Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [2 Corinthians: Chapter 3].
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3:1 {To commend ourselves?} (\heautous sunistanein?\). Late
(_Koin•_) form of \sunist•mi\, to place one with another, to
introduce, to commend. Paul is sensitive over praising himself,
though his enemies compelled him to do it. {Epistles of
commendation} (\sustatik•n epistol•n\). Late verbal adjective
from \sunist•mi\ and often in the papyri and in just this sense.
In the genitive case here after \chr•izomen\. Such letters were
common as seen in the papyri (Deissmann, _Light from the Ancient
East_, p. 226). N.T. examples of commending individuals by
letters occur in Ac 15:25f.; 18:27 (Apollos), 1Co 16:10f.
(Timothy); Ro 16:1 (Phoebe with the verb \sunist•mi\); Col
4:10 (Mark); 2Co 8:22f. (Titus and his companion).
3:2 {Ye are our epistle} (\h• epistol• h•m•n humeis este\). Bold
turn. Paul was writing in their hearts. {Known and read}
(\gin•skomen• kai anagin•skomen•\). Play on the word. Literally
true. Professing Christians are the Bible that men read and know.
3:3 {An epistle of Christ} (\epistol• Christou\). He turns the
metaphor round and round. They are Christ's letter to men as well
as Paul's. {Not with ink} (\ou melani\). Instrumental case of
\melas\, black. Plato uses \to melan\ for ink as here. See also
2Jo 1:12; 3Jo 1:13. {Of stone} (\lithinais\). Composed of stone
(\lithos\ and ending \-inos\). {Of flesh} (\sarkinais\).
"Fleshen" as in 1Co 3:1; Ro 7:14.
3:4 {Through Christ} (\dia tou Christou\). It is not self-conceit
on Paul's part, but through Christ.
3:5 {Of ourselves} (\aph' heaut•n\). Starting from ourselves
(reflexive pronoun). {As from ourselves} (\h•s ex haut•n\). He
says it over again with preposition \ex\ (out of). He has no
originating power for such confidence. {Sufficiency}
(\hikanot•s\). Old word, only here in N.T.
3:6 {Who also made us sufficient for such confidence} (\hos kai
hikan•sen h•mas\). Late causative verb from \hikanos\ (verse 5)
first aorist active indicative, "who (God) rendered us fit." In
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Word Pictures in the New Testament
(2 Corinthians: Chapter 3)