Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the
brethren,
&c.] Titus, and the other two, on whom he did not lay his
commands, or apostolical injunctions, according to the authority
and dignity of his office; only exhorted or besought them, and
which was judged by him very needful and proper at this time:
that they would go before hand unto you;
before him, and the Macedonian brethren that might probably come
with him:
and make up before hand your bounty;
or blessing; for any present sent, or delivered, by one person to
another, as a token of their friendship, favour, and good will,
whether in a necessitous case or not, was by the Jews called
(hkrb) , "a blessing"; see
( Genesis
33:11 ) ( 1 Samuel
25:27 ) and especially what is contributed for the relief of
the poor may be so called, because it is not only a part of the
bounty of Providence, and blessings of life, with which men are
favoured; but is also one way of blessing God for the mercies he
has blessed them with, and likewise of blessing, or doing good to
fellow creatures and Christians. Moreover, because for this the
poor bless their benefactors; and it is a blessing itself to do
good to others. Now the apostle judged it expedient to send the
brethren before hand to complete and finish this good work begun.
Whereof,
says he,
ye had notice before:
in his former epistle, ( 1
Corinthians 16:1 1
Corinthians 16:2 ) or which was promised before by them; or
had been spoken of so much before by him to other churches:
that the same might be ready, as a matter of
bounty,
or blessing,
not as of covetousness;
that is, that the collection being ready made, largely and
liberally, it might appear to be a free generous action, and show
what a noble bountiful disposition they were of; and not
performed as covetous men usually do what they do, sparingly,
tenaciously, keeping their money as long as they can, being loath
to part with it.
