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2 Corinthians 4:5-12

(4:5)

= announce, make known (by a herald), proclaim aloud, speak of, mention publicly under BAGD 431a.

, , = slave, (in contrast to the master), (in contrast to the son), (in contrast to a Christian brother) under BAGD 205b.

[] [footnoteRef:1] [1: {C} A*vid B Dgr Ggr H K P Theodoret John-Damascus. 46 * Ae C Epiphanius Augustine. 326 330 451 1241 1984 1985 2492. a itgig, t copboms. 086vid copboms. 629 630 1877 (itar).]

Grammatical note = Verbs: Introduction. Person and Number. Greek verb endings communicate information regarding the subject of the verb. That is, they communicate the person and number of the one performing the action or the one who is receiving the action. By person we are referring to the first person, second person, or third person. By number we are referring to whether there is only one person related to the action of the verb or more than one person. Geek verbs contain more information that English verbs, although there is still some overlap. This overlap can be seen in the fact that English verbs occasionally communicate number With Greek, however, each person and number requires a different verb ending (with some exceptions, of course).

Occasionally, the use of person will function more literarily than grammatically. For example, the first person singular can be employed as a third person generic reference (someone) A more common literary use of person relates to the first person plural we. Indeed, there are at least three different functions of we in the NT: (1) the editorial we, (2) the exclusive we, and (3) the inclusive we. The editorial we has the function of I and is similar to many books written in English that use we when there is only one author. This use of the first person plural (sometimes called the epistolary plural) is often employed in letters or epistles when it seems clear that the author is really only referring to himself. For example, in Rom 1:5 Paul writes, We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among the nations. For more examples of the editorial we, see 2 Cor 4:5. See KMP, 190-91 and n6.

I am inclined to risk disagreeing slightly with Koestenberger et alteri on this point. I do not deny there is such a thing as editorial we. However why do Koestenberger et al not explore the possibility that NT authors (such as Paul) really does have a we in mind? Perhaps Paul was the sole author. However he also writes on behalf of a we who worked together to proclaim the gospel throughout the East Mediterranean.

(4:6)

aorist active participle .

, , = darkness, gloom under BAGD 757b.

, , = light, (literal), (by metonymy), (that which is illumined by light), (the figurative meaning), (bearers or bringers of this kind of light) under BAGD 871b.

future active = shine, flash, shine out, shine forth, gleam, (used figuratively) under BAGD 466a.

aorist active .

, , = heart (as the sea of physical, spiritual and mental life), (in the all-inclusive sense), (of the faculty of thought, of the thoughts themselves, of understanding, as the organ of natural and spiritual enlightenment, (of the will and its decisions), (of moral decisions, the moral life), (of the emotions, wishes, desires) under BAGD 403a.

, , = illumination, enlightenment, light, bringing to light, revealing under BAGD 873b.

, , = knowledge (as an attribute of God), (specifically, of Christian) knowledge, (of the heretical) Gnosis under BAGD 163b.

, , = brightness, splendor, radiance, (the state of being in the next life is thus described as participation in the radiance or glory) under BAGD 203b.

, , = face, countenance, (figurative, in all kinds of more or less symbolic expressions which, in large part, represent OT usage, and in which the face is often to be taken as the seat of the faculty of seeing), (governed by prepositions, in usages where in many cases can no longer be translated), external things, appearance (opposite ), person under BAGD 720b.

(4:7)

, , = the place where something is kept, (literal) treasure box (or) chest, storehouse, storeroom, (figurative) (of the heart as the treasury for heavenly possessions) that which is stored up, treasure, (of the gospel and its glory) under BAGD 361b.

, , = made of earth (or) clay (used with ), earthen(ware) vessels under BAGD 587b. Rare.

, , = (literal) (general) thing, object (used for any purpose at all), vessel, jar, dish, and so on, (figurative) (for Christ Paul is a ) a chosen instrument under BAGD 754a.

, , = excess, extraordinary quality (or) character (with genitive of the thing) under BAGD 840a.

, , = power, might, strength, force, ability, capability under BAGD 207a.

- present active subjunctive .

Grammatical note = Genitive Case. Source. The genitive of source indicates the origin of the head noun (note the translation from rather than of). Brooks and Winbery note there will be times where a distinction between the genitive of source and the subjective genitive will be hard to make, since what a person produces (subjective genitive) has its origin in that person (genitive of source). The way to distinguish between the two is by keeping in mind that the subjective genitive is normally used with nouns conveying action. For examples, the reference to the Fathers promise in Acts 1:4 may at first appear to be a genitive of source, since the promise comes from the Father. But is a noun of action, so this is probably an instance of a subjective genitive. See KMP, 93.

(4:8)

present passive participle = press upon, crowd someone, press together, compress, make narrow (passive) be jammed full, become restricted, narrow, oppress, afflict someone under BAGD 362a.

present passive participle = (transitive) crowd, cramp, confine, restrict (passive) be confined, restricted under BAGD 766b.

present middle participle = be at a loss, in doubt, uncertain under BAGD 97b.

present middle participle = (in our literature only passive deponent) be in great difficulty, doubt, embarrassment (with genitive of that in respect to which this occurs) under BAGD 273a.

Grammatical note = Participles. Imperatival. Sometimes the participle functions independently as an imperative. This is grammatically different from attendant circumstance where a participle is used as an imperative if the main verb is also an imperative. In this case, the participle is not dependent on a main verb but functions as the main verb. One view is that the imperatival participle is used in order to communicate a softer, gentler appeal than the imperative mood. This view, however, has recently been challenged by Travis Williams who maintains that the function is used to engage the volition of the recipients in order to direct them toward a particular action and thus, the participle use is essentially equivalent to the finite imperative. He concludes, Most who have dealt with the issue have assumed that an authors employment of a form other than the finite verb brings with it a weakened force, or that in some sense he/she is holding back his/her authority. An examination of the evidence that this is not the case, however. Most of the NT occurrences are found in Romans 12 and 1 Peter.

The participle can also function independently as an indicative but we will not treat this category separately. An example of a participle used as indicative is found in For more examples, see 2 Corinthians 4:8 (, , , ). See KMP, 338-39 and n50.

(4:9)

present passive participle = hasten, run, press on, persecute someone, drive away, drive out, run after, pursue, (figurative) pursue, strive for, seek after, aspire to (something) under BAGD 201a.

present passive participle = leave behind, forsake, abandon, desert, leave under BAGD 215b.

present passive participle = (active and passive) throw down, strike down (middle) found, lay (a foundation) under BAGD 408b.

present middle/passive participle = ruin, destroy, lose under BAGD 95a. Hunh. So lose or even destroy ones life? Almost certainly lose. Similar to in Hebrew which means become lost often with the sense of die, be destroyed.

(4:10)

, , = death, putting to death, deadness, mortification under BAGD 535b.

present active participle = carry about, carry here and there, (figurative) under BAGD 653a.

, , = life, (of life in the physical sense), means of sustenance, livelihood, (of the supernatural life belonging to God and Christ, which the believers will receive in the future, but which they also enjoy here and now) under BAGD 340b.

- aorist passive subjunctive = reveal, make known, show (passive) become visible (or) known, be revealed under BAGD 852b-.

(4:11)

= (adverb) always, from the beginning, (of a frequently recurring action or situation) continually, constantly under BAGD 19b.

present active participle = live (of physical life in contrast to death), (of dead persons who return to life) become alive again, (of sick persons, if their illness terminates not in death but in recovery) be well, recover under BAGD 336a.

, , = death, (literal) (of natural death), (of death as a penalty), (of the death of Christ), (of natural death as divine punishment), (of the danger of death), (can through the context come to mean a particular manner of death) fatal illness, pestilence, (death is thought of as a person), (eternal death) under BAGD 350b.

present passive = hand over, give (over), deliver, entrust, turn over, give up (a person), (of oral or written tradition) hand down, pass on, transmit, relate, teach under BAGD 614a.

- aorist passive subjunctive .

, , = mortal under BAGD 362b.

(4:12)

present middle = (intransitive) work, be at work, operate, be effective, (middle, in our literature always with impersonal subject) (transitive) work, produce, effect (with accusative of the thing) under BAGD 265a.

This has always struck me as an odd statement. I am sure Paul had a good reason for making it and interpreters have done an excellent job of explaining it. However I am left wondering what do you mean death is at work in us and life is working in you? Because in the very last verse he explained that we carry death in order to manifest life. Why does he distinguish himself (us) and the audience (you)?