1 Corinthians 4:12

We toil (kopiwmen). Common late verb for weariness in toil ( Luke 5:5 ), working with our own hands (ergazomenoi tai idiai cersin) instrumental case cersin and not simply for himself but also for Aquila and Priscilla as he explains in Acts 20:34 . This personal touch gives colour to the outline. Paul alludes to this fact often ( 1 Thessalonians 2:9 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:8 ; 1 Corinthians 9:6 ; 2 Corinthians 11:7 ). "Greeks despised manual labour; St. Paul glories in it" (Robertson and Plummer). Cf. Deissmann, Light, etc., p. 317. Being reviled we bless (loidoroumenoi eulogoumen). Almost the language of Peter about Jesus ( 1 Peter 2:23 ) in harmony with the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44 ; Luke 6:27 . Being persecuted we endure (diwkomenoi anecomeqa). We hold back and do not retaliate. Turn to Paul's other picture of his experiences in the vivid contrasts in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 ; 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 for an interpretation of his language here.