^2:7so that now instead⁹ you should rather forgive and comfort him.¹⁰ This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.¹¹

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Footnotes

9 Grk “so that on the other hand.”
10 The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted and must be supplied from the context.
11 Grk “comfort him, lest somehow such a person be swallowed up by excessive grief,” an idiom for a person being so overcome with grief as to despair or give up completely (L&N 25.285). In this context of excessive grief or regret for past sins, “overwhelmed” is a good translation since contemporary English idiom speaks of someone “overwhelmed by grief.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the difficulty of expressing a negative purpose/result clause in English, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief.

NLTNew Living Translation

Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

So then, you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow this person should be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

KJV 1900King James Version

So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

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