2 Corinthians 2

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

² For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?

³ And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be shared by all of you.

⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.

⁵ But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.

⁶ This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one;

⁷ so that, on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.

⁸ Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.

⁹ For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.

¹⁰ Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

¹¹ that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

¹² Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,

¹³ I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.

¹⁵ For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God in those who are being saved and in those who perish:

¹⁶ to the one a stench from death to death, to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷ For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.

Around 2 Corinthians 2

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

2 Corinthians 2 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul makes a decision he explains with some feeling: he would not come to them again in sorrow. If he made them grieve, who would be left to cheer him? So he wrote a letter instead, and he tells them how it was written. “out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears”. He did not want to hurt them but to show how much he loves them.

There is an offender whom the church has punished, and Paul now asks them to turn. “you should rather forgive him and comfort him,” so that he is not swallowed up by grief. Paul himself forgives whomever they forgive.

He then tells of a restless trip to Troas, where a door was opened but he could not rest because he did not find Titus, and so he went on to Macedonia. Suddenly the mood changes to thanksgiving. God leads Paul in triumph and spreads the aroma of Christ, life to some and death to others. “Who is sufficient for these things?”

Background

This chapter looks back on a painful stretch in the relationship between Paul and Corinth, including a severe letter he mentions and a person who had caused grief. The offender’s identity is not given. Many link him with the man of 1 Corinthians 5, while others think it was someone who had wronged Paul himself. Either way the chapter is a lesson in discipline that ends in forgiveness and restoration. The image of being led in triumph recalls a Roman parade and is read in different ways.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 16 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes