SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:5
Por tanto, tuve por cosa necesaria exhortar a los hermanos que fuesen primero a vosotros, y apresten primero vuestra bendicin antes prometida para que est aparejada como de bendicin, y no como de mezquindad.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 9:5
Verse 5. Whereof ye had notice before] Instead of prokathggelmenhn, spoken of before, BCDEFG, several others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fathers, have proephggelmenhn, 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 pleonexia, covetousness, as if it were here to be understood as implying a small gift.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren , etc..] 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 hkrb , a blessing; (see Genesis 33:11) ( 1 Samuel 25:27) 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 16:1,2) 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - When we would have others do good, we must act toward them prudentl and tenderly, and give them time. Christians should consider what is for the credit of their profession, and endeavour to adorn the doctrin of God their Saviour in all things. The duty of ministering to the saints is so plain, that there would seem no need to exhort Christian to it; yet self-love contends so powerfully against the love of Christ that it is often necessary to stir up their minds by way of remembrance.
Greek Textus Receptus
αναγκαιον 316 A-ASN ουν 3767 CONJ ηγησαμην 2233 5662 V-ADI-1S παρακαλεσαι 3870 5658 V-AAN τους 3588 T-APM αδελφους 80 N-APM ινα 2443 CONJ προελθωσιν 4281 5632 V-2AAS-3P εις 1519 PREP υμας 5209 P-2AP και 2532 CONJ προκαταρτισωσιν 4294 5661 V-AAS-3P την 3588 T-ASF προκατηγγελμενην 4293 5772 V-RPP-ASF ευλογιαν 2129 N-ASF υμων 5216 P-2GP ταυτην 3778 D-ASF ετοιμην 2092 A-ASF ειναι 1511 5750 V-PXN ουτως 3779 ADV ως 5613 ADV ευλογιαν 2129 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ μη 3361 PRT-N ωσπερ 5618 ADV πλεονεξιαν 4124 N-ASF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Go before. Notice the thrice repeated before, emphasizing the injunction to have everything ready before Paul's arrival.Make up beforehand (prokatartiswsin). Adjust. See on Matthew iv. 21; xxi. 16; Luke vi. 40; 1 Pet. v. 10.
Bounty (eulogian). Lit., blessing. In this sense only here in the New Testament. In the Septuagint indifferently of gift or blessing. See Genesis xxxiii. 11; Judg. i. 15; Ezek. xxxiv. 26. In Prov. xi. 25, liberal soul is rendered by Sept., eujlogoumenh blessed.
Whereof ye had notice before (proephggelhmenhn). Rev., better, your afore-promised bounty. The bounty promised by you, or by me on your behalf.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
9:5 {I thought} (hegesamen). Epistolary aorist again. See #Php 2:25 for the expression here. {Go before} (proelqwsin). Second aorist active of proercomai. Go to you before I come. {Make up beforehand} (prokatartiswsi). Late and rare double compound verb prokatartizw (in Hippocrates). Only here in N.T. See katartizw in #1Co 1:10. {Your afore-promised bounty} (ten proepeggelmenen eulogian humwn). "Blessing" (eulogia) literally, but applied to good deeds also as well as good words (#Ge 33:11). Note third use of "pro" before. He literally rubs it in that the pledge was overdue. {That the same might be ready} (tauten hetoimen einai). Here the infinitive alone (einai) is used to express purpose without hwste or eis to or pros to with the accusative of general reference (tauten). The feminine form hetoimen is regular (#1Pe 1:5) though hetoimos also occurs with the feminine like the masculine (#Mt 25:10). {And not of extortion} (kai me hws pleonexian). "And not as covetousness." Some offerings exhibit covetousness on the part of the giver by their very niggardliness.
