the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
2 Corinthians 11:3
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedDevotionals:
- DailyContextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I fear: 2 Corinthians 11:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Psalms 119:53, Galatians 1:6, Galatians 3:1, Galatians 4:11, Philippians 3:18, Philippians 3:19
as: Genesis 3:4, Genesis 3:13, John 8:44, 1 Timothy 2:14, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20:2
so: 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Corinthians 2:17, 2 Corinthians 4:2, Matthew 24:24, Acts 20:30, Acts 20:31, Galatians 1:6, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 3:1, Ephesians 4:14, Ephesians 6:24, Colossians 2:4, Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-11, 1 Timothy 1:3, 1 Timothy 4:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Timothy 4:4, Titus 1:10, Hebrews 13:9, 2 Peter 2:1-14, 2 Peter 3:3, 2 Peter 3:17, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:1, Jude 1:4, Revelation 12:9
the simplicity: 2 Corinthians 1:12, Romans 12:8, Romans 16:18, Romans 16:19
Reciprocal: Genesis 3:5 - God Leviticus 11:42 - goeth upon the belly Numbers 25:18 - beguiled Deuteronomy 11:22 - to cleave Deuteronomy 22:9 - shalt not sow Deuteronomy 32:5 - They have corrupted themselves Joshua 9:22 - Wherefore 1 Kings 13:18 - But 2 Kings 10:19 - But Jehu 2 Chronicles 18:20 - there came Psalms 86:11 - unite Psalms 116:6 - preserveth Psalms 140:3 - like a serpent Proverbs 7:10 - subtle Proverbs 28:10 - causeth Song of Solomon 1:15 - thou hast Isaiah 54:5 - thy Maker Ezekiel 16:32 - General Daniel 11:23 - work Matthew 6:22 - single Matthew 10:16 - wise Matthew 13:39 - enemy Matthew 23:33 - serpents Matthew 26:4 - by Luke 11:34 - single Acts 2:46 - singleness Acts 13:10 - O full Romans 8:39 - depth 2 Corinthians 2:11 - General 2 Corinthians 11:14 - for Galatians 4:17 - zealously Ephesians 6:5 - in Ephesians 6:11 - the wiles Philippians 3:11 - by 1 Thessalonians 3:5 - lest 2 Thessalonians 2:9 - is James 3:15 - devilish Revelation 2:24 - the depths Revelation 20:3 - should deceive
Cross-References
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."
And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top [may reach] to heaven, and let us make us a name; or else we will be scattered abroad on the face of the whole earth.
Then they said to each other, "Let's build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth."
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth."
And they said, come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top [may reach] to heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we should be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
They said, "Come, let's build us a city, and a tower, whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."
They said, "Come, let us build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top will reach into the heavens, and let us make a [famous] name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered [into separate groups] and be dispersed over the surface of the entire earth [as the LORD instructed]."
and seiden, Come ye, and make we to vs a citee and tour, whos hiynesse stretche `til to heuene; and make we solempne oure name bifor that we be departid in to alle londis.
And they say, `Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.'
"Come," they said, "let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But I fear lest by any means,.... Jealousy is always attended with fear, care, and solicitude, whether in things natural or spiritual. The apostle, as things were in this church, could not but express his fears, lest
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety; that is, the old serpent the devil, who made use of a serpent, the most subtle creature of all the beasts of the field, and seduced Eve from her obedience to God, to transgress his command, by eating the forbidden fruit. The apostle here speaks the language and sense of the Jews, who say p, that, שטן ונחש שם אחד להם "Satan and the serpent have one name", i.e. are the same; and that it was the old serpent (the devil), דפתי לחוה, "that beguiled Eve" q, and who is said to be corrupted by him;
"the serpent (they say r) was corrupted first, after that, נתקלקלה חוה, "Eve was corrupted", and after that Adam was corrupted.''
So the apostle was jealous and fearful, knowing that the false apostles were ministers of Satan, artful and cunning men, lest, through their craftiness and sophistry,
your minds, says he,
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ; that is, lest their judgments should be misled, their minds be vitiated with corrupt principles, and be carried away in any degree with the error of the wicked, from off the pure and simple doctrine of the Gospel, which respects the person and grace of Christ; and chiefly lies in this one plain, easy, and important truth, salvation alone by him. The Vulgate Latin version reads, "your minds should be corrupted, and should fall from the simplicity that is in Christ".
p Caphtor, fol. 93. 1. q Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Exod. fol. 50. 1. r T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 15. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
But I fear - Paul had just compared the church to a virgin, soon to be presented as a bride to the Redeemer. The mention of this seems to have suggested to him the fact that the first woman was deceived and led astray by the tempter, and that the same thing might occur in regard to the church which he was so desirous should be preserved pure. The grounds of his fear were:
- That Satan had seduced the first woman, thus demonstrating that the most holy ones were in danger of being led astray by temptation; and,
- That special efforts were made to seduce them from the faith. The persuasive arts of the false teachers; the power of philosophy; and the attractive and corrupting influences of the world, he had reason to suppose might be employed to seduce them from simple attachment to Christ.
Lest by any means - Lest somehow (μήπως mēpōs). It is implied that many means would be used; that all arts would be tried; and that in some way, which perhaps they little suspected, these arts would be successful, unless they were constantly put upon their guard.
As the serpent beguiled Eve - see Genesis 3:1-11. The word “serpent” here refers doubtless to Satan, who was the agent by whom Eve was beguiled see John 8:44; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2. Paul did not mean that they were in danger of being corrupted in the same way, but that similar efforts would be made to seduce them. Satan adapts his temptations to the character and circumstances of the tempted. He varies them from age to age, and applies them in such a way as best to secure his object. Hence, all should be on their guard. No one knows the mode in which he will approach him, but all may know that he will approach them in some way.
Through his subtilty - see Genesis 3:1. By his craft, art, wiles (ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ en tē panourgia). The word implies that shrewdness, cunning, craft was employed. A tempter always employs cunning and art to accomplish his object. The precise mode in which Satan accomplished his object is not certainly known. Perhaps the cunning consisted in assuming an attractive form - a fascinating manner - a manner suited to charm; perhaps in the idea that the eating of the forbidden fruit had endowed a serpent with the power of reason and speech above all other animals, and that it might be expected to produce a similar transformation in Eve. At all events there were false pretences and appearances, and such Paul apprehended would be employed by the false teachers to seduce and allure them; see on 2 Corinthians 11:13-14.
So your minds should be corrupted - So your thoughts should be perverted. So your hearts should be alienated. The mind is corrupted when the affections are alienated from the proper object, and when the soul is filled with unholy plans, and purposes, and desires.
From the simplicity that is in Christ -
(1) From simple and single-hearted devotedness to him - from pure and unmixed attachment to him. The fear was that their affections would be fixed on other objects, and that the singleness and unity of their devotedness to him would be destroyed.
(2) From his pure doctrines. By the admixture of philosophy; by the opinions of the world there was danger that their minds should be turned away from their hold on the simple truths which Christ had taught.
(3) From that simplicity of mind and heart; that childlike candor and docility; that freedom from all guile, dishonesty, and deception which so eminently characterized the Redeemer. Christ had a single aim; was free from all guile; was purely honest; never made use of any improper arts; never resorted to false appearances; and never deceived. His followers should in like manner be artless and guileless. There should be no mere cunning, no trick, no craft in advancing their purposes. There should be nothing but honesty and truth in all that they say. Paul was afraid that they would lose this beautiful simplicity and artlessness of character and manner; and that they would insensibly be led to adopt the maxims of mere cunning, of policy, of expediency, of seductive arts which prevailed so much in the world - a danger which was imminent among the shrewd and cunning people of Greece; but which is confined to no time and no place. Christians should be more guileless than even children are; as pure and free from trick, and from art and cunning as was the Redeemer himself.
(4) From the simplicity in worship which the Lord Jesus commended and required. The worship which the Redeemer designed to establish was simple, unostentatious, and pure - strongly in contrast with the gorgeousness and corruption of the pagan worship, and even with the imposing splendor of the Jewish temple service. He intended that it should be adapted to all lands, and such as could be offered by all classes of people - a pure worship, claiming first the homage of the heart, and then such simple external expressions as should best exhibit the homage of the heart. How easily might this be corrupted! What temptations were there to attempt to corrupt it by those who had been accustomed to the magnificence of the temple service, and who would suppose that the religion of the Messiah could not be less gorgeous than that which was designed to shadow forth his coming; and by those who had been accustomed to the splendid rites of the pagan worship, and who would suppose that the true religion ought not to be less costly and splendid than the false religion had been. If so much expense had been lavished on false religions, how natural to suppose that equal costliness at least should be bestowed on the true religion. Accordingly the history of the church for a considerable part of its existence has been little more than a record of the various forms in which the simple worship instituted by the Redeemer has been corrupted, until all that was gorgeous in pagan ceremonies and splendid in the Jewish ritual has been introduced as a part of Christian worship.
(5) From simplicity in dress and manner of living. The Redeemer’s dress was simple. His manner of living was simple. His requirements demand great simplicity and plainness of apparel and manner of life; 1 Peter 3:3-6; 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Yet how much proneness is there at all times to depart from this! What a besetting sin has it been in all ages to the church of Christ! And how much pains should there be that the very simplicity that is in Christ should be observed by all who bear the Christian name!
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Corinthians 11:3. As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty — This is a strong reflection on the false apostle and his teaching: he was subtle, πανουργος and by his subtlety (πανουργια, from παν, all, and εργον, work; his versatility of character and conduct, his capability of doing all work, and accommodating himself to the caprices, prejudices, and evil propensities of those to whom he ministered) he was enabled to corrupt the minds of the people from the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ; or, to follow the metaphor, he had seduced the pure, chaste, well educated virgin, from her duty, affection, and allegiance to her one only true husband, the high priest, Jesus Christ. And here he seems to intimate that the serpent had seduced the mind of Eve from her affections and allegiance to Adam, her true husband; and certainly from God, her creator and governor. See at the end of the chapter. "2 Corinthians 11:33"
