2 Corinthians 7:15

THE MESSAGE

With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. Trust us. We've never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone. Don't think I'm finding fault with you. I told you earlier that I'm with you all the way, no matter what. I have, in fact, the greatest confidence in you. If only you knew how proud I am of you! I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles. When we arrived in Macedonia province, we couldn't settle down. The fights in the church and the fears in our hearts kept us on pins and needles. We couldn't relax because we didn't know how it would turn out. Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus. We were glad just to see him, but the true reassurance came in what he told us about you: how much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me. I went from worry to tranquility in no time! I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter. My primary concern was not for the one who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you—that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God. That's what happened—and we felt just great. And then, when we saw how Titus felt—his exuberance over your response—our joy doubled. It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed he was by everything you did. If I went out on a limb in telling Titus how great I thought you were, you didn't cut off that limb. As it turned out, I hadn't exaggerated one bit. Titus saw for himself that everything I had said about you was true. He can't quit talking about it, going over again and again the story of your prompt obedience, and the dignity and sensitivity of your hospitality. He was quite overwhelmed by it all! And I couldn't be more pleased—I'm so confident and proud of you.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.

Legacy Standard Bible
And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.

Simplified Cowboy Version
He's always talking about how much y'all want to learn and ride for the Lord. He was happy to teach cowboys who want to learn and know what respect is.

Bible in Basic English
And his love to you is the more increased by his memory of you all, how you gave way to his authority, and how you took him to your hearts with fear and honour.

Darby Translation
and his affections are more abundantly towards you, calling to mind the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Christian Standard Bible®
And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.

World English Bible
His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you received him.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And his tender affection is more abundant toward you, calling to mind the obedience of you all, how ye received him with fear and trembling.

Weymouth's New Testament
And his strong and tender affection is all the more drawn out towards you when he recalls to mind the obedience which all of you manifested by the timidity and nervous anxiety with which you welcomed him.

King James Version (1611)
And his inward affection is more aboundant toward you, whilest he remembreth the obedience of you all, how with feare and trembling you receiued him.

Literal Translation
And his tender feelings are abundant toward you, remembering the obedience of all of you, as you received him with fear and trembling.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And his inwarde affeccion is more abundaunt towarde you, whan he remembreth the obedience of you all, how ye receaued him with feare and treblynge.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and his affection to you is abundantly increased, whilst he remembers your obedience, and that fear and reverence with which you all received him.

Amplified Bible
His affection is greater than ever as he remembers the obedience [to his guidance] that all of you exhibited, and how you received him with the greatest respect.

American Standard Version
And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Revised Standard Version
And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, and the fear and trembling with which you received him.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And now is his inwarde affection more aboundant towarde you when he remembreth the obedience of every one of you: how with feare and trymblynge ye receaved hym.

Update Bible Version
And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And his tender affection is more abundant towards you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Young's Literal Translation
and his tender affection is more abundantly toward you, remembering the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye did receive him;

New Century Version
And his love for you is stronger when he remembers that you were all ready to obey. You welcomed him with respect and fear.

New English Translation
And his affection for you is much greater when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

Berean Standard Bible
And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

Contemporary English Version
Titus loves all of you very much, especially when he remembers how you obeyed him and how you trembled with fear when you welcomed him.

Complete Jewish Bible
And his affection for you is all the greater as he remembers how ready you were to obey and how you received him with reverence and respect.

English Standard Version
And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And his inwarde affection is more aboundant toward you, when he remembreth the obedience of you all, and howe with feare and trembling ye receiued him.

George Lamsa Translation
And his affections have increased more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him in fear and trembling.

Hebrew Names Version
His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you received him.

International Standard Version
His heart goes out to you even more as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.2 Corinthians 2:9; Philippians 2:12;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And his affection is greatly enlarged toward you, when he remembers your obedience; because with fear and with trembling you received him.

Murdock Translation
and also his bowels are the more enlarged towards you, while he remembereth the submission of you all, and how ye received him with fear and trembling.

New King James Version
And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.

New Living Translation
Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect.

New Life Bible
He loves you all the more. He remembers how all of you were ready to obey and how you respected him.

English Revised Version
And his inward affection is more abundantly toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

New Revised Standard
And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, his tender affections, are, much more abundantly towards you, when he calleth to mind the obedience, of you all, - how, with fear and trembling, ye gave him welcome.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And his bowels are more abundantly towards you: remembering the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.

King James Version
And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Lexham English Bible
And his affection for you is all the more when he remembers the obedience of all of you as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And his inwarde affection is more aboundaunt towarde you, when he remembred the obedience of you all, howe with feare and tremblyng ye receaued hym.

Easy-to-Read Version
And his love for you is stronger when he remembers that you were all ready to obey. You welcomed him with respect and fear.

New American Standard Bible
His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.

Good News Translation
And so his love for you grows stronger, as he remembers how all of you were ready to obey his instructions, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the inwardnesse of hym be more plenteuousli in you, which hath in mynde the obedience of you alle, hou with drede and trembling ye resseyueden hym.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. Trust us. We've never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone. Don't think I'm finding fault with you. I told you earlier that I'm with you all the way, no matter what. I have, in fact, the greatest confidence in you. If only you knew how proud I am of you! I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles. When we arrived in Macedonia province, we couldn't settle down. The fights in the church and the fears in our hearts kept us on pins and needles. We couldn't relax because we didn't know how it would turn out. Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus. We were glad just to see him, but the true reassurance came in what he told us about you: how much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me. I went from worry to tranquility in no time! I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter. My primary concern was not for the one who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you—that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God. That's what happened—and we felt just great. And then, when we saw how Titus felt—his exuberance over your response—our joy doubled. It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed he was by everything you did. If I went out on a limb in telling Titus how great I thought you were, you didn't cut off that limb. As it turned out, I hadn't exaggerated one bit. Titus saw for himself that everything I had said about you was true. He can't quit talking about it, going over again and again the story of your prompt obedience, and the dignity and sensitivity of your hospitality. He was quite overwhelmed by it all! And I couldn't be more pleased—I'm so confident and proud of you. ¹⁵ With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. Trust us. We've never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone. Don't think I'm finding fault with you. I told you earlier that I'm with you all the way, no matter what. I have, in fact, the greatest confidence in you. If only you knew how proud I am of you! I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles. When we arrived in Macedonia province, we couldn't settle down. The fights in the church and the fears in our hearts kept us on pins and needles. We couldn't relax because we didn't know how it would turn out. Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus. We were glad just to see him, but the true reassurance came in what he told us about you: how much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me. I went from worry to tranquility in no time! I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter. My primary concern was not for the one who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you—that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God. That's what happened—and we felt just great. And then, when we saw how Titus felt—his exuberance over your response—our joy doubled. It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed he was by everything you did. If I went out on a limb in telling Titus how great I thought you were, you didn't cut off that limb. As it turned out, I hadn't exaggerated one bit. Titus saw for himself that everything I had said about you was true. He can't quit talking about it, going over again and again the story of your prompt obedience, and the dignity and sensitivity of your hospitality. He was quite overwhelmed by it all! And I couldn't be more pleased—I'm so confident and proud of you. ¹⁶ With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. Trust us. We've never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone. Don't think I'm finding fault with you. I told you earlier that I'm with you all the way, no matter what. I have, in fact, the greatest confidence in you. If only you knew how proud I am of you! I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles. When we arrived in Macedonia province, we couldn't settle down. The fights in the church and the fears in our hearts kept us on pins and needles. We couldn't relax because we didn't know how it would turn out. Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus. We were glad just to see him, but the true reassurance came in what he told us about you: how much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me. I went from worry to tranquility in no time! I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter. My primary concern was not for the one who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you—that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God. That's what happened—and we felt just great. And then, when we saw how Titus felt—his exuberance over your response—our joy doubled. It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed he was by everything you did. If I went out on a limb in telling Titus how great I thought you were, you didn't cut off that limb. As it turned out, I hadn't exaggerated one bit. Titus saw for himself that everything I had said about you was true. He can't quit talking about it, going over again and again the story of your prompt obedience, and the dignity and sensitivity of your hospitality. He was quite overwhelmed by it all! And I couldn't be more pleased—I'm so confident and proud of you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

inward affection is: Gr. bowels are, 2 Corinthians 6:12, Genesis 43:30, 1 Kings 3:26, Song of Solomon 5:4, Philippians 1:8, Colossians 3:12, 1 John 3:17

the obedience: 2 Corinthians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Corinthians 10:6, Philippians 2:12, 2 Thessalonians 3:14

with: 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Corinthians 7:11, Ezra 9:4, Ezra 10:9, Job 21:6, Psalms 2:11, Psalms 119:120, Isaiah 66:2, Hosea 13:1, Acts 16:29, Ephesians 6:5, Philippians 2:12

Reciprocal: Luke 8:47 - she came 2 Corinthians 7:13 - because 2 Thessalonians 3:4 - that

Cross-References

Isaiah 11:6
The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them. Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent. Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And his inward affection is more abundant toward you,.... Or "his bowels"; denoting the tenderness of his heart, the strength of his affections, which inwardly and to a very great degree moved towards them; especially

whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all; to him, and to me by him; to the advice and orders given, which were so readily, cheerfully, and universally complied with; and

how with fear and trembling you received him; that is, with great humility and respect, with much deference to him: considering his character as a minister of the Gospel, and as one sent by the apostle to them, they embraced him with great marks of honour and esteem; for this is not to be understood of any inward slavish fear or dread of mind, or trembling of body at the sight of him, and because he came to know their estate, and with reproofs from the apostle to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And his inward affection ... - He has become deeply and tenderly attached to you. His affectionate regard for you has been greatly increased by his visit. On the meaning of the word here rendered “inward affection” (σπλάγχια splangchia, Margin, bowels) see the note on 2 Corinthians 6:12. It denotes here: deep, tender attachment, or love.

How with fear and trembling ye received him - With fear of offending, and with deep apprehension of the consequences of remaining in sin. He saw what a fear there was of doing wrong, and what evidence there was, therefore, that you were solicitous to do right.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. And his inward affection — τα σπλαγαγχνα αυτου. Those bowels of his-his most tender affection. For the meaning of this word Matthew 9:36.

Whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all — This is a very natural picture; he represents Titus as overjoyed even while he is delivering his account of the Corinthian Church. He expatiated on it with extreme delight, and thereby showed at once both his love for St. Paul and his love for them. He loved them because they so loved the apostle; and he loved them because they had shown such kindness to himself; and he loved them because he found so many excellent and rare gifts, joined to so much humility, producing such an exemplary and holy life.

With fear and trembling ye received him. — Ye reverenced his authority; ye were obedient to his directions; and ye dreaded lest any thing should be undone or ill done which he had delivered to you in the name of God.