II Corinthians 2:1-17
For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears… (v. 4a) I wrote about this verse last year in my comments in the first link below. But now that John has encouraged us to read II Corinthians in a different format we have already read through chapters 10 through 13, and it seems reasonable to me (and to a number of Biblical scholars) that Paul’s words above (I wrote to you…) may well refer to chapters 10-13. Having read these four chapters earlier that suggestion follows nicely. By simply reading II Corinthians in order, 1 through 13, most readers would likely not see that connection. It’s only through my Study Bible notes that I have ever seen that connection.
Even though John has guided us into a reorganization of II Corinthians, he advised us to take his reorganization and chronology with “a pretty good sized grain of salt”. And no wonder… The Chronological Study Bible suggests that II Cor 2:14-7:4 could well be part of another letter in that this body of text seems very different from what came earlier and what follows later. Even there, however, an argument could be made for extending that body of text to the end of chapter 7 since chapter 8 begins an entirely different topic. Like I said a few days ago, probably many dissertations have been written about this epistle!
See also: May 22 / II Cor. 2:1-11; May 23 / II Cor. 2:12-3:6