2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you1 personally2 by the meekness and gentleness3 of Christ (I who am meek4 when present among5 you, but am full of courage6 toward you when away!)—

1	tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.
2	tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.
3	tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ: Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prautēs and ejpieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10–13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”
4	tn Or “who lack confidence.”
5	tn Or “when face to face with.”
6	tn Or “but bold.”