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2 Corinthians 7:11

in 2 Corinthians 7

Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

KJV

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

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This verse in 2 Corinthians 7

Commentary

11 notes on this verse
For behold this self-same thing - For see in your own case the happy effects of godly sorrow. See the effects which it produced; see an illustration of what it is suited to produce. The construction is, “For lo! this very thing, to wit, your sorrowing after a godly manner, wrought carefulness, clearing of yourselves,” etc. The object of Paul is to illustrate the effects of godly sorrow, to which he had referred in 2Co 7:10. He appeals, therefore, to their own case, and says that it was beautifully illustrated among themselves. What carefulness - (σπουδήν spoudēn).

This site's exposition

what clearing of yourselves

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge: seven effects named in one breathless sentence, the bench reading the sevenfold yea as rhetorical proof that godly sorrow is never idle but always produces visible change. Revenge translates ekdikesis, better rendered vindication or the righting of a wrong than personal retaliation, the Corinthians' own zeal to see the offense of chapter 2 set right rather than any vengeful spirit. In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter closes the list, the church's response to the severe letter now standing as full vindication of Paul's confidence in them.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers3 voices

A commentator

Ambrosiaster

COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES · Written before 384.

proposed

Someone who repents is troubled by the fear that he might sin again. But a person who knows that he has been deformed by sin longs to reform himself. One who knows that he is being rebuked for his own good begins to experience a …

A commentator

Basil of Caesarea

THE LONG RULES 52 · Written before 379.

proposed

One who provokes godly grief in us is our benefactor.

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily 15 on 2 Corinthians · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

"For behold," he saith, "this self-same thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you." 'For not only,' he saith, 'did your sorrow not cast you into that condemning of yourselves, as having acted idly in so doing; but it made you even more careful.' Then he speaks of the certain tokens of that carefulness; "Yea," what "clearing of yourselves," towards me. "Yea, what indignation" against him that had sinned. "Yea, what fear." For so great carefulness and very speedy reformation was the part of men who feared exceedingly. And that he might not seem to be exalting himself, see how quickly he softened it by saying, "Yea, what longing," that towards me. "Yea, what zeal," that on God's behalf. "Yea, what avenging:" for ye also avenged the laws of God that had been outraged. "In every thing ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter." Not only by not having perpetrated, for this was evident before, but also by not consenting unto it. For since he said in the former Epistle, "and ye are puffed up;" he also says here, 'ye have cleared yourselves of this suspicion also; not only by not praising, but also by rebuking and being indignant.'

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on 2 Corinthians · Written before 1107.

proposed

Not from the example of others, he says, do I prove the benefit of godly sorrow, but from your own experience. For you not only did not regret that you were grieved, but you became more careful about yourselves. Apologies before me; for I have …

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on 2 Corinthians · Written before 1274.

proposed

Then (v. 11) he explains this effect from the experience learned from them. As if to say: a truly steadfast salvation, because it is clear from experience that it works in us many things that lead to salvation. He mentions six of these things, one …
4 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

It wrought indignation at sin, at themselves, at the tempter and his instruments; it wrought fear, a fear of reverence, a fear of watchfulness, and a fear of distrust, not a distrust of God, but of themselves; an awful fear of God, a cautious fear of sin, and a jealous fear of themselves.
For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

In all--the respects just stated. clear--Greek, "pure," namely, from complicity in the guilty deed. "Approved yourselves," Greek, "commended yourselves." Whatever suspicion of complicity rested on you (1Co 5:2, 6) through your former remissness, you have cleared off by your present strenuousness in reprobating the deed.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

What carefulness it wrought in you - Carefulness of obeying my directions, 2Co 7:15; yea, what clearing of yourselves from guilt by inflicting censures on the guilty person, and putting away evil from among you, 1Co 5:13; yea, what indignation against him who had dishonored his profession, and defiled the Church; yea, what fear of my displeasure, and the rod which I threatened, 1Co 4:21; yea, what vehement desire to rectify what was amiss in this matter, 2Co 7:7; yea, what zeal for me; yea, what revenge in punishing the delinquent. See Whitby. In all things, etc. - In the whole of your conduct in this affair since ye have received my letter, ye have approved yourselves to be clear, ἁγνους; not only to be clear of contumacy and obstinate persistence in your former conduct, but to have done all in the compass of your power to rectify the abuses which had crept in among you. The Corinthians were not clear, i.e. innocent or void of blame in the fact, but they were clear of all blame in their endeavors to remove the evil.

The words behind it

32 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Romans 14:18For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.9 worksRevelation 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.9 works1 Timothy 5:21–22I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.8 works2 Timothy 2:15Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.7 worksPsalms 2:11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.5 worksEphesians 5:11Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.5 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jude 1:23save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.4 worksHebrews 12:15–16See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.4 works2 Corinthians 7:7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.4 works1 Peter 2:2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,4 worksEphesians 4:26“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,4 works1 Corinthians 5:13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”4 worksLuke 18:13But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’4 worksActs 17:16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.3 works2 Corinthians 9:2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting to the Macedonians that since last year you in Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has stirred most of them to do likewise.3 worksPsalms 35:13Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.3 works2 Corinthians 2:6The punishment imposed on him by the majority is sufficient for him.3 works1 Corinthians 5:2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?3 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    2 Timothy 2:15

    Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.

    it leads to

    • 1 Thessalonians 2:4

      Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.

    • 2 Peter 1:10

      Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble,

    • 1 Timothy 4:6

      By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.

    • 2 Corinthians 10:18

      For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    • 2 Corinthians 5:9

      So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it.

  • Through

    Ephesians 5:11

    Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

    it leads to

    • Romans 13:12

      The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

    • 1 Timothy 5:20

      But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.

    • 2 Thessalonians 3:6

      Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received…

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Corinthians

The Crown of Thorns, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Crown of Thorns, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
2 Corinthians: the study guide →Read 2 Corinthians 7 →
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Basil of Caesarea, THE LONG RULES 52; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily 15 on 2 Corinthians; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 2 Corinthians.

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