SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:20
Porque temo que cuando llegare, no os halle tales como quiero, y yo sea hallado de vosotros cual no queris; para que por ventura no haya entre vosotros contiendas, envidias, iras, disensiones, detracciones, murmuraciones, rumores, bandos;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 12:20
Verse 20. I fear, lest, when I come] I think the present time is used here for the past; the apostle seems most evidently to be giving them the reason why he had not come to them according to his former purposes, and why he sent Titus and his companion. He was afraid to come at that time lest he should have found them perverted from the right way, and he be obliged to make use of his apostolical rod, and punish the offenders; but, feeling towards them the heart of a tender father, he was unwilling to use the rod; and sent the first epistle to them, and the messengers above mentioned, being reluctant to go himself till he had satisfactory evidence that their divisions were ended, and that they had repented for and put away the evils that they had committed; and that he should not be obliged to bewail them who had sinned so abominably, and had not repented for their crimes. If this verse be understood in this way, all difficulty will vanish; otherwise, what is here said does seem to contradict what is said, 2 Corinthians vii. 6, 16, &c.; as well as many things both in the eighth and ninth chapters. Debates, envyings] From these different expressions, which are too plain to need interpretation, we see what a distracted and divided state the Church at Corinth must have been in. Brotherly love and charity seem to have been driven out of this once heavenly assembly. These debates, &c., are precisely the opposites to that love which the apostle recommends and explains by its different properties in the 13th chapter of his first epistle.
Mr. Wakefield translates the original thus: strifes, rivalries, passions, provocations, slanders, whisperings, swellings, quarrels.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 20. For I fear lest when I come , etc..] This fear arose from his fatherly affection for them, and care of them: I shall not find you such as I would ; truly penitent for former sins, thoroughly reformed in life and manners, zealous for God, Christ, and the Gospel, and hearty lovers of one another: and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not ; sharp in his reproofs and admonitions, severe in his corrections and censures, and lawfully using the authority he had from Christ, to punish incorrigible offenders: lest there be debates ; or strifes, or contentions among them, about words to no profit, or about their ministers, as before; one being for Paul, and another for Apollos, and another for Cephas: envyings : at each other's gifts, or jealousies of one another, and evil surmisings: wraths ; breaking out into words and actions, which discover hatred of mind, a malignant spirit, quite contrary to that of the Gospel: strifes : law suits before heathen magistrates; contentions in the church who shall be greatest; or about lesser matters of religion, or things indifferent, vain, and trifling, and kept up merely for the sake of victory: backbitings ; speaking evil of one another, detracting from, hurting, or taking away each other's character and good name: whisperings ; secretly sowing discords among friends, and privately suggesting evil things of each other: swellings ; with pride and conceit of themselves, because of their riches, learning, and eloquence, and looking with disdain upon others: tumults ; at church meetings, interrupting one another, going into parties, and making rents and schisms.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-21 - We owe it to good men, to stand up in the defence of their reputation and we are under special obligations to those from whom we have received benefit, especially spiritual benefit, to own them a instruments in God's hand of good to us. Here is an account of the apostle's behaviour and kind intentions; in which see the character of a faithful minister of the gospel. This was his great aim and design to do good. Here are noticed several sins commonly found amon professors of religion. Falls and misdeeds are humbling to a minister and God sometimes takes this way to humble those who might be tempte to be lifted up. These vast verses show to what excesses the fals teachers had drawn aside their deluded followers. How grievous it is that such evils should be found among professors of the gospel! Ye thus it is, and has been too often, and it was so even in the days of the apostles __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
φοβουμαι 5399 5736 V-PNI-1S γαρ 1063 CONJ μηπως 3381 CONJ ελθων 2064 5631 V-2AAP-NSM ουχ 3756 PRT-N οιους 3634 K-APN θελω 2309 5719 V-PAI-1S ευρω 2147 5632 V-2AAS-1S υμας 5209 P-2AP καγω 2504 P-1NS-C ευρεθω 2147 5686 V-APS-1S υμιν 5213 P-2DP οιον 3634 K-ASM ου 3756 PRT-N θελετε 2309 5719 V-PAI-2P μηπως 3381 CONJ ερεις 2054 N-NPF ζηλοι 2205 N-NPM θυμοι 2372 N-NPM εριθειαι 2052 N-NPF καταλαλιαι 2636 N-NPF ψιθυρισμοι 5587 N-NPM φυσιωσεις 5450 N-NPF ακαταστασιαι 181 N-NPF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
20. Strifes (eriqeiai). Rev., better, factions. See on Jas. iii. 14. Wraths (qumoi) For the plural, compare deaths, ch. xi. 33; drunkennesses, Gal. v. 21; bloods, John i. 13 (see note); the willings of the flesh, Eph. ii. 3; mercies, Philip. ii. 1. Excitements or outbursts of wrath.Whisperings (yiqurismoi). Psithurismoi, the sound adapted to the sense. Only here in the New Testament. Secret slanders. In Sept., Eccl. x. 11, it is used of the murmuring of a snake-charmer. 161 Yiquristhv whisperer, occurs Rom. i. 29.
Swellings (fusiwseiv). Only here in the New Testament. Conceited inflation. For the kindred verb fusiaw to puff up, see on 1 Corinthians iv. 6.
Tumults (akatastasiai). See on ch. vi. 5.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
12:20 {Lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would} (me pws elqwn ouc hoious qelw heurw humas). An idiomatic construction after the verb of fearing (foboumai) with me pws as the conjunction and with ouc as the negative of the verb heurw (second aorist active subjunctive of heuriskw), me the conjunction, ouc the negative. See Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 995. {And I be found} (kagw heureqw). Same construction with first aorist passive subjunctive. {Such as ye would not} (hoion ou qelete). Neat change in voice just before and position of the negative here. {Lest by any means} (me pws). Still further negative purpose by repeating the conjunction. With graphic pen pictures Paul describes what had been going on against him during his long absence. {Backbitings} (katalaliai). Late and rare word. In N.T. only here and #1Pe 2:1. If it only existed nowhere else! {Whisperings} (yiqurismoi). Late word from yiqurizw, to whisper into one's ear. An onomatopoetic word for the sibilant murmur of a snake charmer (#Ec 10:11). Only here in N.T. {Swellings} (fusiwseis). From fusiow, to swell up, late word only here and in ecclesiastical writers. Did Paul make up the word for the occasion? See on 1Co 4:6 for verb. {Tumults} (akatastasiai). See on #2Co 6:5.
