2Cor 10:1 | NETfull | STEP | Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!)

2 Corinthians 10:1

1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ^{▼▼ The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.} personally ^{▼▼ The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.} by the meekness and gentleness ^{▼▼ Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1–13:10)” (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 epieikeia) 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.”} of Christ (I who am meek ^{▼▼ Or “who lack confidence.”} when present among ^{▼▼ Or “when face to face with.”} you, but am full of courage ^{▼▼ Or “but bold.”} toward you when away!) –