2 Corinthians 12:20

THE MESSAGE

I do admit that I have fears that when I come you'll disappoint me and I'll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces—quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam. I don't look forward to a second humiliation by God among you, compounded by hot tears over that crowd that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways, who refuse to turn away from the pigsty of evil, sexual disorder, and indecency in which they wallow.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances;

Legacy Standard Bible
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.

Simplified Cowboy Version
I'm pushing y'all hard because I'm afraid that when I get there, y'all won't even be able to swing a rope. I'm afraid all my work has been for nothing and y'all haven't practiced or taken anything seriously. I'm worried that when I get there I'm going to find bickering, jealousy, anger, gossip, arrogance, and wrong living.

Bible in Basic English
For I have a fear that, when I come, you may not be answering to my desire, and that I may not be answering to yours; that there may be fighting, hate, angry feeling, divisions, evil talk about others, secrets, thoughts of pride, outbursts against authority;

Darby Translation
For I fear lest perhaps coming I find you not such as I wish, and that *I* be found by you such as ye do not wish: lest [there might be] strifes, jealousies, angers, contentions, evil speakings, whisperings, puffings up, disturbances;

Christian Standard Bible®
For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and I may not be found by you to be what you want; there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

World English Bible
For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don't desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For I fear lest when I come, I should not find you such as I would, and lest I should be found by you such as ye would not: lest there should be contentions, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults, Lest my God should humble me when I come to you again,

Weymouth's New Testament
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may not find you to be what I desire, and that you may find me to be what you do not desire; that perhaps there may be contention, jealousy, bitter feeling, party spirit, ill-natured talk, backbiting, undue eulogy, unrest;

King James Version (1611)
For I feare lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall bee found vnto you such as ye would not, lest there bee debates, enuyings, wraths, strifes, backebitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults,

Literal Translation
For I fear lest somehow, coming, I not find you as I wish, and I be found by you such as you do not wish; lest somehow there be strifes, envyings, angers, rivalries, evil speakings, whisperings, puffings up, disturbances;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For I feare, lest whan I come, I shal not fynde you soch as I wolde: and lest ye shal fynde me soch as ye wolde not: lest there be amonge you, debates, envyenges, wrathes, stryuynges, bacbytinges, whysperinges, swellinges, vproures:

Mace New Testament (1729)
yet I fear when I do come I shall not find you such as I would, and that you will find me such as you least desire: I am afraid there are among you debates, envyings, animosities, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, arrogance, tumults:

Amplified Bible
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not to be as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder;

American Standard Version
For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means there should be strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

Revised Standard Version
For I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, and that you may find me not what you wish; that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For I feare lest it come to passe that when I come I shall not fynde you soche as I wolde: and I shalbe foude vnto you soche as ye wolde not: I feare lest ther be founde amoge you debate envyinge wrath stryfe backbytynges whisperynges swellynges and discorde.

Update Bible Version
For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I want, and should myself be found of you such as you do not want; lest by any means [there should be] strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

Webster's Bible Translation
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found by you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Young's Literal Translation
for I fear lest, having come, not such as I wish I may find you, and I -- I may be found by you such as ye do not wish, lest there be strifes, envyings, wraths, revelries, evil-speakings, whisperings, puffings up, insurrections,

New Century Version
I am afraid that when I come, you will not be what I want you to be, and I will not be what you want me to be. I am afraid that among you there may be arguing, jealousy, anger, selfish fighting, evil talk, gossip, pride, and confusion.

New English Translation
For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

Berean Standard Bible
For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

Contemporary English Version
I am afraid that when I come, we won't be pleased with each other. I fear that some of you may be arguing or jealous or angry or selfish or gossiping or insulting each other. I even fear that you may be proud and acting like a mob.

Complete Jewish Bible
For I am afraid of coming and finding you not the way I want you to be, and also of not being found the way you want me to be. I am afraid of finding quarreling and jealousy, anger and rivalry, slander and gossip, arrogance and disorder.

English Standard Version
For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For I feare least when I come, I shall not finde you such as I would: and that I shalbe found vnto you such as ye woulde not, and least there be strife, enuying, wrath, contentions, backebitings, whisperings, swellings and discord.

George Lamsa Translation
For I fear, lest when I come to you, I shall not find you such as I wish to find you, and that you also will not find me as you wish to find me: lest there be controversies, envyings, angers, stubbornness, accusations, slanderings, boastings and disorders.

Hebrew Names Version
For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don't desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;

International Standard Version
I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, angry feelings, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:2;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For I fear lest, when I come to you, I should not find you as I wish, but should find you what you would not wish: lest there be contention and envy, and wrath and angry talk, and accusations and murmurings, and pompousness and agitation:

Murdock Translation
20 For I fear, lest I should come to you and not find you such as I would wish; and lest I also should be found by you, such as ye would not wish; lest [fn] contention, and envying, and anger, and obstinacy, and slandering, and murmuring, and insolence, and commotion;

New King James Version
For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;

New Living Translation
For I am afraid that when I come I won't like what I find, and you won't like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior.

New Life Bible
I am afraid that when I visit you I will not find you as I would like you to be. And you will not find me as you would like me to be. I am afraid I will find you fighting and jealous and angry and arguing and talking about each other and thinking of yourselves as being too important and making trouble.

English Revised Version
For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means [there should be] strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

New Revised Standard
For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For I fear - lest, by any means, when I come, not such as I wish, should I find you, and, I, should be found by you, such as ye do not wish; - lest, by any means, I should find strife, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, factions, railings, whisperings, puffed up pretensions, confusions; -

Douay-Rheims Bible
For I fear lest perhaps, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found by you such as you would not. Lest perhaps contentions, envyings, animosities, dissensions, detractions, whisperings, swellings, seditions, be among you.

King James Version
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Lexham English Bible
For I am afraid lest somehow when I arrive, I will not find you as I want, and I may be found by you as you do not want. I am afraid lest somehow there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, pride, disorder.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For I feare lest when I come, I shall not fynde you such as I woulde: and that I shalbe founde vnto you, such as ye woulde not: lest there be debates, enuyinges, wrathes, strifes, backbitinges, whisperinges, swellinges, & seditions:

Easy-to-Read Version
I do this because I am afraid that when I come, you will not be what I want you to be. And I am afraid that I will not be what you want me to be. I am afraid that I will find arguing, jealousy, anger, selfish fighting, evil talk, gossip, pride, and confusion there.

New American Standard Bible
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish, and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, selfishness, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances;

Good News Translation
I am afraid that when I get there I will find you different from what I would like you to be and you will find me different from what you would like me to be. I am afraid that I will find quarreling and jealousy, hot tempers and selfishness, insults and gossip, pride and disorder.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But Y drede, lest whanne Y come, Y schal fynde you not suche as Y wole, and Y schal be foundun of you suche as ye wolen not; lest perauenture stryuyngis, enuyes, sturdynessis, dissenciouns and detraccions, preuy spechis of discord, bolnyngis bi pride, debatis ben among you;

Contextual Overview

¹¹Well, now I've done it! I've made a complete fool of myself by going on like this. But it's not all my fault; you put me up to it. You should have been doing this for me, sticking up for me and commending me instead of making me do it for myself. You know from personal experience that even if I'm a nobody, a nothing, I wasn't second-rate compared to those big-shot apostles you're so taken with. All the signs that mark a true apostle were in evidence while I was with you through both good times and bad: signs of portent, signs of wonder, signs of power. Did you get less of me or of God than any of the other churches? The only thing you got less of was less responsibility for my upkeep. Well, I'm sorry. Forgive me for depriving you. ¹⁴Everything is in readiness now for this, my third visit to you. But don't worry about it; you won't have to put yourselves out. I'll be no more of a bother to you this time than on the other visits. I have no interest in what you have—only in you. Children shouldn't have to look out for their parents; parents look out for the children. I'd be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good. So how does it happen that the more I love you, the less I'm loved? ¹⁶And why is it that I keep coming across these whiffs of gossip about how my self-support was a front behind which I worked an elaborate scam? Where's the evidence? Did I cheat or trick you through anyone I sent? I asked Titus to visit, and sent some brothers along. Did they swindle you out of anything? And haven't we always been just as aboveboard, just as honest? ¹⁹ I hope you don't think that all along we've been making our defense before you, the jury. You're not the jury; God is the jury—God revealed in Christ—and we make our case before him. And we've gone to all the trouble of supporting ourselves so that we won't be in the way or get in the way of your growing up. ²⁰I do admit that I have fears that when I come you'll disappoint me and I'll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces—quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam. I don't look forward to a second humiliation by God among you, compounded by hot tears over that crowd that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways, who refuse to turn away from the pigsty of evil, sexual disorder, and indecency in which they wallow.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I shall not: 2 Corinthians 12:21, 2 Corinthians 13:9

and that: 2 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 1:24, 2 Corinthians 2:1-3, 2 Corinthians 10:2, 2 Corinthians 10:6, 2 Corinthians 10:8, 2 Corinthians 10:9, 2 Corinthians 13:2, 2 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Corinthians 4:18-21, 1 Corinthians 5:3-5

debates: 1 Corinthians 1:11, 1 Corinthians 3:3, 1 Corinthians 3:4, 1 Corinthians 4:6-8, 1 Corinthians 4:18, 1 Corinthians 6:7, 1 Corinthians 6:8, 1 Corinthians 11:16-19, 1 Corinthians 14:36, 1 Corinthians 14:37, Galatians 5:15, Galatians 5:19-21, Galatians 5:26, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32, James 3:14-16, James 4:1-5, 1 Peter 2:1

whisperings: Psalms 41:7, Proverbs 16:28, Romans 1:29

swellings: 2 Peter 2:18, Jude 1:16

Reciprocal: Psalms 31:20 - the strife Proverbs 17:19 - loveth Proverbs 25:23 - so Ezekiel 18:24 - and doeth Matthew 13:47 - and gathered 1 Corinthians 4:21 - shall 1 Corinthians 5:8 - neither 1 Corinthians 5:11 - fornicator 1 Corinthians 13:4 - envieth 2 Corinthians 1:7 - our 2 Corinthians 7:5 - fears 2 Corinthians 10:11 - such 2 Corinthians 11:3 - I fear 2 Corinthians 13:6 - General Galatians 4:11 - am Philippians 1:15 - even Philippians 2:3 - nothing Philippians 2:14 - disputings Colossians 2:18 - fleshly Colossians 3:8 - anger Titus 3:2 - speak Titus 3:3 - living Revelation 3:15 - I would

Cross-References

Genesis 12:14
When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.

Proverbs 21:1
Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God ; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For I fear lest when I come,.... This fear arose from his fatherly affection for them, and care of them:

I shall not find you such as I would; truly penitent for former sins, thoroughly reformed in life and manners, zealous for God, Christ, and the Gospel, and hearty lovers of one another:

and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not; sharp in his reproofs and admonitions, severe in his corrections and censures, and lawfully using the authority he had from Christ, to punish incorrigible offenders:

lest there be debates; or "strifes", or contentions among them, about words to no profit, or about their ministers, as before; one being for Paul, and another for Apollos, and another for Cephas:

envyings: at each other's gifts, or "jealousies" of one another, and evil surmisings:

wraths; breaking out into words and actions, which discover hatred of mind, a malignant spirit, quite contrary to that of the Gospel:

strifes: law suits before heathen magistrates; contentions in the church who shall be greatest; or about lesser matters of religion, or things indifferent, vain, and trifling, and kept up merely for the sake of victory:

backbitings; speaking evil of one another, detracting from, hurting, or taking away each other's character and good name:

whisperings; secretly sowing discords among friends, and privately suggesting evil things of each other:

swellings; with pride and conceit of themselves, because of their riches, learning, and eloquence, and looking with disdain upon others:

tumults; at church meetings, interrupting one another, going into parties, and making rents and schisms.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For I fear, lest, when I come - see 2 Corinthians 12:14.

I shall not find you such as I would - That is, walking in the truth and order of the gospel. He had feared that the disorders would not be removed, and that they would not have corrected the errors which prevailed, and for which he had rebuked them. It was on this account that he had said so much to them. His desire was that all these disorders might be removed, and that he might be saved from the necessity of exercising severe discipline when he should come among them.

And that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not - That is, that I shall be compelled to administer discipline, and that my visit may not be as pleasant to you as you would desire. For this reason he wished all disorder corrected, and all offences removed; that everything might be pleasant when he should come; see 1 Corinthians 4:21; compare note on 2 Corinthians 10:2.

Lest there be debates - I fear that there may be existing there debates, etc., which will require the interposition of the authority of an apostle. On the meaning of the word “debate,” see the note on Romans 1:29.

Envyings - see the note on 1 Corinthians 3:3.

Wraths - Anger or animosities between contending factions, the usual effect of forming parties.

Strifes - Between contending factions; see note on 1 Corinthians 3:3.

Backbitings - see the note on Romans 1:30.

Whisperings - see the note on Romans 1:29.

Swellings - Undue elation; being puffed up (see the notes on 2 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 4:6, note; 1 Corinthians 4:18-19, note; 1 Corinthians 5:2, note) - such as would be produced by vain self-confidence.

Tumults - Disorder and confusion arising from this existence of parties. Paul, deeply sensible of the evil of all this, had endeavored in this correspondence to suppress it, that all things might be pleasant when he should come among them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. I fear, lest, when I come — I think the present time is used here for the past; the apostle seems most evidently to be giving them the reason why he had not come to them according to his former purposes, and why he sent Titus and his companion. He was afraid to come at that time lest he should have found them perverted from the right way, and he be obliged to make use of his apostolical rod, and punish the offenders; but, feeling towards them the heart of a tender father, he was unwilling to use the rod; and sent the first epistle to them, and the messengers above mentioned, being reluctant to go himself till he had satisfactory evidence that their divisions were ended, and that they had repented for and put away the evils that they had committed; and that he should not be obliged to bewail them who had sinned so abominably, and had not repented for their crimes. If this verse be understood in this way, all difficulty will vanish; otherwise, what is here said does seem to contradict what is said, 2 Corinthians 7:6; 2 Corinthians 7:16, c. as well as many things both in the eighth and ninth chapters.

Debates, envyings — From these different expressions, which are too plain to need interpretation, we see what a distracted and divided state the Church at Corinth must have been in. Brotherly love and charity seem to have been driven out of this once heavenly assembly. These debates, &c., are precisely the opposites to that love which the apostle recommends and explains by its different properties in the 13th chapter of his first epistle.

Mr. Wakefield translates the original thus: strifes, rivalries, passions, provocations, slanders, whisperings, swellings, quarrels.