2 Corinthians 12:21

2 Corinthians 12:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
• New International Version (NIV)I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
• New King James Version (NKJV)lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Context of 2 Corinthians 12:21

19What are you thinking when you read all this? Do you think that we want to show you how good we are? No, we are speaking as people who belong to Christ. God knows us. Everything that we do is to help you. We love you and we want to make you stronger as believers. 20When I come there to visit you, I hope you will be living in a good way. But I am afraid that I will not see what I want to see. Then you will see that I am different from what you want me to be! I am afraid that you may be quarrelling. You may be jealous of each other. You may be very angry with each other. Some of you may just want to please yourselves. You may be insulting one another, or telling lies about one another. You may be proud of how good you are. You may be causing trouble for one another. Yes, I am afraid that all those things may be happening among you. I am afraid that I may be very sad when I come back to you. My God may cause me to feel ashamed about you. Some of you may still be doing bad and disgusting things. You may be having sex with people that you are not married to, or in other wrong ways. Those are the bad things that many of you did at one time. If you have not turned away from those bad things, that will make me weep.

2 Corinthians 12:21 word by word

μὴ πάλιν ἐλθόντος μου ταπεινώσῃ με ὁ θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• lestμήmē · notG3361
• when I comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• againπάλινpalin · againG3825
• myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• will humbleταπεινόωtapeinoō · to humbleG5013
• amongπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• youσύsu · youG4771
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• I shall bewailπενθέωpentheō · to mournG3996
• manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• have sinned alreadyπροαμαρτάνωproamartanō · to sin beforehandG4258
• haveμετανοέωmetanoeō · to repentG3340
• ofἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the uncleannessἀκαθαρσίαakatharsia · impurityG167
• fornicationπορνείαporneia · sexual sinG4202
• lasciviousnessἀσέλγειαaselgeia · debaucheryG766
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• they have committedπράσσωprassō · to do/requireG4238

Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 12:21

• 2 Corinthians 12:7Yes, God did show me many things that were very special. But he did not want me to be proud because of that. So he gave me a pain in my body, like a sharp thorn. Satan uses that pain to give me much trouble. It is like Satan's angel that he sends to hurt me. That certainly stops me from being proud of myself!
• 2 Corinthians 8:24So show these men that you love them. Then all the churches will be sure about you. They will know that we were right to be proud of you.
• 2 Corinthians 9:3But I do not want the way that I have praised you not to be true. So I am sending these men, our Christian friends, to come to you. I want to be sure that you will be ready to give your money. That is what I have told people about you.
• 2 Corinthians 2:1Because of that, I decided not to visit you again at that time. I did not want to make you sad.
• Exodus 32:31So Moses returned to the Lord. He said to the Lord, ‘Please listen to me. These people have done a very great sin. They have made a gold idol to worship as their god.
• Deuteronomy 9:15So I turned and I went down the mountain. It was still burning with fire. I held the two stones with the covenant on them in my hands.
• 1 Samuel 15:35Until Samuel died, he never saw Saul again. Samuel was very sad about Saul. But the Lord was sorry that he had chosen Saul to be king of Israel.
• Ezra 9:3When I heard this, I was very upset. I tore my shirt and my coat. I pulled out hair from my head and my beard. I was angry and ashamed. I sat down.
• Ezra 10:1Ezra continued to pray, in front of God's temple. He was asking God to forgive his people's sins. He was weeping, and he was bending down low to the ground. While he was doing that, a big crowd of Israelite people came around him. There were men, women and children. They were also weeping loudly.
• Psalms 119:136I weep with streams of tears, because people do not obey your Law.
• Jeremiah 9:1‘My head should be like a pool of water. My eyes should be like a river of tears. Then I would never stop crying for my dear people who have died in war.
• Jeremiah 13:17If you refuse to listen to God's message, I will hide myself and I will weep. Because you are so proud, tears will pour from my eyes. I will cry because the Lord has sent his own people away as prisoners to a foreign land.
• Luke 9:41Jesus said, ‘You people today still do not believe in God. You have turned away from him. I have been with you for a long time and still you do not believe. It is difficult for me to be patient with you.’ Then Jesus said to the man, ‘Bring your son here.’
• Romans 9:2I tell you this: Deep inside myself, I am always very sad and upset because of Israel's people.
• Philippians 3:18Many people live in a way that shows they do not agree with God's message. I have told you about these people many times before. And now I am crying when I tell you about them. I am very sad, because they speak against Christ's death on the cross.
• 2 Corinthians 13:2I have already warned those people who did wrong things before. I did that when I was with you on my second visit. Now I am warning them again, while I am away from you. So, when I come to you the next time, nobody will go free. I will punish those people and all the others who have done wrong things.

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 12:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Lest, when I come again - And even after all that has been done for you, I fear that when I do come - when I pay you my second visit, my God will humble me - will permit me to be affected with deep sorrow through what I may see among you; as I have been by the buffetings of the apostle of Satan, who has perverted you. Humiliation is repeatedly used for affliction, and here ͅ has certainly that meaning. Have sinned already - · Who have sinned before; who…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me … - Lest I should be compelled to inflict punishment on those whom I suppose to have been converted under my ministry. I had rejoiced in them as true converts: I had counted them as among the fruit of my ministry. Now to be compelled to inflict punishment on them as having no religion would mortify me and humble me. The infliction of punishment on members of the church is a sort of punishment to him who…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-21Verses 11-21 We owe it to good men, to stand up in the defence of their reputation; and we are under special obligations to those from whom we have received benefit, especially spiritual benefit, to own them as instruments in God's hand of good to us. Here is an account of the apostle's behaviour and kind intentions; in which see the character of a faithful minister of the gospel. This was his great aim and design, to do good. Here are noticed several…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Paul fears that God will humble him in their presence, similar to the previous visit (2:1), when the Corinthians had rejected and humiliated him. The listed vices were among the Corinthians’ old sins (see 6:14–7:1; 1 Corinthians Book Introduction, "Setting").Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. my God--his God, however trying the humiliation that was in store for him. will humble me--The indicative implies that the supposition will actually be so. The faithful pastor is "humbled" at, and "bewails" the falls of his people, as though they were his own. sinned already--before my last coming [Bengel], that is, before the second visit which he paid, and in which he had much at Corinth to rebuke. have not repented--shall not have repented…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Corinthians 12:21

• Adultery
• Backsliders
• Church
• Impenitence
• Lasciviousness
• Love
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Backbiting
• Crafty
• Excuse
• Gain
• Grace
• Perfect
• Revelation
• Sufficient

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings