2 Corinthians 2

KJV · Chapter 2/13

¹But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.

²For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

³And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

⁴For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

⁵But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

⁶Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

⁷So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

⁸Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

⁹For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

¹⁰To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

¹¹Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹²Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

¹³I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

¹⁴Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

¹⁵For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

¹⁶To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul explains that he avoided another painful visit to Corinth and asks the church to forgive and comfort someone who had been disciplined, so that he would not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. He also speaks of the joy of proclaiming the gospel, comparing it to the fragrance of Christ.

Explanation

This chapter reveals Paul's pastoral heart: after having called for strict discipline against a serious sin (likely the same case from 1 Corinthians 5, or a similar situation), he now asks the church to lovingly restore the repentant person, so that sorrow would not utterly destroy him. This teaches an essential balance between justice and mercy in the life of the community of faith — discipline exists to restore, not to permanently destroy. The beautiful image of the “fragrance of Christ” spreading everywhere describes how a believer's life and preaching have a different effect on different people: to some it is life, to others it is judgment, but the calling remains the same — to proclaim with integrity, regardless of the outcome.

Fun facts

The metaphor of the 'sweet fragrance' and the 'triumph' (v.14-16) alludes to Roman triumphal processions, when victorious generals paraded through the city while incense was burned — a vivid image well known to first-century readers.
Titus, mentioned here as someone Paul had hoped to meet in Troas, would become a central figure in the following chapters of the letter, serving as a messenger between Paul and the church in Corinth.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Corinthians 2:1Paul explains the decision behind all the tension: he resolved not to visit Corinth again while the conflict lasted, so as not to turn the meeting into a sorrowful one for both sides.
2 Corinthians 2:2He justifies avoiding the sorrowful visit: if he makes the Corinthians sorrowful, there is no one left to make him glad, since they are precisely the ones who should do that.
2 Corinthians 2:3He explains why he wrote a severe letter (mentioned further on) instead of visiting in person: so as not to arrive and immediately find sorrow, trusting that his joy is the same joy shared by the whole church.
2 Corinthians 2:4Paul refers to an earlier letter, written “with many tears,” amid a serious conflict with the church — probably not the same letter that became 1 Corinthians. He explains that the harshness of that letter wasn't meant to hurt, but came from how much he loved the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 2:5Paul softens the situation regarding an offender mentioned in the next verse: he says the sorrow caused wasn't only against him personally, but affected, in part, the whole church — avoiding exaggerating the individual's guilt.
2 Corinthians 2:6He refers to someone the church had already disciplined by majority vote — probably the same person whose offense led to the earlier severe letter — saying the punishment already applied by the many is enough.
2 Corinthians 2:7Here Paul speaks of someone who had been publicly rebuked by the church — perhaps the same person from the incest case in 1 Corinthians 5, or another case; scholars disagree — and now asks the community to forgive and comfort this person, so that sorrow doesn't overwhelm him.
2 Corinthians 2:8After asking the church to forgive and comfort the offender, Paul asks for something practical: that they publicly confirm their love for him, so the reconciliation is clear to everyone.
2 Corinthians 2:9He reveals an additional reason behind the severe letter: it was also a test, to see whether the Corinthians would be obedient in following his guidance even in a difficult situation.
2 Corinthians 2:10Paul joins in the forgiveness he asks of the Corinthians: whoever they forgive, he also forgives, and he says he does so in the presence of Christ — as a spiritual act, not merely a social one.
2 Corinthians 2:11He explains the urgent reason to forgive quickly: to keep Satan from using unresolved hurt as an advantage, one of “his devices” to divide the church.
2 Corinthians 2:12He changes the subject and recounts a travel episode: he arrived in Troas with a good opportunity to preach, “a door was opened” to him — but the next verse reveals that even so, he couldn't find peace of mind.
2 Corinthians 2:13Despite the opportunity in Troas, Paul was so anxious for lack of news about Titus, who had gone to deal with the situation in Corinth, that he decided to travel on to Macedonia to find him.
2 Corinthians 2:14After describing his anxiety, Paul changes tone: he thanks God, who always makes him triumph in Christ, comparing the preaching of the gospel to a fragrance that spreads everywhere.
2 Corinthians 2:15Paul uses the image of a Roman military victory parade, where incense was burned through the streets: the same fragrance smelled like celebration to the victors and like death to the prisoners being led to execution. He compares gospel preaching to that fragrance, which smells like life to some and like judgment to others.
2 Corinthians 2:16He continues the fragrance image: to those who reject the message, this “savour” represents death; to those who accept it, it represents life — and Paul acknowledges that no one, on their own, is worthy of such a responsibility.
2 Corinthians 2:17Those “which corrupt the word of God” is an accusation against preachers who treated the gospel like merchandise, charging for it or twisting the message for prestige or money, a common practice among itinerant philosophers of the time. Paul says he is different from that.

Chapters

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