raised in the Churches of Macedon. (Calmet) --- In the Greek we read, entreating us to receive the alms which they offered as a contribution to the charitable fund destined for the saints, or faithful, at Jerusalem. See Romans xv. 25. 26. and 1 Corinthians xvi. 1. 3.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Bringing what they had freely collected amongst themselves to the apostles, and importuning them to receive it at their hands, and to take upon them the work of distributing it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Praying us. The entreaties came from them, not from me. That we would receive. These words are almost certainly an explanatory gloss. The translation then is, "begging us for the grace of participation in this ministration to the saints." They were so willing in the matter that they entreated me, as a favour (cariv), to allow them to have a share in this contribution, because it was to be given to the saints, that is, the suffering peer in the Church of Jerusalem. This Church suffered from chronic poverty. Even the Jewish population were liable to famines, in one of which they had only been kept alive by the royal munificence of a proselyte, Queen Helena,of Adiabene. The Christians would, of course, suffer even more deeply, because they were drawn from the humblest classes and had fewer friends. This was one of the reasons why, as an act of common humanity, it was incumbent on the Gentile Christians to help (Act_11:29; Rom_15:25, Rom_15:26) St. Paul had already brought the subject to the notice of the Corinthians. (1Co_16:1-4)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Praying us with much entreaty - Probably St. Paul had lovingly admonished them not to do beyond their power.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints:

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. Praying us with much entreaty. They insisted on doing more than the apostle felt that they ought to do.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

4. After εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους the Rec. and A.V. follow some cursives and inferior authorities in adding δέξασθαι ἡμᾶς to fill up the sense.

4. The A.V. is here misleading. What is meant is not what the Macedonians gave to S. Paul, but what they besought him to give to them, viz. the grace of sharing in the good work.

δεόμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν. The construction τοῦτο ὑμῶν δέομαι occurs in classical Greek, but not elsewhere in Biblical Greek, excepting 1Es 8:53, ἐδεήθημεν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν πάντα ταῦτα, where A has κατὰ ταῦτα. In τ. χάριν καὶ τ. κοινωνίαν the καί is probably epexegetic; ‘the grace, viz. the fellowship.’ There are many graces; one of them is the taking part in helping others.

εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους. Comp. 1Co 16:1. This prepositional construction seems to be an Alexandrian idiom. Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 117.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. δεόμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς διακονίας. ‘Begging of us the favour, viz. the sharing in the ministering to the saints.’ The Macedonians entreated to be allowed the privilege of fellowship in so good a work. Cf. 1Th 2:3. St Paul had possibly been unwilling to take much from people who were so poor. οὐχ ἡμεῖς αὐτῶν ἐδεήθημεν ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ἡμῶν (Chrys.). AV here is much astray; τὴν χάριν is not the gift for the Apostle to receive, but the favour for him to grant, viz. allowing the Macedonians to help. Cf. Act 24:27, Act 25:3. They knew that it was more blessed to give than to receive. The καί probably epexegetic. An aec. of a substantive after δέομαι is unusual, although τοῦτο δέμαι ὑμῶν is common.

τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους. ‘The charitable ministering to the Christians.’ This is a freq. meaning of διακόινα (9:1, 12, 13; Act 6:1, Act 11:29, Act 12:25), a word which occurs more often in 2 Cor. and Acts than in all the rest of the N.T. He adds εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους to explain the motive of the Macedonians; it was because help was wanted for Christians that they were so urgent in asking to be allowed to contribute; sic mavult dicere quam ‘pauperes’; id facit ad impetrandum (Beng. on 1Co 16:1). Deissmann (Bib. St. p. 117) thinks that this use of εἰς instead of the dat. comm. is Alexandrian rather than Hebraistic; it is found in papyri.

δέξασθαι ἡμᾶς after ἁγίους is an unintelligent gloss found in a few cursives and other inferior authorities.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Praying us - that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship [δεομενοι ημων την χαριν και την κοινωνιαν] . Rev., beseeching us, etc., in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering. The Greek reads simply, praying us for the favor and the fellowship of the ministry. The renderings of both A. V. and Rev. are clumsy. Paul means that they earnestly besought him as a favor that they might have a share in ministering to the poor saints. Cariv means grace, gift, and favor. Here the last.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.