And their prayer He omits no advantage which may be of any use for stirring up the Corinthians. [1] In the first place, he has made mention of the comfort that believers would experience; secondly, the thanksgiving, by means of which God was to be glorified. Nay more, he has said that this would be a confession, which would manifest to all their unanimous concurrence in faith, and in pious obedience. He now adds the reward that the Corinthians would receive from the saints -- good-will springing from gratitude, [2] and earnest prayers. "They will have," says he, "the means of requiting you in return; for they will regard you with the love with which they ought, and they will be careful to commend you to God in their prayers." At length, as though he had obtained his desire, he prepares himself [3] to celebrate the praises of God, by which he was desirous to testify the confidence felt by him, as though the matter were already accomplished.

Footnotes

1 - "Qui puisse seruir a esmouuoir et encourager les Corinthtens." -- "That may serve to stir up and encourage the Corinthians."

2 - "Procedante de la recognoissance du benefice qu'ils auoyent receu des Corinthtens;" -- "Proceeding from an acknowledgment of the kindness that they had received from the Corinthians."

3 - "D'vne grande affection;" -- "With great ardour."

And by their prayer for you - On the grammatical construction of this difficult verse, Doddridge and Bloomfield may be consulted. It is probably to be taken in connection with 2-Corinthians 9:12, and 2-Corinthians 9:13 is a parenthesis. Thus interpreted, the sense will be, "The administration of this service 2-Corinthians 9:12 will produce abundant thanks to God. It will also 2-Corinthians 9:14 produce another effect. It will tend to excite the prayers of the saints for you, and thus produce important benefits to yourselves. They will earnestly desire your welfare, they will anxiously pray to be united in Christian friendship with those who have been so signally endowed with the grace of God." The sentiment is, that charity should be shown to poor and afflicted Christians because it will lead them to pray for us and to desire our welfare. The prayers of the poorest Christian for us are worth more than all we usually bestow on them in charity; and he who has secured the pleadings of a child of God, however humble, in his behalf, has made a good use of his money.
Which long after you - Who earnestly desire to see and know you. Who will sincerely desire your welfare, and who will thus be led to pray for you.
For the exceeding grace of God in you - On account of the favor which God has shown to you: the strength and power of the Christian principle, manifesting itself in doing good to those whom you have never seen. The apostle supposes that the exercise of a charitable disposition is to be traced entirely to God. God is the author of all grace; he alone excites in us a disposition to do good to others.

The exceeding grace of God in you - By the ὑπερβαλλουσαν χαριν, superabounding or transcending grace, of God, which was in them, the apostle most evidently means the merciful and charitable disposition which they had towards the suffering saints. The whole connection, indeed the whole chapter, proves this; and the apostle attributes this to its right source, the grace or goodness of God. They had the means of charity, but God had given these means; they had a feeling, and charitable heart, but God was the author of it. Their charity was superabundant, and God had furnished both the disposition, the occasion, and the means by which that disposition was to be made manifest.

And by their prayer for you,.... The sense is, they glorify God on your behalf, making mention of you in all their prayers at the throne of grace, giving thanks to God for your liberality to them, and imploring all the blessings both of the upper and nether springs upon you; and this contains another argument engaging the Corinthians to liberality, taken from the prayers of the saints for them: or the words may be connected with 2-Corinthians 9:12 the thirteenth verse being in a parenthesis; and show not only that this ministering to the poor saints relieved their wants, and caused thanksgivings to God, but abounded in this fruit also; it put them upon daily and importunate supplications to God for their welfare both in soul and body.
Which long after you; or "earnestly desire you"; that is, "to see you", as the Ethiopic version adds; or exceedingly love you: their affections are wonderfully drawn out to you; not so much, or barely for your kindness to them, as
for the exceeding grace of God in you; for that large measure of it which was bestowed upon them in regeneration, as their unfeigned faith, lively hope, and sincere love; and for all that grace which was displayed in their justification, adoption, sanctification, and whole salvation.

Translate, "Themselves also with prayer for you, longing after you on account of the exceeding grace of God (resting) upon you." English Version is, however, good sense: They glorify God (2-Corinthians 9:13) by the experimental proof, &c., "and by their prayer for you." But the Greek favors the former.