2 Corinthians 9:11

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Being enriched in every thing.—The context points primarily to temporal abundance, but we can scarcely think that the other thought of the spiritual riches that are found in Christ (2Corinthians 8:9) was absent from the Apostle’s mind. On the word for “bountifulness” see Note on 2Corinthians 8:2. The participles are not grammatically connected with the preceding sentence, but the meaning is sufficiently obvious.

Which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.—His thoughts are obviously travelling on to the time of his arrival at Jerusalem, to the announcement of the collected gifts of the Gentile churches at a solemn gathering of the Church there, to the thanksgiving which would then be offered.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:6-15 Money bestowed in charity, may to the carnal mind seem thrown away, but when given from proper principles, it is seed sown, from which a valuable increase may be expected. It should be given carefully. Works of charity, like other good works, should be done with thought and design. Due thought, as to our circumstances, and those we are about to relieve, will direct our gifts for charitable uses. Help should be given freely, be it more or less; not grudgingly, but cheerfully. While some scatter, and yet increase; others withhold more than is meet, and it tends to poverty. If we had more faith and love, we should waste less on ourselves, and sow more in hope of a plentiful increase. Can a man lose by doing that with which God is pleased? He is able to make all grace abound towards us, and to abound in us; to give a large increase of spiritual and of temporal good things. He can make us to have enough in all things; and to be content with what we have. God gives not only enough for ourselves, but that also wherewith we may supply the wants of others, and this should be as seed to be sown. We must show the reality of our subjection to the gospel, by works of charity. This will be for the credit of our profession, and to the praise and glory of God. Let us endeavour to copy the example of Christ, being unwearied in doing good, and deeming it more blessed to give than to receive. Blessed be God for the unspeakable gift of his grace, whereby he enables and inclines some of his people to bestow upon others, and others to be grateful for it; and blessed be his glorious name to all eternity, for Jesus Christ, that inestimable gift of his love, through whom this and every other good thing, pertaining to life and godliness, are freely given unto us, beyond all expression, measure, or bounds.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Being enriched in everything ... - In all respects your riches are conferred on you for this purpose. The design of the apostle is to state to them the true reason why wealth was bestowed. It was not for the purposes of luxury and self-gratification; not to be spent in sensual enjoyment, not for parade and display; it was that it might be distributed to others in such a way as to cause thanksgiving to God. At the same time, this implies the expression of an earnest wish on the part of Paul. He did not desire that they should be rich for their own gratification or pleasure; he desired it only as the means of their doing good to others. Right feeling will desire property only as the means of promoting happiness and producing thanksgiving to God. They who truly love their children and friends will wish them to be successful in acquiring wealth only that they may have the means and the disposition to alleviate misery, and promote the happiness of all around them. No one who has true benevolence will desire that anyone in whom he feels an interest should be enriched for the purpose of living amidst luxury, and encompassing himself with the indulgences which wealth can furnish. If a man has not a disposition to do good with money, it is not true benevolence to desire that he may not possess it.

To all bountifulness - Margin, Simplicity, or liberality. The word (ἁπλότης haplotēs) means properly sincerity, candor, probity; then also simplicity, frankness, fidelity, and especially as manifesting itself in liberality; see Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 8:2. Here it evidently means "liberality," and the idea is, that property is given for this purpose, in order that there may be liberality evinced in doing good to others.

Which causeth through us ... - That is, we shall so distribute your alms as to cause thanksgiving to God. The result will be that by our instrumentality, thanks will be given to the great Source and Giver of all wealth. Property should always be so employed as to produce thanksgiving. If it is made to contribute to our own support and the support of our families, it should excite thanksgiving. If it is given to others, it should be so given, if it is possible, that the recipient should be more grateful to God than to us; should feel that though we may be the honored instrument in distributing it, yet the true benefactor is God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. Compare 2Co 9:8.

bountifulness—Greek, "single-minded liberality." Translated "simplicity," Ro 12:8.

causeth through us—literally, "worketh through us"; that is, through our instrumentality as the distributors.

thanksgiving—on the part of the recipients.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The word here translated bountifulness, signifies simplicity, in opposition to deceit and fraud. We had it before, 2 Corinthians 8:2; so Romans 12:8: so, Jam 1:5, God is said to give aplwv, simply (we translate it liberally). We have in these two chapters met with three words, by which the bounty of Christians to persons in distress is expressed; grace, blessing, simplicity, cariv, eulogia, aplothv. The first lets us know the true root of all accceptable giving to those who are in distress, that must be free love: the second expresseth the true end, blessing God and our neighbour; serving the glory and commands of God, and the necessities of our brethren: this third expresseth the manner how we must give, that is, with simplicity. It is no true liberality where simplicity is wanting, that a man doth not what he doth with a plain heart and design to obey God and do good to his brother.

Which causeth through us thanksgiving to God; as a further argument to press them to this liberality, he tells them, that it would cause them that were the apostles and ministers of Christ, to offer thanksgiving unto God.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness,.... These words may be connected with 2 Corinthians 9:8 being included in a parenthesis; and the sense is, that God was not only able to give them a sufficiency, and would give them a sufficiency of temporal things, as food and raiment to their satisfaction, and contentment for themselves, but a fulness, an exuberancy, an overplus also; not for luxury and intemperance, but that having such an affluence in all the good things of life, they might at all times, and upon every occasion, exercise a bountiful disposition in relieving the poor:

which causeth through us thanksgiving to God; not their riches and fulness, but their liberal distribution of them to the poor saints, to which they were stirred up by the apostles; who were thankful to God who had so well succeeded their exhortations and advice, and which was the cause of thanksgivings in others: and since therefore such beneficence tended to the glory of God, as giving of thanks makes for his glory, this then ought to be attended to, and diligently performed; and so it furnishes out a new argument to this good work, which is enlarged upon in the following verses.

Geneva Study Bible

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

2 Corinthians 9:11. The manner in which they will experience in themselves the αὐξήσει τὰ γεννήματα τ. δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν just promised.

The participle is neither to be supplemented by ἐστέ or ἔσεσθε (Grotius, Rosenmüller, Flatt), nor to be attached to 2 Corinthians 9:8, so that 2 Corinthians 9:9-10 would be a parenthesis (Valla, Cornelius a Lapide, Knatchbull, Homberg, Wolf, Bengel, Schulz), which is forbidden by the portion of the discourse beginning afresh at 2 Corinthians 9:10; but it is anacoluthic, namely, in such a way that it is attached to the mentally supplied logical subject of what is promised in 2 Corinthians 9:10 (ὑμεῖς), and indeed of this whole promise, not merely of the portion of it contained in πληθυνεῖ τ. σπόρον ὑμῶν (Hofmann): inasmuch as you become enriched. Comp. on 2 Corinthians 1:7. The becoming rich in everything is, according to the connection (see 2 Corinthians 9:10), an earthly enrichment, not, however, in and for itself, but with the telic ethical reference: εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότητα, whereby Rückert’s objection disappears, that it would be unsuitable for the apostle to promise to his readers riches. Rückert understands it of a spiritual enrichment (2 Corinthians 8:7), and therefore attaches πλουτιζ. only to τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν. This is as arbitrary as Hofmann’s interpretation of an internal enrichment, which makes the sowing abundant, so that they with small means are able to give more liberally than otherwise with large, if their growth on all sides in the Christian life ultimately issues in an increase of entire simplicity and self-devotion. Without arbitrary restriction and separation, ἐν παντὶ πλουτ. εἰς πᾶσ. ἁπλ. can only be a modal definition of the whole promise χορηγήσει on to δικαιοσ. ὑμῶν.

εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότ.] ἁπλότης does not mean even here (comp. on 2 Corinthians 8:2) bountifulness, but singleness, simplicity of heart; and εἰς expresses not the consequence of ἐν π. πλουτιζ., but the aim: for every simplicity, i.e. in order to bring it into exercise, to give it satisfaction (through the corresponding exercise of beneficence). The emphasis rests, as formerly on ἐν παντί, so here on πᾶσαν, whereby attention is directed to the present work of collection and every one that might be set on foot in future by Paul (ἥτις κατεργ. διʼ ἡμῶν κ.τ.λ.).

ἥτις κατεργάζεται κ.τ.λ.] quippe quae, etc. With this the discourse makes the transition to set forth the religious side of this blessing of the collecting work, 2 Corinthians 9:12 ff.

διʼ ἡμῶν] through our means, in so far as the work of the ἁπλότης, the collection, διακονεῖται ὑφʼ ἡμῶν, 2 Corinthians 8:19-20, and the apostle, for himself and his companions, feels so much that is elevating in this service of love, that he cannot let pass unmentioned.

The thanksgivers are the receivers of the gifts of the ἑπλότης. The paraphrase of Grotius: “quae causa est, cur nos gratias Deo agamus,” is incorrect (on account of διά, and of 2 Corinthians 9:12-13).

τῷ θεῷ] might belong to κατεργάζεται, but is better, because in uniformity with 2 Corinthians 9:12, joined to εὐχαριστίαν as an appropriating dative (Bernhardy, p. 88), which is quite warranted in keeping with the construction εὐχαριστεῖν τινι (comp. Stallb. ad Plat. Euthyphr. p. 13 D, Apol. S. p. 30 A).

Expositor's Greek Testament

2 Corinthians 9:11. He now resumes the general subject of 2 Corinthians 9:8, ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοι here being in apposition with ἐν παντὶ … ἔχοντες there; there is thus no necessity to treat πλουτιζ. as a nom. pendens.—ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοι κ.τ.λ.: ye being enriched in everything unto all, i.e., all kinds of, liberality, which worketh through us (he goes on in the next verse to explain how this is) thanksgiving unto God; cf. 2 Corinthians 1:11, 2 Corinthians 4:15.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. bountifulness] (symplenesse, Wiclif; syngleness, Tyndale). The Greek word here is the same as in ch. 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2 Corinthians 8:2, where see notes. The word ‘bountifulness’ was first introduced by our translators, who however have liberality in the margin.

which] i.e. the ‘bountifulness’ or ‘singlemindness’ just spoken of.

causeth through us thanksgiving] i.e. your singleness of heart, your absence of all secondary and selfish motives, provides us with the means of alleviating the distresses of others, and thus elicits from them thanks to God out of the fulness of a grateful heart.

Bengel's Gnomen

2 Corinthians 9:11. Πλουτιζόμενοι, being enriched) This depends on, that ye may abound, 2 Corinthians 9:8. The present here is used to imply; having more than a sufficiency [2 Corinthians 9:8].

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - To all bountifulness; rather, to all simplicity, or "singleness of heart" (2 Corinthians 8:2). Through us. We are the agents in collecting and distributing your gifts (2 Corinthians 8:19, 20). Thanksgiving to God. From the recipients of your single-hearted generosity. 2 Corinthians 9:11

Vincent's Word Studies

Liberality (ἁπλοτήτα)

Better singleness or simplicity of heart. See on Romans 12:8.