Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 5:2
And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
2. And ye are (lit. have been) puffed up, and have not rather mourned ] Puffed up. Vulgate, inflati. Tyndale, ye swell. Wiclif, are bolnun, i.e. swollen with pride. It sheds a terrible light upon the self-satisfaction of the Corinthian Church, that it was not disturbed by such a scandal as this.
might be taken away from among you ] The power of excommunication, that is of separating from the Christian society those whose lives were a disgrace to the Christian profession, has always been a power claimed by the Church of Christ. Our own Church declares that it is “much to be wished” that such discipline could be restored among ourselves. But the power has unquestionably been misused, and the consequence of its abuse has been to a great extent to take away its use.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And ye are puffed up – See the note at 1Co 4:18. You are filled with pride, and with a vain conceit of your own wisdom and purity, notwithstanding the existence of this enormous wickedness in your church. This does not mean that they were puffed up, or proud on account of the existence of this wickedness, but they were filled with pride notwithstanding, or in spite of it. They ought to have been a humbled people. They should have mourned; and should have given their first attention to the removal of the evil. But instead of this, they had given indulgence to proud feeling, and had become elated with a vain confidence in their spiritual purity. People are always elated and proud when they have the least occasion for it.
And have not rather mourned … – Have not rather been so afflicted and troubled as to take the proper means for removing the offence. The word mourn here is taken in that large sense. Ye have not been so much afflicted – so troubled with the existence of this wickedness, as to take the proper measures to remove the offender – Acts of discipline in the church should always commence with mourning that there is occasion for it. It should not be anger, or pride, or revenge, or party feeling, which prompt to it. It should be deep grief that there is occasion for it; and tender compassion for the offender.
Might be taken away – By excommunication. He should not, while he continues in this state, be allowed to remain in your communion.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Ye are puffed up] Ye are full of strife and contention relative to your parties and favourite teachers, and neglect the discipline of the Church. Had you considered the greatness of this crime, ye would have rather mourned, and have put away this flagrant transgressor from among you.
Taken away from among you.] . This is supposed by some to refer to the punishment of death, by others to excommunication. The Christian Church was at this time too young to have those forms of excommunication which were practised in succeeding centuries. Probably no more is meant than a simple disowning of the person, accompanied with the refusal to admit him to the sacred ordinances, or to have any intercourse or connection with him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And ye are puffed up; you are so conceited of your own parts and gifts, and are so full of your contentions about the preference of ministers, and things of little concernment to your souls and the interest of the church, that you have not been able to find leisure to deal with this scandalous person, as a church of Christ ought to have done. This seemeth rather the reason of their not mourning, than any rejoicing in iniquity, as if they had thought the gospel had opened that door against this licentiousness which the law had shut, or triumphed in this incestuous person, being one of their teachers (which can hardly be thought).
And have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you: they ought rather to have mourned, keeping times of fasting and prayer, on the behalf of this scandalous member amongst them, that his sin might (upon his due sense of it, and repentance for it) have been forgiven him, and the blot upon their church, by their having such a one in their fellowship, might be washed out, by his being cast out of their fellowship and communion. It was no time for them to glory in their gifts, and be puffed up with the parts of their teachers or members, when they had such a blot upon them by a putrid member that was amongst them. They had a great deal more cause for humiliation, than for pride and glorying.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. puffed upwith your ownwisdom and knowledge, and the eloquence of your favorite teachers: ata time when ye ought to be “mourning” at the scandal causedto religion by the incest. Paul mourned because they did notmourn (2Co 2:4). We ought tomourn over the transgressions of others, and repent ofour own (2Co 12:21) [BENGEL].
thatye have not feltsuch mourning as would lead to the result that, &c.
taken away from among youbyexcommunication. The incestuous person was hereby brought to bitterrepentance, in the interval between the sending of the first andsecond Epistles (2Co2:5-10). Excommunication in the Christian Church corresponded tothat in the Jewish synagogue, in there being a lighter and heavierform: the latter an utter separation from church fellowship and theLord’s house, the former exclusion from the Lord’s Supper only butnot from the Church.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And ye are puffed up,…. Either with the gifts, learning, and eloquence of their preachers, and particularly of this man, who, by some, is thought to be one of their teachers; and though he was guilty of so foul a crime, yet they still applauded him, and cried him up for a wonderful preacher: or one party was puffed up against another; that which was opposite to the party this man belonged to, boasting over the other as free from the scandal that was exposed unto; or the other were puffed up with their lenity and forbearance, boasting of it as an act of humanity and good nature, and an instance of charity, showing that they were not severe upon one another, for mistakes in life: or else were puffed up and gloried in the thing itself, as an instance of Christian liberty, and their freedom from the law, through a sad mistake of it; and in which they might be strengthened by a notion of the Jews, that it was lawful for proselyted Gentiles to do such things, for so says Maimonides b.
“The sentence of the law is, that it is free for a Gentile
, “to marry his mother”, or his sister that are made proselytes; but the wise men forbid this thing, that they may not say we are come from a holiness that is heavy, to one that is light.”
But this writer concludes that a proselyte might marry his father’s brother’s wife, and his father’s wife; and so says his commentator c, and observes, that it was the opinion of R. Akiba, which Rabbi was contemporary with the Apostle Paul: so that this notion prevailed in his days, and does in some measure account for the commission of such a sin by a church member, and the church’s negligence about it:
and have not rather mourned; not only personally, and separately, but as a body; they ought to have met together as a church, and humbled themselves before God for this scandalous iniquity done in the midst of them, and pray unto him,
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you; not by excommunication, for that they could and ought to have done themselves; but by the immediate hand of God, inflicting some visible punishment, and taking him away by an untimely death, which the Jews call , “cutting off”, by the hand of God; and such a punishment, they say, this crime deserved; according to them, there were six and thirty cuttings off in the law, or so many things which deserved death by the hand of God; and the two first that are mentioned are these, he that lies with his mother or with his father’s wife d.
b Hilchot lssure Bia, c. 14. sect. 12, 13. c Auctor Ceseph Misna in ib. d Misn. Ceritot, c. 1. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And ye are puffed up ( ). Emphatic position of (you). It may be understood as a question. Perfect passive periphrastic indicative of the same verb used already of the partisans in Corinth (1Cor 4:6; 1Cor 4:19; 1Cor 4:20). Those of the same faction with this scoundrel justified his rascality.
Did not rather mourn ( ). Possibly question also and note strong negative form , which favours it. The very least that they could have done ( rather than be puffed up) was to mourn for shame (, old verb for lamentation) as if for one dead.
That he might be taken away ( ). The sub-final use of of desired result (1:15) so common in the Koine. First aorist passive subjunctive of , to lift up, to carry off. Decent self-respect should have compelled the instant expulsion of the man instead of pride in his rascality.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) And ye are puffed up. (Greek kai humeis pephusiomenoi este) you all are having been puckered up – apparently taking the specific act of illicit carnal fornication as a joke, that the young man had used his fathers wife for carnal sex pleasure.
2) And have not rather mourned. Paul chided the Corinth church members who were contentious over Paul, Apollos, and Cephas to the extent they were neglecting more serious moral conduct among them.
3) That he that hath done this deed. No deep remorse, no outward shame, no real regret seemed to exist among the Corinthian brethren, such as should exist in a church so morally wrong.
4) Might be taken away from among you. The structure of this entire verse appears to be a rhetoric question of reprimand that the church should consider so lightly the carnal fornication being, (Greek prakses) or having been practiced, or continued repeatedly for some time. Such was a breach of the Law of Moses and law of Christ and not even endorsed by the heathen; Rev 18:6-8; Mat 5:32; Mat 15:19; Mat 19:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
2. And ye are puffed up “ Are ye not ashamed,” says he, “to glory in what affords so much occasion for humiliation?” He had observed previously, that even the highest excellence gives no just ground of glorying, inasmuch as mankind have nothing of their own, and it is only through the grace of God that they possess any excellence. (1Co 4:7.) Now, however, he attacks them from another quarter. “You are,” says he, “covered with disgrace: what ground have you, then, for pride or haughtiness? For there is an amazing blindness in glorying in the midst of disgrace, in spite, as it were of angels and men.”
When he says, and have not rather mourned, he argues by way of contrast; for where there is grief there is no more glorying. It may be asked: “Why ought they to have mourned over another man’s sin?” I answer, for two reasons: first, in consequence of the communion that exists among the members of the Church, it was becoming that all should feel hurt at so deadly a fall on the part of one of their number; and secondly, when such an enormity is perpetrated in a particular Church, the perpetrator of it is all offender in such a way, that the whole society is in a manner polluted. For as God humbles the father of a family in the disgrace of his wife, or of his children, and a whole kindred in the disgrace of one of their number, so every Church ought to consider, that it contracts a stain of disgrace whenever any base crime is perpetrated in it. Nay, farther, we see how the anger of God was kindled against the whole nation of Israel on account of the sacrilege of one individual — Achan. (Jos 7:1.) It was not as though God had been so cruel as to take vengeance on the innocent for another man’s crime; but, as in every instance in which anything of this nature has occurred among a people, there is already some token of his anger, so by correcting a community for the fault of one individual, he distinctly intimates that the whole body is infected and polluted with the contagion of the offense. Hence we readily infer, that it is the duty of every Church to mourn over the faults of individual members, as domestic calamities belonging to the entire body. And assuredly a pious and dutiful correction takes its rise in our being inflamed with holy zeal through displeasure at the offense; for otherwise severity will be felt to be bitter. (271)
That he might be taken away from among you. He now brings out more distinctly what he finds fault with in the Corinthians — remissness, inasmuch as they connived at such an abomination. Hence, too, it appears that Churches are furnished with this power (272) — that, whatever fault there is within them, they can correct or remove it by strictness of discipline, and that those are inexcusable that are not on the alert to have filth cleared away. For Paul here condemns the Corinthians. Why? Because they had been remiss in the punishment of one individual. Now he would have accused them unjustly, if they had not had this power. Hence the power of excommunication is established from this passage. On the other hand, as Churches have this mode of punishment put into their hands, those commit sin, (273) as Paul shows here, that do not make use of it, when it is required; for otherwise he would act unfairly to the Corinthians in charging them with this fault.
(271) “ Et ne profitera pas;” — “And will do no good.”
(272) “ Et authorite;” — “And authority.”
(273) “ Offensent Dieu;” — “Offend God.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) And ye are puffed up.Better, And are ye puffed up? &c. We have instances of similar sentences beginning with and, Luk. 10:29. The Apostle cannot mean that they actually gloried in this act of sin, but that their temper of mind was of that kind which he has already described in the earlier chapters, puffing themselves up, one against another, in party rivalry, instead of being united in one common grief by this common cause, which would lead them as one man to remove from among them the person who had done this deed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Puffed up Note on 1Co 4:6. Neither shame nor grief over this foul sin reduced their inflation. Sensuality was a fashionable indulgence in Corinth. The precise shape and rigidity of Christian ethics were not in their minds fixed; the Church took the matter easily; neither its exultation over its worldly prosperity, nor its pride in possession of spiritual gifts, was toned down.
Rather mourned Instead of indifference and persistent pride the whole Church should have melted in grief for the downfall of this one man. The Christian body should have sympathetic nerves for the sin or sorrow of each and every member.
That To the end that. Their grief should have prompted them to the instant removal of the sin, even at the expense of the excommunication of the sinner.
Taken away By the law of Christ, the great head of the Church. That not by death but by excommunication is meant, is clear from Paul’s directions 1Co 5:4-5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 5:2. And ye are puffed up, &c. And yet ye are elated, instead of mourning, as ye ought to do, in order to the expulsion of him who hath committed this. At that timethechurchusedpublichumiliations, with fasting and tears, when they passed a sentence of excommunication. Heylin.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Co 5:2 . A question suddenly introduced with and , laying bare the incongruity of this state of things with the attitude previously noticed (see Hartung, Partikell . I. p. 146 f.).
emphatic: Ye , the people among whom so disgraceful a thing can occur; for , Chrysostom.
. ] What is meant is the spiritual self-conceit already censured (1Co 4:6 ff., 1Co 4:18 ) regarding the lofty degree of Christian wisdom and perfection in general, which they supposed themselves to have reached; not pride in the incestuous person himself, who is conceived to have been a highly-esteemed teacher (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Grotius).
.] are fallen into distress (penitential mourning), for by reason of the fellowship between Christians (comp 1Co 12:26 ) , , Theophylact, comp Chrysostom.
. . [759] ] The design which, according to the apostle’s view, the . ought to have had, and the attainment of which would have been its result, had it taken place: in order that he might be removed , etc. It intensifies and completes the contrast with their conceited self-assurance, and leads appropriately to the introduction of his own judicial sentence , which comes in, 1Co 5:3 , with . . [760] ; all the less, therefore, is . . [761] to be regarded as forming such a judicial utterance (Pott, Hofmann) standing forth with imperative independence: Away with him , etc. (see on 2Co 8:7 ). That does not come in until 1Co 5:13 .
] facinus , the nature of which is shown by the context. See Ellendt, Lex. Soph. I. p. 671.
[759] . . . .
[760] . . . .
[761] . . . .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
Ver. 2. And ye are puffed up ] And yet ye are puffed up (so Piscator reads it), viz. with your spiritual gifts, and your brave teachers; whereas you have more cause to be cast down for your other men’s sins now made yours, because unlamented by you. There were great divisions among them at this time; and when this incest occured, the other faction thought they had an advantage against the whole party, and this puffed them up, -Nay, do ye not see what one of them hath done, &c.
And have not rather mourned ] That any of you should incur the censure of excommunication; at which time they did anciently fast and lament.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2. ] often introduces a question, especially one by which something inconsistent or preposterous is brought out, see reff.: and note on 2Co 2:2 .
. ] Not, which would be absurd, at the occurrence of this crime , . Chrys.: neither, as he proceeds, , imagining the offender to have been some party teacher: so also Theophyl.: but as before, with a notion of their own wisdom and spiritual perfection: the being puffed up is only cum hoc , not propter hoc .
] And did ye not rather mourn (viz. when the crime became first known to you), in order that (your mourning would be because of the existence of the evil, i.e. with a view to its removal ) he who did this deed (the past part. is itself used from the past point of time indicated by , and must therefore be expressed by the past) might (may) be removed from among you (viz. by your casting him out from your society)?
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Co 5:2 . What are the Cor [805] doing under this deep disgrace? Not even grieving . ; . . .: “And are you (still) puffed up? and did you not rather mourn?” For the grammatical force of . , see parls. in 1Co 1:10 , 1Co 4:8 ; and for the vb [806] , note to 1Co 4:6 . P. confronts the pride of the Cor [807] Church with this crushing fact; no intellectual brilliance, no religious enthusiasm, can cover this hideous blot: “argumentatur a contrario, ubi enim luctus est, cessit gloria” (Cv [808] ). The ver. is best read interrogatively , in view of the in 2nd clause ( cf. 1Co 1:20 ), and in Paul’s expostulatory style ( cf. 1Co 4:7 f.). (see parls.) connotes funeral mourning over “a brother dead to God, by sin, alas! undone;” the tense signifies “ going into mourning” “breaking out in grief” (Ev [809] ) when you heard of it. Of such grief the fit sequel is expressed by , “that he should be removed from your midst, who so perpetrated this deed”. This is the later Gr [810] “sub-final” , of the desired result: see Wr [811] , p. 420; Bm [812] , p. 237; cf. 1Co 14:12 f. , as distinguished from (T.R.), implies quality in the action (see parls.).
[805] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[806] verb
[807] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[808] Calvin’s In Nov. Testamentum Commentarii .
[809] T. S. Evans in Speaker’s Commentary .
[810] Greek, or Grotius’ Annotationes in N.T.
[811]
[812] A. Buttmann’s Grammar of the N.T. Greek (Eng. Trans., 1873).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
are = have been.
puffed up. Greek. phusioo. See 1Co 4:6.
have, &c. = did not rather mourn.
that = in order that. Greek. hina.
hath done = did.
taken away. Greek. exairo. Only here and 1Co 5:13. The texts read the commoner word airo. Had they mourned and humbled themselves for such a scandal in their midst they must have taken action (1Co 5:13).
from among = out of (Greek. ek. App-104.) the midst of.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2.] often introduces a question, especially one by which something inconsistent or preposterous is brought out,-see reff.: and note on 2Co 2:2.
. ] Not, which would be absurd,-at the occurrence of this crime, . Chrys.: neither, as he proceeds,- , imagining the offender to have been some party teacher: so also Theophyl.:-but as before, with a notion of their own wisdom and spiritual perfection: the being puffed up is only cum hoc, not propter hoc.
] And did ye not rather mourn (viz. when the crime became first known to you), in order that (your mourning would be because of the existence of the evil, i.e. with a view to its removal) he who did this deed (the past part. is itself used from the past point of time indicated by , and must therefore be expressed by the past) might (may) be removed from among you (viz. by your casting him out from your society)?
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 5:2. , and ye) He presses their sin home to them.-, puffed up) [as if you were free from blame in the matter.-V.g.]-The force of the word is evident from its antithesis, to mourn.-, ye are) hitherto.-, you have mourned) Paul himself wrote these words mourning, nay weeping; 2Co 2:4; we should mourn over the transgressions of others; 2Co 12:21, and repent of our own; and we should do both as regards the first and original sin.-, that) you have felt no grief, which might stir you up, that, etc.-, he might be taken away) Paul has already in his mind what he is about to write at 1Co 5:13.- is a milder word here, than afterwards.[38]
[38] , the daring deed) It was a wicked action, without marriage.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 5:2
1Co 5:2
And ye are puffed up,-Looseness in faith, heresy, division and strife breed indifference to morality and virtue, and open the way for all shames and sins to follow. So these people in their departures from the faith had admitted all types of immorality. This case was probably among the wealthy and influential, or belonged to an influential party, and instead of condemning him for the sin, they were arrogant, defied criticism, and did not feel that his course was a source of sorrow and shame for the persons sinning and for the church so disgraced and humiliated by the crime. [It does not mean that they were puffed up because of this outrage, but in spite of it. It ought to have humbled them to the dust, and yet they retained their self-satisfied complacency. Their morbid self-importance, which made them so intolerant of petty wrongs (1Co 6:7), made them tolerant of deep disgrace.]
and did not rather mourn,-[The church should have risen as one man, and gone into a common act of humiliation and mourning, like a family for the death of one of its members. It should have been a day of repentance, on which the whole church before the Lord deplored the scandal committed, and cried to him to lead them to expel the guilty person from the fellowship in irrepressible horror at his conduct.]
that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you.-That he should be refused fellowship or recognition in the church. Loss of fellowship involved loss of recognition and association among Christians. It should be considered a great disgrace and shame yet to be excluded from the membership of the church of Christ. It is noteworthy that God always holds the man the more guilty party in such sins. It is to the shame of society that this order has been reversed in modern times.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
And ye are puffed up
What contempt this pours upon the divisions among the Corinthians: “Apollonians,” and “Paulinians,” and “Cephasites,” all alike indifferent to this instance of gross sin!
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
ye are: 1Co 5:6, 1Co 4:6-8, 1Co 4:18
mourned: Num 25:6, 2Ki 22:19, Ezr 9:2-6, Ezr 10:1-6, Psa 119:136, Jer 13:17, Eze 9:4, Eze 9:6, 2Co 7:7, 2Co 7:9-11, 2Co 12:21
might: 1Co 5:5, 1Co 5:7, 1Co 5:13, Rev 2:20-22
Reciprocal: Lev 19:17 – and not suffer sin upon him Deu 22:24 – so thou shalt put 1Co 5:9 – not 1Co 8:1 – Knowledge 1Co 13:4 – is not 2Co 7:11 – that Phi 3:19 – whose glory Jam 3:14 – glory
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Co 5:2. Puffed up means their pride over the superiority they imagined they had as we saw in the preceding chapter. Even this shameful case of fornication had not moderated their self-esteem. They should have mourned or lamented over the wicked character, and resolved that he would be put from among them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 5:2. And ye are puffed upas if all were right with youand have not rather mournedthat such a blot should come upon your community,(in order) that he that had done this deed might (by formal ejection) be taken away from among you. Sharp measures are therefore peremptorily ordered to take place.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here note, 1. The fault charged upon the church: they did not censure this offender, therefore the apostle censures them. The tolerating of scandalous sins in particular members of churches, is a thing very displeasing to Christ, and offensive to his ministers.
Note, 2. As they did not censure the offenders, so neither did they mourn for the offence, as they should and ought to have done.
Learn, That the falls of particular members of churches are a just cause of mourning to the whole church: as members of the same body, we should sympathize with one another; what the natural members do, the mystical members ought to do.
Note, 3. The cause of both, why they did neither censure the offender, nor mourn for the offence: they were puffed up; partly with pride of their own gifts, and partly with vain-glory, upon account of their admired teachers. Now this pride hindered their sorrow; a proud man is seldom a compassionate man; true humility will teach us to lament and bewail others’ frailty. Ye are puffed up, and have not mourned; the original word, to mourn, seems to refer to a custom in the primitive time, when Christians put on solemnly mourning attire, and bewailed excommunicate persons as those that are dead. These Corinthians being puffed up with pride, were so far from their compassionate mourning over this incestuous person, that they rather rejoiced at it, and insulted over that party to whom this person belonged. So prone are persons to rejoice at the downfall of others, either by sin, or by affliction!
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Vv. 2. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
Even this fact has not sufficed to disturb the proud self-satisfaction which he has already rebuked in the Corinthians in the previous chapter, or to make them come down from the celestial heights on which they are now walking to the real state of things.
The word , puffed up, goes back on the words, 1Co 4:6 (), and especially v. 19 ( ). What have they done, those grand talkers, in view of this monstrous scandal? This is what the apostle called having speech but not power. Should not this moral catastrophe have opened their eyes to the fallen state in which their Church lay? Calvin admirably says: Ubi luctus est, ibi cessat gloriatio.
A living Church, which had in it the of its Head, would have risen as one man, and gone into a common act of humiliation and mourning, like a family for the death of one of its members. This is what is expressed by the verb , to conduct a mourning.
The aorist cannot merely designate a feeling of inward grief. It shows that Paul is thinking of a positive, solemn deed, of something like a day of repentance and fasting, on which the whole Church before the Lord deplored the scandal committed, and cried to Him to bring it to an end.
The words, that might be taken away, are referred by most commentators to the excommunication which the Church would not have failed to pronounce upon the guilty one as the result of such an act of humiliation. Calvin says without hesitation, The power of excommunication is established by this passage. But it seems to me that neither the conjunction that nor the passive might be taken away is suitable to an act which the Corinthians should have done themselves. The that rather indicates a result which would be produced, independently of them, in consequence of the mourning called for by the apostle. It is the same with the passive form might be taken away. If Paul had thought of an exclusion pronounced by the Church itself, he would have said: That ye might take away; or, better still, Ye have not mourned, and then taken away the offender. At the most he would have said, Ye have not mourned, so that () he might be taken away. Whether we refer the to the intention which would have dictated the mourning (Meyer, Edwards), or to that of the apostle who calls for it (de Wette), we do not sufficiently account for it, any more than for the passive form might be taken away. It must be confessed, it seems to me, that in Paul’s view he who does the act of taking away is different from him who mourns, though the mourning is the condition of his intervening to strike. This is what the Corinthians should have known well, and this is precisely the reason why they should have mourned that he whose part it was to take away might act. The mysterious arm, which, if the Church had felt its shame, would have removed it by striking the guilty one, can only be the arm of God Himself. To the grief and prayer of the Church He would have responded in a way similar to that in which He had acted, on the words of Peter, toward Ananias and Sapphira, or as He was acting at that very time at Corinth, by visiting with sickness, and even with death, the profaners of the Supper (1Co 11:30-32).
Hofmann sees that in the ordinary construction these expressions cannot apply to an act done by the Church. And, as he does not suppose that the term can designate anything else than excommunication, he begins a new sentence with , regarding this conjunction, with Pott, as the periphrasis of an imperative: Let such a man be taken away from among you (by a sentence of excommunication)! No doubt the , that, is sometimes used thus. But it is hard to see how such an order would harmonize with what follows, where Paul relates what he has done to make up for what the Corinthians had not done. Besides, this construction would here be entirely unexpected and far from natural. The of the T. R. is taken from 1Co 5:13. The reading should be , with most of the Mjj.
The verb , or , is ordinarily used in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to denote the capital punishment inflicted on malefactors in Israel; comp. also the , Mat 9:15, and parallel, applied to the Messiah’s violent death.
In saying from among you, Paul is certainly thinking of the way in which he had characterized his readers at the beginning of his letter: Sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by call. How could one guilty of adultery and incest have a place in such an assembly!
The term has a certain emphasis: An act such as this. The reading , in three Alex., might be preferred, because the verb is pretty often used in an unfavourable sense, in opposition to (see Joh 3:20-21; Joh 5:29, etc.). But better expresses than the accomplishment of the deed.
After characterizing both the guilty pride and softness of the Church, the apostle contrasts with them his own mode of acting.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
And ye are puffed up, and did not rather mourn, that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you. [Our last section shows in what manner they had been puffed up. Had they been mourning over their real sinfulness, instead of priding themselves in their philosophical knowledge, this offender would have been taken away by excommunication.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
2. And you have been puffed up, and did not rather mourn, in order that the one having done this deed may be taken from your midst.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
1Co 5:2. Turns suddenly from the one notorious sinner to the church generally. By tolerating him, all exposed themselves to blame.
Are puffed up: or, are men who have been puffed up: 1Co 4:6; 1Co 4:19. Their inflated self-esteem not only gave rise to the church-parties but made the whole church oblivious of the disgrace which this man had cast upon it.
Rather mourned: instead of being puffed up. For his sin was a calamity to all.
Done this work: married the woman he now has.
In order that etc. They ought in sorrow to have resolved that the guilty man should be driven from their ranks. This censure proves that a church ought to separate from itself those indisputably guilty of gross immorality.
Fuente: Beet’s Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament
5:2 {2} And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
(2) There are none more proud than they that least know themselves.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Corinthians’ attitude about this situation was even worse than the sin itself. Rather than mourning over it and disciplining the offender they took pride in it. They may have viewed it as within the bounds of Christian liberty thinking that their position in Christ made sexual morality unimportant. Another possibility is that their worldly "wisdom" encouraged them to cast off sexual restraints.
". . . Paul is not here dealing with ’church discipline’ as such; rather, out of his Jewish heritage he is expressing what should be the normal consequences of being the people of God, who are called to be his holy people (1Co 1:2). It is this lack of a sense of sin, and therefore of any ethical consequences to their life in the Spirit, that marks the Corinthian brand of spirituality as radically different from that which flows out of the gospel of Christ crucified. And it is precisely this failure to recognize the depth of their corporate sinfulness due to their arrogance that causes Paul to take such strong action as is described in the next sentence (1Co 5:3-5)." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 203. See also Barrett, p. 122.]