New King James Version
2 Corinthians 12:20
20For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;
2 Corinthians 12:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
- New International Version (NIV)For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.
- New Living Translation (NLT)For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior.
Context of 2 Corinthians 12:20
18I urged Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps? 19Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21lest, 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.
Read all of 2 Corinthians 122 Corinthians 12:20 word by word
φοβοῦμαι γὰρ μή πως ἐλθὼν οὐχ οἵους θέλω εὕρω ὑμᾶς, κἀγὼ εὑρεθῶ ὑμῖν οἷον οὐ θέλετε, μή πως ἔρις, ζῆλος, θυμοί, ἐριθείαι, καταλαλιαί, ψιθυρισμοί, φυσιώσεις, ἀκαταστασίαι,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- I fearφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
- lestμήπωςmēpōs mē pōs · so thatG3381
- when I comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- I shallεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
- notοὐou · noG3756
- youσύsu · youG4771
- such asοἷοςoios · such asG3634
- I wouldθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- andκἀγώkagō kamoi kame · and IG2504
- debatesἔριςeris · quarrelG2054
- envyingsζῆλοςzēlos · zealG2205
- wrathsθυμόςthumos · wrathG2372
- strifesἐριθείαeritheia · rivalryG2052
- backbitingsκαταλαλιάkatalalia · slanderG2636
- whisperingsψιθυρισμόςpsithurismos · gossipG5587
- swellingsφυσίωσιςphusiōsis · arroganceG5450
- tumultsἀκαταστασίαakatastasia · disorderG181
Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 12:20
- 2 Corinthians 12:21lest, 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.
- 2 Corinthians 13:9For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.
- 2 Corinthians 1:23Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.
- 2 Corinthians 2:1But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.
- 2 Corinthians 10:2But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
- 2 Corinthians 13:2I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—
- 1 Corinthians 4:18Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.
- 1 Corinthians 5:3For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.
- 1 Corinthians 1:11For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
- 1 Corinthians 3:3for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
- 1 Corinthians 4:6Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
- 1 Corinthians 6:7Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
- 1 Corinthians 11:16But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
- 1 Corinthians 14:36Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?
- Galatians 5:15But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
- Galatians 5:26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 12:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20I fear, lest, when I come - I think the present time is used here for the past; the apostle seems most evidently to be giving them the reason why he had not come to them according to his former purposes, and why he sent Titus and his companion. He was afraid to come at that time lest he should have found them perverted from the right way, and he be obliged to make use of his apostolical rod, and punish the offenders; but, feeling towards them the heart of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20For I fear, lest, when I come - see 2 Corinthians 12:14. I shall not find you such as I would - That is, walking in the truth and order of the gospel. He had feared that the disorders would not be removed, and that they would not have corrected the errors which prevailed, and for which he had rebuked them. It was on this account that he had said so much to them. His desire was that all these disorders might be removed, and that he might be saved from the…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. 20-21Paul worried about facing rebellion and resistance during his upcoming visit. He feared the Corinthians had returned to their old ways. you may not find me as you wish: If necessary, Paul would respond firmly to obvious sinners (compare 1:23–2:17; 1 Corinthians 4:21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. For--Assigning cause why they needed to be thus spoken to "for their edification"; namely, his fear that at his coming he should find them "not such as he would," and so he should be found by them "such as they would not" like, namely, severe in punishing misconduct. debates--Greek, "strifes," "contentions." envyings--The oldest manuscripts read "envying," singular. strifes--"factions," "intrigues," "factious schemes" [Wahl]. Ambitious self-seeking…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Corinthians 12:20
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries