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2 Corinthians 1 General Notes
Structure and formatting
The first paragraph reflects a common way to begin a letter in the ancient Near East.
Special Concepts
Paul's integrity
People were criticizing Paul and saying he was not sincere. He refutes them by explaining his motives for what he was doing.
Comfort
Comfort is a major theme of this chapter. The Holy Spirit comforts Christians. The Corinthians probably were afflicted and needed to be comforted.
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Rhetorical question
Paul uses two rhetorical questions to defend himself against a charge of not being sincere. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
We
Paul uses the pronoun "we". This likely represents at least Timothy and himself. It may also include other people.
Guarantee
Paul says the Holy Spirit is the guarantee, which means pledge or down payment, of a Christian's eternal life. Christians are securely saved. But they will not experience all of God's given promises until after they die. The Holy Spirit is a personal guarantee that this will happen. This idea comes from a business term. A person gives some valuable item to another person as a "guarantee" that they will repay money. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/eternity and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save)
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