Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion.

Therefore I thought it necessary to desire the brethren that they would go to you before, and prepare this blessing before promised, to be ready, so as a blessing, not as covetousness.

I thought it necessary therefore to beg the brethren that they would come to you, and complete beforehand your fore-announced blessing, that this may be ready thus as blessing, and not as got out of you.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before to you, and make up before hand your bounty, of which ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness.

Necessary, therefore, I thought it to exhort the brethren, that they may go before to you, and may make up before your formerly announced blessing, that this be ready, as a blessing, and not as covetousness.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brothers, that they would go before to you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof you had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

I have thought it absolutely necessary therefore to request these brethren to visit you before I myself come, and to make sure beforehand that the gift of love which you have already promised may be ready as a gift of love, and may not seem to have been something which I have extorted from you.

So it seemed to me wise for the brothers to go before, and see that the amount which you had undertaken to give was ready, so that it might be a cause for praise, and not as if we were making profit out of you.

Therefore, I considered it necessary to ask the brothers to go to you in advance and to prepare this blessing as promised, and in this way, you may be ready as a blessing, not as an excess.

Therefore I think it necessary to beg the friends to go to you in advance, and to complete the arrangements for the gift, which you have already promised, so that it may be ready, as a gift, before I come, and not look as if it were being given under pressure.

As a blessing, not in the way of niggardliness In place of blessing, some render it collection. I have preferred, however, to render it literally, as the Greeks employed the term eulogias to express the Hebrew word vrkh, (beracah,) which is used in the sense of a blessing, that is, an invoking of prosperity, as well as in the sense of beneficence. [1] The reason I reckon to be this, that it is in the first instance ascribed to God. [2] Now we know how God blesses us efficiently by his simple nod. [3] When it is from this transferred to men, it retains the same meaning, -- improperly, indeed, inasmuch as men have not the same efficacy in blessing, [4] but yet not unsuitably by transference. [5] To blessing Paul opposes pleonexian, (grudging,) which term the Greeks employ to denote excessive greediness, as well as fraud and niggardliness. [6] I have rather preferred the term niggardliness in this contrast; for Paul would have them give, not grudgingly, but. with a liberal spirit, as will appear still more clearly from what follows.

Footnotes

1 - "Qui signifie tant benediction, c'est a dire vn souhait ou priere pour la prosperite d'autruy, que beneficence ou liberalite;" -- "Which denotes blessing -- that is to say, a desire or prayer for the prosperity of another, as well as beneficence, or liberality."

2 - "Ie pense que la raison de ceste derniere signification est, pource que ce mot est en premier lieu et proprement attribue a Dieu;" -- "I think that the reason of this last signification is -- because it is in the first place and properly ascribed to God."

3 - "Par la seule et simple volonte;" -- "By a mere simple exercise of the will."

4 - "Que Dieu ha;" -- "That God has."

5 - "God's blessing of us, and our blessing of God, differ exceedingly. For God blesseth us efficiently, by exhibiting his mercies to us. We bless God, not by adding any good to him, but declaratively only. God's betedicere is benefacere -- his words are works, but our blessing (as Aquinas says) is only recognoscitium, and expressivum -- an acknowledgment only and celebration of that goodness.which God hath." -- Burgesse on 2-Corinthians 1. -- Ed.

6 - "Qui signifie tant couuoitise exccssiue, ou auarice, que chichete, et quand on rogne quelque chose de ce qu'il faudroit donner;" -- "Which denotes excessive covetousness or avarice, as well as niggardliness, and when one pares off something from what he should give."

Therefore I thought it necessary - In order to secure the collection, and to avoid all unpleasant feeling on all hands.
That they would go before unto you - Before I should come.
And make up beforehand your bounty - Prepare it before I come. The word "bounty" is in the margin, rendered "blessing." The Greek (εὐλογία eulogia) means properly commendation, eulogy. Then it means blessing, praise applied to God. Then that which blesses - a gift, donation, favor, bounty - whether of God to human beings, or of one man to another. Here it refers to their contribution as that which would be adapted to confer a blessing on others, or suited to produce happiness.
That the same might be ready as a matter of bounty - That it may truly appear as a liberal and voluntary offering; as an act of generosity and not as wrung or extorted from you. That it may be truly a blessing - a thank-offering to God and adapted to do good to people.
And not as of covetousness - "And not like a sort of extortion, wrung from you by mere dint of importunity" - Doddridge. The word used here (πλεονεξία pleonexia) means usually covetousness, greediness of gain, which leads a person to defraud others. The idea here is, that Paul would have them give this as an act of bounty, or liberality on their part, and not as an act of covetousness on his part, not as extorted by him from them.

Whereof ye had notice before - Instead of προκατηγγελμενην, spoken of before, BCDEFG, several others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fathers, have προεπηγγελμενην, what was promised before. The sense is not very different; probably the latter reading was intended to explain the former. See the margin.
Bounty, and not as of covetousness - Had they been backward, strangers might have attributed this to a covetous principle; as it would appear that they were loth to give up their money, and that they parted with it only when they could not for shame keep it any longer. This is the property of a covetous heart; whereas readiness to give is the characteristic of a liberal mind. This makes a sufficiently plain sense; and we need not look, as some have done, for any new sense of πλεονεξια, covetousness, as if it were here to be understood as implying a small gift.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as [a matter of] bounty, and not as [of] (b) covetousness.
(b) As from covetous men.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren,.... Titus, and the other two, on whom he did not lay his commands, or apostolical injunctions, according to the authority and dignity of his office; only exhorted or besought them, and which was judged by him very needful and proper at this time:
that they would go before hand unto you; before him, and the Macedonian brethren that might probably come with him:
and make up before hand your bounty; or blessing; for any present sent, or delivered, by one person to another, as a token of their friendship, favour, and good will, whether in a necessitous case or not, was by the Jews called "a blessing"; see Genesis 33:11 and especially what is contributed for the relief of the poor may be so called, because it is not only a part of the bounty of Providence, and blessings of life, with which men are favoured; but is also one way of blessing God for the mercies he has blessed them with, and likewise of blessing, or doing good to fellow creatures and Christians. Moreover, because for this the poor bless their benefactors; and it is a blessing itself to do good to others. Now the apostle judged it expedient to send the brethren before hand to complete and finish this good work begun.
Whereof, says he,
ye had notice before: in his former epistle, 1-Corinthians 16:1 or which was promised before by them; or had been spoken of so much before by him to other churches:
that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, or blessing,
not as of covetousness; that is, that the collection being ready made, largely and liberally, it might appear to be a free generous action, and show what a noble bountiful disposition they were of; and not performed as covetous men usually do what they do, sparingly, tenaciously, keeping their money as long as they can, being loath to part with it.

that they would go before--Translate, "that they should," &c.
whereof ye had notice before--rather, "promised before"; "long announced by me to the Macedonians" (2-Corinthians 9:2) [BENGEL]. "Your promised bounty" [ELLICOTT and others].
not as of covetousness--Translate, "not as matter of covetousness," which it would be, if you gave niggardly.

Spoken of before - By me, to the Macedonians. Not as a matter of covetousness - As wrung by importunity from covetous persons.