independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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The earthly tent and the building from God 5:1–5
vv. 1–4 — the tent and the building: groaning to be over-clothed
1
Οἴδαμεν γὰρindependent — γάρ grounds the courage of 4:16–18 — settled, perfect knowledge
ὅτι ἐὰν ἡ ἐπίγειος ἡμῶν οἰκία τοῦ σκήνους καταλυθῇ,conditional — the ὅτι rides on the condition; καταλύω, the striking of a tent — death contemplated
οἰκοδομὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχομεν,content — apodosis — a futuristic present: already ours, though future in enjoyment
οἰκίαν ἀχειροποίητον αἰώνιον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.phrase modifier — apposition — the tent answered point for point
2
καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ στενάζομεν,independent — καὶ γάρ — present experience corroborates the knowing
τὸ οἰκητήριον ἡμῶν τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπενδύσασθαι ἐπιποθοῦντες,participial — the groaning is yearning — ἐπενδύσασθαι, the house become a garment
3
εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα.conditional — εἴ γε — backward qualification; some witnesses read ἐκδυσάμενοι ('having put off'); ἐνδυσάμενοι followed
4
καὶ γὰρ οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομενindependent — the restatement — the groaning clarified against misreading
βαρούμενοι,participial — the burden of mortality (cf. 1:8; 4:17)
ἐφ' ᾧ οὐ θέλομεν ἐκδύσασθαι ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι,cause — ἐφ' ᾧ causal (cf. Rom 5:12) — no death-wish, but transformation
ἵνα καταποθῇ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς.purpose — Isa 25:8 echoed (cf. 1 Cor 15:54) — life engulfs mortality
v. 5 — God's pledge: the Spirit as down-payment
5
ὁ δὲ κατεργασάμενος ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο θεός,independent — verbless — the hope no fancy: God himself prepared us for it
ὁ δοὺς ἡμῖν τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος.participial — ἀρραβών — the Spirit as first installment guaranteeing the rest (cf. 1:22)
Courage and the judgment seat 5:6–10
vv. 6–8 — the anacoluthon: courage suspended, then resumed
6
Θαρροῦντες οὖν πάντοτεparticipial — sentence-opening participle, suspended — resumed by θαρροῦμεν in v. 8 (anacoluthon)
καὶ εἰδότεςparticipial — the coordinate participle — likewise left hanging
ὅτι ἐνδημοῦντες ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐκδημοῦμεν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου,content — the ἐνδημέω/ἐκδημέω wordplay — bodily residence as exile from the Lord
7
διὰ πίστεως γὰρ περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους·cause — parenthetical ground of the 'away': the present mode is faith, not εἶδος
8
θαρροῦμεν δὲindependent — the resumption — the suspended Θαρροῦντες finally made finite
καὶ εὐδοκοῦμεν μᾶλλον ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον.independent — the preference — πρὸς τὸν κύριον, face-to-face nearness
vv. 9–10 — the one ambition, and the tribunal that grounds it
9
διὸ καὶ φιλοτιμούμεθα,independent — διό — the practical conclusion of the preference
εἴτε ἐνδημοῦντες εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες,participial — the εἴτε-pair — neither state alters the aim
εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι.content — complementary infinitive — the ambition's whole content
10
τοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖcause — γάρ — the ambition grounded in accountability; φανερωθῆναι, disclosed, not merely present
ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,phrase modifier — the βῆμα — the magistrate's tribunal (cf. Acts 18:12), Christ's
ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματοςpurpose — κομίζω middle — requital, each one individually
πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν,relative — πρός of correspondence — recompense matched to conduct
εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε φαῦλον.phrase modifier — the two verdicts — φαῦλος, 'good-for-nothing,' not merely wicked
The ministry of persuasion — Christ's love constrains 5:11–15
vv. 11–13 — open persuasion, open motives
11
Εἰδότες οὖν τὸν φόβον τοῦ κυρίουparticipial — sentence-opening participle, leaning on the main verb below — the βῆμα drives the ministry
ἀνθρώπους πείθομεν,independent — the apostolic work — persuasion, of the gospel and of Paul's integrity
θεῷ δὲ πεφανερώμεθα·independent — the perfect — already fully disclosed before God (echoing v. 10)
ἐλπίζω δὲindependent — the shift to the singular — Paul's personal appeal
καὶ ἐν ταῖς συνειδήσεσιν ὑμῶν πεφανερῶσθαι.content — perfect infinitive — the same openness lodged in their inner judgment
12
οὐ πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνομεν ὑμῖν,independent — the disclaimer — πάλιν alludes to the old charge (cf. 3:1)
ἀλλὰ ἀφορμὴν διδόντες ὑμῖν καυχήματος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν,participial — the participle carries the weight of a finite verb — ἀφορμή, a base of operations
ἵνα ἔχητε πρὸς τοὺς ἐν προσώπῳ καυχωμένους καὶ μὴ ἐν καρδίᾳ.purpose — ἔχητε elliptical ('have something to say') — the rivals boast in πρόσωπον, not καρδία
13
εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν,conditional — protasis — the charge of ecstatic excess conceded for argument (aorist ἐξέστημεν; cf. Mark 3:21)
θεῷ·independent — apodosis — one bare dative of advantage
εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν,conditional — protasis — the measured present, over against the ecstatic aorist
ὑμῖν.independent — apodosis — either way, never for self
vv. 14–15 — one died for all: the constraining logic
14
ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέχει ἡμᾶς,independent — the deepest motive — subjective genitive, Christ's love for us; συνέχω, hemmed in to one course
κρίναντας τοῦτοparticipial — causal participle on ἡμᾶς — a settled verdict; τοῦτο points forward
ὅτι εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν·content — the content — the one representative death
ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον·content — ἄρα — the corporate inference, still inside the verdict (cf. Rom 6:6–8)
15
καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανενcontent — the content continued — the death restated to carry its purpose
ἵνα οἱ ζῶντες μηκέτι ἑαυτοῖς ζῶσινpurpose — the aim — μηκέτι, the decisive break with self-centered life
ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντι καὶ ἐγερθέντι.phrase modifier — elliptical (ζῶσιν supplied) — the new center: the crucified and risen Lord
New creation and the ministry of reconciliation 5:16–21
vv. 16–17 — no one known by flesh: new creation
16
Ὥστε ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οὐδένα οἴδαμεν κατὰ σάρκα·independent — ὥστε — the result of the death-and-life logic: a new mode of evaluation
εἰ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν,conditional — εἰ καί concessive protasis — the supreme test case conceded
ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν.independent — apodosis — οὐκέτι: the old estimate of Christ definitively abandoned
17
ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ,conditional — verbless protasis — union with Christ the sole condition
καινὴ κτίσις·independent — the verbless punch — the eschatological new order breaking in (Isa 65:17; Gal 6:15)
τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν,independent — the aorist — a finished transition
ἰδοὺ γέγονεν καινά.independent — ἰδού echoing Isa 43:19 — the perfect: arrived and abiding
vv. 18–20 — God reconciling: the embassy
18
τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦindependent — verbless — the whole new creation traced to its source
τοῦ καταλλάξαντος ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ διὰ Χριστοῦparticipial — the first attributive participle — God the initiating reconciler
καὶ δόντος ἡμῖν τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς,participial — the second — the reconciled made ministers of reconciliation
19
ὡς ὅτι θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ,content — ὡς ὅτι epexegetic — ἦν read with καταλλάσσων (quasi-periphrastic), not 'God was-in-Christ'
μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν,participial — the manner — λογίζομαι, the ledger left unentered (cf. Rom 4:8; Ps 32:2)
καὶ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον τῆς καταλλαγῆς.participial — on θεός — the aorist middle: the gospel deposited with the envoys
20
ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ οὖν πρεσβεύομενindependent — πρεσβεύω — the imperial term: the sovereign's envoy
ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν·participial — ὡς + genitive absolute — the divine voice sounding through the envoy
δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ,independent — the entreaty — appeal, not command
καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ.content — the quoted plea — passive imperative: accept the reconciliation God has wrought
v. 21 — the great exchange
21
τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν,independent — asyndeton — the climactic ground; ἁμαρτίαν taken as 'sin' itself, not the LXX 'sin-offering'
ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ.purpose — the exchange completed — ἐν αὐτῷ: in union with Christ (cf. Rom 1:17; 3:21–26)
Analysis. 2 Corinthians 5 runs from the grave to the embassy in four movements, and the shape tells the story. In vv. 1–5 one perfect Οἴδαμεν carries the whole consolation: the ἐάν-protasis (the tent struck) leans forward on its apodosis οἰκοδομὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχομεν, and twice καὶ γάρ grounds the knowing in groaning — a groaning that is longing (ἐπιποθοῦντες), not death-wish (ἐφ' ᾧ οὐ θέλομεν ἐκδύσασθαι ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι), until the ἵνα-line names the goal: the mortal swallowed up by life. Verses 6–10 open with a famous anacoluthon the layout shows rather than smooths: Θαρροῦντες and εἰδότες hang suspended (dashed) with the parenthetical 'by faith, not by sight' beneath them, resumed only by the flush-left θαρροῦμεν δέ of v. 8; the single ambition of v. 9 is then grounded in the βῆμα of Christ, the recompense chain stepping down to εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε φαῦλον. In vv. 11–15 open statement alternates with εἴτε-pairs (ecstasy for God, sobriety for you — both apodoses verbless datives), and the deepest motive stands at v. 14: Christ's love συνέχει, and from κρίναντας τοῦτο a content column descends — one died for all; therefore all died; and he died that the living might live no longer for themselves. Verses 16–21 stack two ὥστε results (no one known κατὰ σάρκα; the verbless καινὴ κτίσις under its leaning protasis), trace τὰ πάντα back to the reconciling God through twin attributive participles, unpack the ministry in the ὡς ὅτι declaration, and issue in the embassy — the quoted plea καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ — before the asyndetic climax of the great exchange. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: at v. 3 the text printed is ἐνδυσάμενοι ('having put on'), the well-attested variant ἐκδυσάμενοι ('having put off' — 'even stripped, we shall not be found naked') being noted but not followed; v. 13's aorist ἐξέστημεν is taken as the charge of ecstatic excess conceded for argument's sake ('if we were beside ourselves — it was for God'), not a confession of madness; ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ (v. 14) is read as subjective genitive — his love for us; θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ (v. 19) is construed with the participle — 'God was, in Christ, reconciling the world' (quasi-periphrastic) — rather than as an ontological 'God was-in-Christ'; and at v. 21 ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν is rendered 'made sin' — Christ's identification with sin itself in the exchange — not the narrower LXX idiom 'sin-offering,' though that resonance is real.