Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Corinthians 9:14
And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
14. and by their prayer for you, which long after you ] The construction in the Greek is somewhat obscure. Some would render (1) as A. V., and regard this verse also as depending upon the word glorify. Others suppose (2) that St Paul has abruptly changed the construction, and would render they themselves, with prayer, earnestly longing to see you. If we accept (1), which also involves a change in the construction of the sentence, the sense is that the prayer of the Jewish Christians and their affection for the Corinthians redounded to the glory of God. If (2), it simply means that the result of the Corinthian bounty would be to draw out a corresponding fervency of affection on the part of the Church at Jerusalem. It is worthy of remark that the Apostle, in his vivid anticipation of the future, regards it as already present.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And by their prayer for you – On the grammatical construction of this difficult verse, Doddridge and Bloomfield may be consulted. It is probably to be taken in connection with 2Co 9:12, and 2Co 9:13 is a parenthesis. Thus interpreted, the sense will be, The administration of this service 2Co 9:12 will produce abundant thanks to God. It will also 2Co 9:14 produce another effect. It will tend to excite the prayers of the saints for you, and thus produce important benefits to yourselves. They will earnestly desire your welfare, they will anxiously pray to be united in Christian friendship with those who have been so signally endowed with the grace of God. The sentiment is, that charity should be shown to poor and afflicted Christians because it will lead them to pray for us and to desire our welfare. The prayers of the poorest Christian for us are worth more than all we usually bestow on them in charity; and he who has secured the pleadings of a child of God, however humble, in his behalf, has made a good use of his money.
Which long after you – Who earnestly desire to see and know you. Who will sincerely desire your welfare, and who will thus be led to pray for you.
For the exceeding grace of God in you – On account of the favor which God has shown to you: the strength and power of the Christian principle, manifesting itself in doing good to those whom you have never seen. The apostle supposes that the exercise of a charitable disposition is to be traced entirely to God. God is the author of all grace; he alone excites in us a disposition to do good to others.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. The exceeding grace of God in you.] By the , superabounding or transcending grace, of God, which was in them, the apostle most evidently means the merciful and charitable disposition which they had towards the suffering saints. The whole connection, indeed the whole chapter, proves this; and the apostle attributes this to its right source, the grace or goodness of God. They had the means of charity, but God had given these means; they had a feeling, and charitable heart, but God was the author of it. Their charity was superabundant, and God had furnished both the disposition, the occasion, and the means by which that disposition was to be made manifest.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Another way by which the glory of God will be promoted, by your simple, free, and liberal contribution, is, that by this he will have more prayers, which also will redound to your advantage, for it will procure prayers for you; and not prayers only, but a great deal of fervent love; so as they will long after your good, and after your acquaintance, when they shall receive such an experiment of
the exceeding grace of God in you.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. Translate, “Themselvesalso with prayer for you, longing after you on account of theexceeding grace of God (resting) upon you.” English Versionis, however, good sense: They glorify God (2Co9:13) by the experimental proof, &c., “and by theirprayer for you.” But the Greek favors the former.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And by their prayer for you,…. The sense is, they glorify God on your behalf, making mention of you in all their prayers at the throne of grace, giving thanks to God for your liberality to them, and imploring all the blessings both of the upper and nether springs upon you; and this contains another argument engaging the Corinthians to liberality, taken from the prayers of the saints for them: or the words may be connected with 2Co 9:12 the thirteenth verse being in a parenthesis; and show not only that this ministering to the poor saints relieved their wants, and caused thanksgivings to God, but abounded in this fruit also; it put them upon daily and importunate supplications to God for their welfare both in soul and body.
Which long after you; or “earnestly desire you”; that is, “to see you”, as the Ethiopic version adds; or exceedingly love you: their affections are wonderfully drawn out to you; not so much, or barely for your kindness to them, as
for the exceeding grace of God in you; for that large measure of it which was bestowed upon them in regeneration, as their unfeigned faith, lively hope, and sincere love; and for all that grace which was displayed in their justification, adoption, sanctification, and whole salvation.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
While they themselves long after you ( ). Genitive absolute of present active participle of (5:2).
In you (‘ ). Upon you.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And by their prayer for you,” (kai auton deesei huper humon) “and by their prayer on behalf of you all;” the Rich (Corinth) brethren shall be blessed in answer to the prayers of the poor, Jas 5:16, For their deeds of piety were acknowledged in prayers of thanksgiving for them, Php_1:3; 2Co 1:1; 2Co 4:15.
2) “Which long after you,” (epipothounton humas) “who long after you all,” in love and admiration of a congregation (church) far away on another continent, that like their Lord loved enough to “go about doing good,” giving to others, Act 10:38; Act 20:35.
3) “For the exceeding grace of God in you,” (dia ten (huperballousan charin tou theou eph’ humin) “on account of the excelling grace of God upon you all,” grace that reached across the sea to help the hungry and needy brethren far away; no wonder they were prosperous, Mat 6:33; Luk 6:38; Joh 13:34-35; 1Jn 3:17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
14. And their prayer He omits no advantage which may be of any use for stirring up the Corinthians. (735) In the first place, he has made mention of the comfort that believers would experience; secondly, the thanksgiving, by means of which God was to be glorified. Nay more, he has said that this would be a confession, which would manifest to all their unanimous concurrence in faith, and in pious obedience. He now adds the reward that the Corinthians would receive from the saints — good-will springing from gratitude, (736) and earnest prayers. “They will have,” says he, “the means of requiting you in return; for they will regard you with the love with which they ought, and they will be careful to commend you to God in their prayers.” At length, as though he had obtained his desire, he prepares himself (737) to celebrate the praises of God, by which he was desirous to testify the confidence felt by him, as though the matter were already accomplished.
(735) “ Qui puisse seruir a esmouuoir et encourager les Corinthtens.” — “That may serve to stir up and encourage the Corinthians.”
(736) “ Procedante de la recognoissance du benefice qu’ils auoyent receu des Corinthtens;” — “Proceeding from an acknowledgment of the kindness that they had received from the Corinthians.”
(737) “ D’vne grande affection;” — “With great ardour.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) And by their prayer for you, which long after you.The structure of the Greek is again ungrammatical, but the following gives a somewhat more accurate representation: And while they long after you, in supplication for you, on account of the exceeding grace of God that rests on you. He seems half lost in his anticipations of what will follow when he hands over the contributions of the Gentiles to the saints at Jerusalem. Their utterance of praise and thanksgiving will, he is sure, be followed by a yearning prayer of intercession for their benefactors.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. And ( they glorify God, continued from last verse) by their prayer for you Made with a longing for (the sight of) you.
For On account of the grace of God superabounding upon you; as shown by this your superabounding beneficence.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Co 9:14 . .] does not go with 2Co 9:12 , so that 2Co 9:13 would be a parenthesis (Beza, Estius, Rosenmller, Flatt, Olshausen, de Wette), because in that case Paul would have written very enigmatically, and must at least have continued with instead of with the dative. Nor yet does it go with , in which case the dative is either made to depend on (Luther, Castalio, Bengel), or is taken instrumentally (Emmerling, Billroth, Osiander, Neander; Rckert does not decide), for in the former case there would result an idea strange and destitute of all analogy from the N. T. (Bengel wrongly appeals to 2Ti 1:3 ); in the latter, would be superfluous, and the prefixing of the would remain entirely unregarded. We must rather take together as genitive absolute (comp. the punctuation in Lachmann and Teschendorf, also Ewald and Hofmann), and means they too , by which is meant to be indicated the fact that, and the mode in which, on their side also the , which the Corinthians have shown, is returned. Thus: while they too with prayer for you long after you . The emergence of the genitive absolute without difference of the subject is a phenomenon also frequent in classical authors. See Poppo, ad Thucyd . I. p. 119 f.; Richter, de anacol . 16; Matthiae, p. 1306; Bornemann, ad Act 13:6 .
is not instrumental, but an accompanying accessory definition of the mode: with prayer, amid prayer for you. [296] Comp. Bernhardy, p. 100 f.
Regarding , see on 2Co 5:2 . It is the longing of pious, grateful love for personal fellowship with the brethren far distant. It is a sheer fancy that it means maximo amore complecti (Beza and many others, even Billroth).
. . .] reason of this pious longing: because the grace of God is abundant towards you . How far this was shown in the present instance, see 2Co 9:13 . Chrysostom well says: , . Even in this . . . , Hofmann finds the contrast between the Israelitic Christians and the Gentile Christians, who before had lived beyond the pale of the church of God, and without God in the world. If Paul had meant this relation, he would have expressed it (comp. Eph 2:12 ).
belongs to . Comp. Khner, ad Xen. Anab. iv. 2. 18. denotes the object, to which the activity has passed o2Co 9:Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 290 [E. T. 337].
[296] It is the Christian intercession of thankfulness for the benefactors, for whom the praying heart yearns. Hofmann goes beyond the text when he imports into this prayer the definite contents: that God would keep the Achaean Christians till the time, when Jesus shall bring together the scattered children of God with those of the Holy Land and people . Mat 24:31 treats of the Parousia, and is not at all relevant here.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
Ver. 14. And by their prayer for you ] A poor Christian’s prayers cannot be bought too dearly. “I will restore comfort to him, and to his mourners,” Isa 57:18 . Such can do much with God. Et cum talis fueris, memento mei, saith Bernard to his poor, but pure friend. How heartily prayeth Paul for Onesiphorus, 2Ti 1:16 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
14. ] The construction is very difficult. may depend on , 2Co 9:12 (but then we should expect as there), or on (but then it should also depend on and they could not be said to glorify God for their own prayers. If on as the instrument whereby, it seems strange that Should be expressed), or . . . may be (as Meyer) a gen. absol., ‘ while they desire you in prayers for you ’ (but this seems forced, and as De W. observes, would require either before or after ). In the midst of these difficulties I see no way but this: the datives preceding, and , have occasioned this also to be expressed in the dative, as though it depended on , whereas it is in reality parallel with and dependent on . Again, the words in another point of view are parallel with and , inasmuch as these are , and this is . Amidst such complicated antitheses and attracted constructions, it may suffice if we discover the clue to the original formation of the sentence: the meaning is obvious enough, viz. that glory also accrues to God by the prayers of the recipients, who are moved with the desire of Christian love (reff.) to you, on account of the grace of God which abounds eminently towards (over) you ( . belonging to . not to , which would, but not of absolute necessity, require ).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
2Co 9:14 . . . . This is again an independent sentence, beginning with a gen. abs.: while they also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you ( sc. , apparently, long to see you) by reason of the exceeding grace of God upon you: i.e. , you have the prayers of those whom you are helping, who feel the yearnings of affection for their benefactors in whom the working of God’s grace has been so signally displayed.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
prayer. Greek deesis. App-134.
for = on behalf of. Greek. huper. App-104.
for = because of. Greek. dia. App-104. 2Co 9:2.
exceeding, Greek. huperballo. See 2Co 3:10.
in = upon. Greek. epi. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
14.] The construction is very difficult. may depend on , 2Co 9:12 (but then we should expect as there),-or on (but then it should also depend on -and they could not be said to glorify God for their own prayers. If on as the instrument whereby, it seems strange that Should be expressed), or . . . may be (as Meyer) a gen. absol., while they desire you in prayers for you (but this seems forced, and as De W. observes, would require either before or after ). In the midst of these difficulties I see no way but this: the datives preceding, and , have occasioned this also to be expressed in the dative, as though it depended on , whereas it is in reality parallel with and dependent on . Again, the words in another point of view are parallel with and , inasmuch as these are , and this is . Amidst such complicated antitheses and attracted constructions, it may suffice if we discover the clue to the original formation of the sentence: the meaning is obvious enough, viz. that glory also accrues to God by the prayers of the recipients, who are moved with the desire of Christian love (reff.) to you, on account of the grace of God which abounds eminently towards (over) you ( . belonging to . not to , which would, but not of absolute necessity, require ).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
2Co 9:14. , on account of their prayer) [But Engl. Vers., by their prayer for you.] Construe, glorifying [, 2Co 9:13] for their prayer; for we give thanks even for the prayers which have been given to us [which God has enabled us to offer], 2Ti 1:3 [I thank God, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers].-, greatly desiring) construe with , of them.-, on account of, for) construe with thanksgivings [, 2Co 9:12].- ) which rests upon you, in such a degree as that it redounds to their advantage.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
2Co 9:14
2Co 9:14
while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.-[Since such a time had passed (2Co 8:6; 2Co 9:2) since the collection was first mooted, it is most likely that the news of it had reached the saints in Judea, and was already working this thanksgiving and affection. They made the contribution the object of their earnest prayer, with a genuine affection and longing for them which added effectiveness to their petitions. This was one of the blessings accruing to the liberal givers.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
by: 2Co 1:11, Ezr 6:8-10, Psa 41:1, Psa 41:2, Pro 11:26, Luk 16:9, Phi 4:18, Phi 4:19, 2Ti 1:16-18
long: 2Sa 13:29, Rom 1:11, Phi 1:8, Phi 2:26, Phi 4:1
the exceeding: 2Co 8:1, 2Co 8:6, 2Co 8:7, 1Co 1:4, 1Co 1:5, 1Ti 1:14
Reciprocal: Deu 12:20 – I will Deu 24:13 – the sun Mar 14:7 – ye have 2Pe 1:8 – in you
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Co 9:14. The disciples in Judea also prayed for their benefactors. Long after you denotes an increasing feeling of interest in these brethren because of the grace or favor of God which they believed to be evident in them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
2Co 9:14. whilst they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you;Your generosity not only causes much thanksgiving to God, and prayer for you, but a yearning of heart towards you for the grace of God so eminently resting upon such donors.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 14 Paul says that the Jerusalem saints would pray for God’s blessings on the Corinthians and that they might meet face to face and fellowship their generous brethren.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. [This ministry of yours, in giving to the poor at Jerusalem, not only fills up the measure of the wants of these people of God, but overflows that measure, for it results in many thanksgivings to God. And these results are evident, for by thus showing your liberality to the Jewish church at Jerusalem, you prove to it that you are indeed true and obedient to your confession of your faith in the gospel of Christ, and thus cause them to glorify God, as they also do for the liberality of your contribution unto them and (potentially) unto all. You cause them also to pray for you and long to see you face to face, that they may know those in whom God’s grace abounds to so full a measure. It will be remembered that the church in Jerusalem, influenced by the prejudices of the Jews which surrounded it, and also by the sentiments and feelings which it inherited from its previous life, looked upon the church as planted by Paul, with eyes full of suspicion. They regarded these churches as lawless bodies, inimical to all that the Jews held as ancient or sacred. They were ready to believe any wild rumor which might start with regard to the unchristian character of the apostle’s converts, and the reckless lawlessness of the apostle himself. The riot which arose soon after when Paul was found in the temple at Jerusalem aptly illustrates the attitude of the Jewish mind toward him and his work. Now the apostle felt confident that a liberal gift from his Gentile churches would bring about a better understanding, and would work wonderful changes in the thoughts of Jewish Christians. He felt that it would persuade the latter that his Gentile converts were truly obedient to the religion which they confessed, and that it would persuade them also that those who had overcome their prejudices sufficiently to give liberally to Jews would have no prejudices which would prevent them from giving liberally to other people. He was likewise confident that the Jewish Christians, seeing these things, would be fully persuaded of the genuine Christian grace of his converts, and therefore would not only pray for them, but even long for personal acquaintance and fellowship with them. How far the apostle was correct in this judgment we can not say; but he certainly seems to have been well received by the Christians at Jerusalem when he came as the representative of these Gentile churches. If the attitude of the unchristian Jewish mind toward him was still relentlessly bitter, it must be borne in mind that he took no collection for them, and that they were in no manner in his thought in this connection.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 14
Which long after you; with feelings of affection and gratitude.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Another benefit of this gift that Paul foresaw was that those who received it and heard about it would reciprocate by interceding for the Corinthians. Moreover they would long to see and be with the Corinthians because of the grace that God had given them. There is something attractive about people on whom the grace of God obviously rests.