And when I come
To Corinth, as he intended very quickly:
whomsoever you shall approve by your letters;
that is, such persons as this church should approve, and choose,
and fix upon as proper persons to go with their collection; which
approbation and choice they would signify by letters to the
church, and principal men of it in Jerusalem, giving them a
character as men of probity and faithfulness:
them will I send.
The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions join the phrase, "by
letters", to this clause; according to which reading the sense
is, such as the church should choose for this service, the
apostle would send with letters of commendation from him, to the
elders and church at Jerusalem, recommending them as brethren in
the Lord, and to be had in respect, and treated in a Christian
manner by them; to which their being messengers from such a
church, and having letters from so great an apostle; besides, the
business they should come about would entitle them to, which was
to bring your liberality,
or "grace",
unto Jerusalem;
meaning the money collected for the poor saints there; which he
calls grace, because it was owing to the goodness of God, that
they were in a capacity to contribute to others, and to the grace
of God that they had a heart to do it; and because it was in a
free and gracious manner, and in the exercise of grace, of faith
in Christ, and love to the saints, that they did it, and with a
view to the glory of the grace of God, of which this was a fruit
and evidence.
