SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:21
¿Qu queris? ¿Ir a vosotros con vara, o con caridad y espíritu de mansedumbre?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 4:21
Verse 21. Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love] Here he alludes to the case of the teacher and father, mentioned in 1 Cor. iv. 15. Shall I come to you with the authority of a teacher, and use the rod of discipline? or shall I come in the tenderness of a father, and entreat you to do what I have authority to enforce? Among the Jews, those who did not amend, after being faithfully admonished, were whipped, either publicly or privately, in the synagogue. If on this they did not amend, they were liable to be stoned. We see, from the cases of Ananias and Sapphira, Elymas the sorcerer, Hymenaeus and Alexander, &c., that the apostles had sometimes the power to inflict the most awful punishments on transgressors. The Corinthians must have known this, and consequently have dreaded a visit from him in his apostolical authority. That there were many irregularities in this Church, which required both the presence and authority of the apostle, we shall see in the subsequent chapters. 1. IN the preceding chapter we find the ministers of God compared to STEWARDS, of whom the strictest fidelity is required. (1.) Fidelity to GOD, in publishing his truth with zeal, defending it with courage, and recommending it with prudence. (2.) Fidelity to CHRIST, whose representatives they are, in honestly and fully recommending his grace and salvation on the ground of his passion and death, and preaching his maxims in all their force and purity. (3.) Fidelity to the CHURCH, in taking heed to keep up a godly discipline, admitting none into it but those who have abandoned their sins; and permitting none to continue in it that do not continue to adorn the doctrine of God their saviour. (4.) Fidelity to their own MINISTRY, walking so as to bring no blame on the Gospel; avoiding the extremes of indolent tenderness on one hand, and austere severity on the other. Considering the flock, not as their flock, but the flock of Jesus Christ; watching, ruling, and feeding it according to the order of their Divine Master.
2. A minister of God should act with great caution: every man, properly speaking, is placed between the secret judgment of God and the public censure of men. He should do nothing rashly, that he may not justly incur the censure of men; and he should do nothing but in the loving fear of God, that he may not incur the censure of his Maker. The man who scarcely ever allows himself to be wrong, is one of whom it may be safely said, he is seldom right. It is possible for a man to mistake his own will for the will of God, and his own obstinacy for inflexible adherence to his duty. With such persons it is dangerous to have any commerce. Reader, pray to God to save thee from an inflated and self-sufficient mind.
3. Zeal for God's truth is essentially necessary for every minister; and prudence is not less so. They should be wisely tempered together, but this is not always the case. Zeal without prudence is like a flambeau in the hands of a blind man; it may enlighten and warm, but it play also destroy the spiritual building. Human prudence should be avoided as well as intemperate zeal; this kind of prudence consists in a man's being careful not to bring himself into trouble, and not to hazard his reputation, credit, interest, or fortune, in the performance of his duty. Evangelical wisdom consists in our suffering and losing all things, rather than be wanting in the discharge of our obligations.
4. From St. Paul's account of himself we find him often suffering the severest hardships in the prosecution of his duty. He had for his patrimony, hunger, thirst, nakedness, stripes, &c.; and wandered about testifying the Gospel of the grace of God, without even a cottage that he could claim as his own. Let those who dwell in their elegant houses, who profess to be apostolic in their order, and evangelic in their doctrines, think of this. In their state of affluence they should have extraordinary degrees of zeal, humility, meekness, and charity, to recommend them to our notice as apostolical men. If God, in the course of his providence, has saved them from an apostle's hardships, let them devote their lives to the service of that Church in which they have their emoluments; and labour incessantly to build it up on its most holy faith. Let them not be masters to govern with rigour and imperiousness; but tender fathers, who feel every member in the Church as their own child, and labour to feed the heavenly family with the mysteries of God, of which they are stewards.
5. And while the people require much of their spiritual pastors, these pastors have equal right to require much of their people. The obligation is not all on one side; those who watch for our souls have a right not only to their own support, but to our reverence and confidence. Those who despise their ecclesiastical rulers, will soon despise the Church of Christ itself, neglect its ordinances, lose sight of its doctrines, and at last neglect their own salvation.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. What will ye ? etc.] Or how will ye, that I should come unto you? as the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read it: since the apostle had determined upon his coming to them: and had made mention of it, he puts it to them, in what manner they themselves would choose he should come unto them; shall I come unto you with a rod ; either as a schoolmaster, as were their false teachers, with a ferula; or as a father with a rod of correction and chastisement, assuming his paternal authority, putting on severe looks, and using roughness; or rather as an apostle with the apostolical rod; by which is meant not excommunication, which is what belongs to a whole community, and not any single person; but a power of inflicting punishment on the bodies of delinquents, by smiting with diseases, and even with death itself; for as the prophets of the Old Testament had a power from God of inflicting diseases and death upon offenders; so had the apostles of the New, as appears from the instances of Ananias, and Sapphira, and Elymas the sorcerer: or in love, and in the spirit of meekness ? with the affection of a father, with a pleasant countenance, and a meek spirit; in opposition to that roughness and sharpness, he had an authority, as an apostle of Christ, to use in proper cases; and therefore as the latter would be most eligible by them, his suggestion is, that they would behave accordingly, that there might be no occasion to come to them in the former manner, which was not desirable by him, There seems to be an allusion to a practice among the Jews, in the punishing of a drunkard or gluttonous person; the rule for which was this f45 , they first correct him jbb wa yrbdb with words, or with a rod, as it is written, ( Deuteronomy 21:18) and have chastened him; but if he adds and repeats (i.e. goes on in his sin), then they stone him.
Or rather the allusion is to the judges in the sanhedrim, one of the instruments or ensigns of whose office was a rod or staff to smite with; it is said of R. Hona, when he went to the sanhedrim, he used to say, bring me the instruments of the Tabernae (the place where the sanhedrim sat); what are they? the staff (in Cocceiuss edition it is yrjwj , the rods, and the sandals, the trumpets, and the thongs); the gloss is, the thong for scourging, the staff (or rods) for beating the rebellious until they return, the trumpets for excommunication, and the sandals for plucking off the shoe; things in which the judges of the court were concerned, and here the apostle proposes to come as judge; (see 1 Corinthians 5:3,12).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-21 - In reproving for sin, we should distinguish between sinners and their sins. Reproofs that kindly and affectionately warn, are likely to reform. Though the apostle spoke with authority as a parent, he woul rather beseech them in love. And as ministers are to set an example others must follow them, as far as they follow Christ in faith an practice. Christians may mistake and differ in their views, but Chris and Christian truth are the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever Whenever the gospel is effectual, it comes not in word only, but als in power, by the Holy Spirit, quickening dead sinners, deliverin persons from the slavery of sin and Satan, renewing them both inwardl and outwardly, and comforting, strengthening, and establishing the saints, which cannot be done by the persuasive language of men, but by the power of God. And it is a happy temper, to have the spirit of love and meekness bear the rule, yet to maintain just authority __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τι 5101 I-ASN θελετε 2309 5719 V-PAI-2P εν 1722 PREP ραβδω 4464 N-DSF ελθω 2064 5632 V-2AAS-1S προς 4314 PREP υμας 5209 P-2AP η 2228 PRT εν 1722 PREP αγαπη 26 N-DSF πνευματι 4151 N-DSN τε 5037 PRT πραοτητος 4236 N-GSF
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:21 {With a rod} (en rabdwi). The so-called instrumental use of en like the Hebrew (#1Sa 17:43). The shepherd leaned on his rod, staff, walking stick. The paedagogue had his rod also. {Shall I come?} (elqw;). Deliberative subjunctive. Paul gives them the choice. They can have him as their spiritual father or as their paedagogue with a rod.
