And when I was present with you, and wanted
Whilst he was among them, preaching the Gospel to them, he wanted
the common necessaries of life: and yet, says he,
I was chargeable to no man,
or "benumbed no man"; a metaphor, as some think, taken from the
torpedo, or cramp fish; which is of such a cold and benumbing
nature, as that, when even at the hook, it will strike the
fisherman with its cold, and so benumb him as to take away his
feeling, and the use of his limbs: now the apostle's meaning is,
that he did not chill and benumb any man's charity, by asking
relief from him, for he importuned no man on this account; nor
was he benumbed himself, to the detriment of any man; for though
he was reduced to great straits, he was not slothful and sluggish
in preaching the Gospel, but pursued it with as much diligence
and industry as if he had been supported by it in the most
handsome manner; nor did he act the part of an idle drone, sit
still and starve, but laboured with his own hands, to the relief
of himself and others; and whereas it could not be thought he
should be able to provide this way thoroughly, both for himself
and these that were with him, it was made up by other hands:
for that which was lacking to me;
which he could not make up by his own hand labour and industry:
the brethren which came from Macedonia
supplied;
meaning either Silas and Timotheus, who came to him from
Macedonia, whilst he was at Corinth, working at his trade with
Aquila and Priscilla, ( Acts 18:5 ) who might
bring him a supply out of these parts; or else some that belonged
to the churches of Macedonia, particularly the Philippians, who
frequently communicated to him, and sent him presents by some or
other of the brethren, as by Epaphroditus, ( Philippians
4:15 Philippians
4:16 Philippians
4:18 ) .
And in all things,
adds he,
I have kept myself from being burdensome unto
you;
he worked hard, lived sparingly, and received from others; that
as in respect to his maintenance, so in everything else he might
live without being a dead weight upon them, or any ways
troublesome to them: not that a minister's maintenance is, or
ought to be reckoned a burden upon a people; it is but a due
debt, and what is their just right; but because it is accounted
so by carnal men, and such as are disaffected to the Gospel, and
the ministry of it, therefore the apostle uses such language:
and so will I keep myself;
time is, for the future; he having taken up a resolution in
himself not to be chargeable and troublesome to them, but to
provide for himself some other way. This he adds, lest they
should think that he had said what lie did to stir them up to a
discharge of their duty, in contributing towards his support for
time to come.
