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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Corinthians 10:1-5

Here we may observe, I. The mild and humble manner in which the blessed apostle addresses the Corinthians, and how desirous he is that no occasion may be given him to use severity. 1. He addresses them in a very mild and humble manner: I Paul myself beseech you, 2 Cor. 10:1. We find, in the introduction to this epistle, he joined Timothy with himself; but now he speaks only for himself, against whom the false apostles had particularly levelled their reproaches; yet in the midst of the greatest... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

10:1-6 It is I Paul who call upon you--and I am doing it in the gentleness and the sweet reasonableness of Christ--I, who, as you say, am a poor creature when I am with you, but a man of courage when I am absent. It is my prayer that, when I do come to you, I may not have to be bold with that confidence with which I reckon that I can boldly face some who reckon that we direct our conduct by purely human motives. It is true that we live in a human body, but for all that we do not carry on our... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 10:3

For though we walk in the flesh ,.... The apostle removes the calumny of walking after the flesh, by owning that they were in the flesh, in the body, in a state of imperfection, attended with many weaknesses and infirmities, and surrounded with a variety of afflictions and sorrows; in this sense they were, and lived and walked in the flesh; but then he denies the charge exhibited against them, we do not war after the flesh : every Christian's life is a warfare with Satan, and his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 10:4

For the weapons of our warfare ,.... By "warfare" is here meant, not that which is common to all believers, who are enlisted as volunteers under the captain of their salvation, and fight his battles, and are more than conquerors through him; but what is peculiar to the ministers of the Gospel; and designs the ministerial function, or office, and the discharge of it. So the Levitical function, or the ministerial service of the Levites, is called העבדה צבא , "the warfare of the service", ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations ,.... Or "reasonings"; the carnal reasonings of the minds of natural men against God, his providences and purposes, against Christ, and the methods of salvation, and every truth of the Gospel; which are all disproved, silenced, and confounded, by the preaching of the word, which though reckoned the foolishness and weakness of God, appears to be wiser and stronger than men; and whereby the wisdom of the wise is destroyed, and the understanding of the prudent brought... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 10:6

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience ,.... Not with the temporal sword, as the civil magistrate, but with the spiritual one; meaning either censures and excommunication, which a faithful minister of the Gospel, with the suffrage of the church, has at hand, and a power to make use of, for the reclaiming of disobedient persons; or rather that extraordinary power which was peculiar to the apostles, of inflicting punishments on delinquents, such as what was exercised by Peter... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Corinthians 10:3

Though we walk in the flesh - That is: Although I am in the common condition of human nature, and must live as a human being, yet I do not war after the flesh - I do not act the coward or the poltroon, as they insinuate. I have a good cause, a good captain, strength at will, and courage at hand. I neither fear them nor their master. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Corinthians 10:4

The weapons of our warfare - The apostle often uses the metaphor of a warfare to represent the life and trials of a Christian minister. See Ephesians 6:10-17 ; 1 Timothy 1:18 ; 2 Timothy 2:3-5 . Are not carnal - Here he refers to the means used by the false apostle in order to secure his party; he calumniated St. Paul, traduced the truth, preached false and licentious doctrines, and supported these with sophistical reasonings. But mighty through God - Our doctrines are true and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations - Λογισμους· Reasonings or opinions. The Greek philosophers valued themselves especially on their ethic systems, in which their reasonings appeared to be very profound and conclusive; but they were obliged to assume principles which were either such as did not exist, or were false in themselves, as the whole of their mythologic system most evidently was: truly, from what remains of them we see that their metaphysics were generally bombast; and as to their... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Corinthians 10:6

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience - I am ready, through this mighty armor of God, to punish those opposers of the doctrine of Christ, and the disobedience which has been produced by them. When your obedience is fulfilled - When you have in the fullest manner, discountenanced those men, and separated yourselves from their communion. The apostle was not in haste to pull up the tares, lest he should pull up the wheat also. All the terms in these two verses are... read more

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