whether , or whether. Greek. eite . App-118 . beside ourselves . See Acts 2:7 (amazed). be sober = be of sound mind. Greek. sophroneo. Here, Mark 5:15 .Luke 8:35 .Romans 12:3 .Titus 2:6 . 1 Peter 4:7 . your cause = you. read more
For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you.It is difficult to know exactly what Paul was saying in this.Whether we are beside ourselves ... This could be a hint of criticism directed against Paul by the false teachers. A governor called Paul "mad" (Acts 26:24); and even the Saviour was accused of being "beside himself" (Mark 3:21). In any case, all that Paul did was "unto God" and "unto" the Corinthians, for their sake. read more
2 Corinthians 5:13. Whether we be beside ourselves,— From this verse to ch. 2 Corinthians 6:12. St. Paul gives another reason for his disinterested carriage in preaching the gospel; and that is, his love to Christ, who by his death having given him life, who was dead, he concludes, that in gratitude he ought not to live to himself any more: and therefore, being as in a new creation, he had now no longer any regard to the things of this world; but being made by God a minister of the gospel, he... read more
13. be—rather as Greek, "have been." The contrast is between the single act implied by the past tense, "If we have ever been beside ourselves," and the habitual state implied by the present, "Or whether we be sober," that is, of sound mind. beside ourselves—The accusation brought by Festus against him ( :-). The holy enthusiasm with which he spake of what God effected by His apostolic ministry, seemed to many to be boasting madness. sober—humbling myself before you, and not using my apostolic... read more
The constraining love of Christ 5:11-15 read more
All of Paul’s ministries to and for the Corinthians had been for God’s glory and their welfare.What Paul meant by the charge of being beside himself, and its opposite, being of sound mind, could and probably does include all the following possibilities. Some critics apparently attacked him for his teaching that differed from mainstream Judaism, his ecstatic experiences, and his ceaseless service. To this his response was, "That is for God to judge" (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:9-11). Other critics may... read more
5:13 God; (b-10) Or 'for God;' that is, he was as a fool for God's glory. But the sense is, I think, 'If he lost the blessed calculations of love which was his path towards men, it was to be out of himself with God, and for God.' a blessed alternative. His ecstasy was not excitement or folly, but if out of himself it was with God; if sober, it was the calculation of love for their good. read more
The subject of 2 Corinthians 4 is continued. St. Paul has been pointing out that amid bodily weakness and decay he is encouraged by the thought that the temporal is transient, while the spiritual is eternal. He now goes on to speak more particularly of the great prospect that sustains him—the replacement of the earthly material body by an eternal heavenly one. He hopes to survive till Christ’s coming, and receive the heavenly body without passing through the experience of death: but, if it... read more
(13) For whether we be beside ourselves.—The recollection of one sneer leads on to another. This also had been said of him, and the intense sensitiveness of his nature made him wince under it. Some there were at Corinth who spoke of his visions and revelations, his speaking with tongues as in ecstasy, his prophecies of future judgment, as so many signs of madness. “He was beside himself.” (Comp. Agrippa’s words in Acts 26:24, and Note there.) Others, or, perhaps, the same persons, pointed to... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
The power of love (5:11-6:13)Because Paul knows that he is accountable to Christ, he knows what it means to fear the Lord, and this makes him more diligent in his service. God knows that his motives are pure and he trusts that the Corinthians know also (11).In making these statements, Paul is not trying to write a recommendation for himself. He is trying to give his supporters reason to be bold in defending him against those who criticize him (12). They may have seen him display his feelings in... read more