May 28 / II Cor. 6:1-18

II Corinthians 6:1-18

RTB 2020!! I was intrigued today in my NKJV Chronological Bible by their use of three different prepositions (in, by, as) for three sets of nouns:

• in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in calamities, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in sleepless nights, in hunger;
• by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love; by truthful speech, by the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; by honor and dishonor, by slander and praise.
• …as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (vv. 4b-10)

I have copied the verses above from an online ESV translation to preserve the ESV nouns, then changed the prepositions in the ESV translation to the prepositions in the NKJV translations – in, by, and as. You can read along in an ESV translation to see how the prepositions have changed.

What intrigued me was how this NKJV translation separated the nouns. The “in” nouns reflect difficulties in Paul’s experiences. The “by” nouns reflect the graces that he has received as he has been doing his Kingdom work. Finally, the “as” nouns introduce sets of opposite feelings that Paul senses others may attribute to him as he ministers. Using these NKJV prepositions and separating the concepts accordingly allows us to more clearly see Paul’s ministry from his perspective. Yes, intriguing…!

Slava Bohu!