But I determined this with myself, not to come to you again in sorrow.

“"But I determined for myself that I would not come again to you with sorrow." The expression "again" proves that he had already been made sorry from thence, and whilst he seems to be speaking in his own defence he covertly rebukes them. Now if they had both already made him sorry and were about again to make him sorry, consider how great the displeasure was likely to be. But he saith not thus, "Ye made me sorry," but turns the expression differently yet implying the very same thing thus, "For this cause I came not that I might not make you sorry:" which has the same force as what I said, but is more palatable.”

“Aquinas began above with his general excuse concerning the delay in going to the Corinthians; here he intimates the cause of so great a delay, and how he spared them. And concerning this he does two things. First he intimates one cause of the delay to have been lest by his arrival he should bring them sorrow; second he shows another cause to have been lest the fruit which he hoped for among others, and had begun to produce, should be hindered, there when I had come, etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows the cause of the delay to be in general, lest he should bring sorrow; second he speaks specially of a certain one who had grieved him, there but if any one has grieved me. Concerning the first he does three things. First he assigns the reason why he put off coming; second he assigns the cause of what was said, for if I have grieved, etc.; third he makes clear what he has said, there for out of much tribulation. He says therefore: I said that I did not come to you, sparing you, in this namely, that I did not wish you to be made sorrowful, therefore I determined, that is, I firmly resolved, this very thing with myself, which I proposed, when I sent the other epistle, Ecclus. 37:20: before all things a true word, etc. Lest again, that is, another time, in sorrow I should come to you, that is, that I should make you sorrowful. And the reason why he did not wish to make them sorrowful is that same reason by which the Lord did not wish his disciples to fast, namely to this end, that they might be moved to Christ by love and not by fear, and be joined to him. For the Lord wished them to be strengthened and nourished in faith, in all sweetness and desire of heart, and thus, being strengthened by love, they would not easily be torn away on account of tribulations, because many waters could not quench charity, Cant. 8:7. Likewise the Apostle does not wish to make them sorrowful for this reason. The reason for this saying, namely that he does not wish to make them sorrowful, he assigns when he says for if I grieve, etc. And concerning this he does two things. First he assigns the cause why he did not wish to make them sorrowful; second he makes clear why he signifies this to them, there and this very thing I wrote. He says therefore: the reason why I did not wish to come in sorrow is that your sorrow redounds into my sorrow, and I rejoice at your consolation, and you alone console me, when I am among you; hence, if I should come and make you sorrowful, I would be made sorrowful from your sorrow, and thus there would be no one to give me joy among you, who are made sorrowful by me, because one who is made sorrowful does not easily console another. Prov. 10:1: a wise son, etc. Prov. 29:3: a man who loves wisdom, etc. Or otherwise: there is a twofold sorrow. One according to the world; the other according to God, which works repentance unto salvation. The Apostle is not speaking of the first, but of the second. And he says: from this very thing I will be consoled, if I make you sorrowful, that is, if by rebuking I lead you back to repentance; but if I should come and see you not repenting of your sins, then I would have no consolation, because no one is made sorrowful and repents on account of me, that is, my correction and rebuke. But the reason why I write this to you is that you may so dispose yourselves that, when I come, I may not have sorrow over the fact that I have seen you uncorrected, added to the sorrow which I had when I heard that you had sinned. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets down the admonition; second he shows the hope of the fulfillment of the admonition, there trusting in all of you, etc. The admonition is this: therefore I wrote this to you, namely that I am made sorrowful over the sin committed by you, II Peter 2:8: with iniquitous works they tormented the just soul, etc., so that you may prepare and dispose yourselves by correcting, so that when I come to you, I may not have sorrow over the sins, concerning which, namely you, I ought to have rejoiced, that is, I ought to have been glad and to have congratulated, namely over your presence. Luke 15:10: there is joy to the angels of God, etc. But what hope he has concerning the fulfillment of his admonition, he adds, saying trusting concerning all of you, etc.; as if he were to say: I have this confidence concerning you, that you so dispose yourselves, that when I come, all of you may give me matter for joy. And this you ought to do gladly, because my joy, etc., that is, redounds to your joy, or is for the sake of your joy, which you have from the recovery of grace. I Tim. 2: which is my joy, etc. Rom. 12:15: to rejoice with those who rejoice, etc. But because someone might doubt about this, that he says lest, when I come, I should have sorrow upon sorrow, and might ask what sorrow he had concerning them, therefore he consequently explains this, saying for out of much tribulation, etc. And concerning this he does two things. First he makes clear the sorrow already had for some time; second he answers a certain tacit question, there not that you should be made sorrowful, etc. He says therefore first: because I would have sorrow, if I did not find you corrected, added to the sorrow which I had when you sinned, and I had to make you sorrowful by rebuking harshly. For out of much tribulation and anguish of heart I wrote the first epistle, through many tears, which I shed for you already dead through sin. Jer. 9:1: who will give to my head waters, etc. Ecclus. 22:3: it is a confusion to a father concerning an undisciplined son. Isa. 57:1: the just man perishes, and there is no one who considers, etc. But it must be known that he sets down two things for the aggravation of sorrow, namely tribulation and anguish, because the one added to the other aggravates the sorrow. For sometimes one is troubled, but without anguish, namely when by some adversity one is pricked as if by a very sharp thorn, and yet sees ways of escape open to him; but if none should be open, anguish is joined to the tribulation. He says therefore out of much tribulation, by which I was pricked in fact and over your evil, and anguish of heart, because I did not see whence a remedy could easily be applied, I wrote, etc. Ps. 118:143: tribulation and anguish have found me. But because they might say: O Apostle, do you even write these things to us that we may be made sorrowful, and therefore he removes this, saying not that you should be made sorrowful, namely I write those things to you, but that you may know what charity I have toward you. For there are two signs of love, namely that one rejoices at the good of another, and is made sorrowful at his evil, and I have these toward you. Below 5:14: the charity of Christ urges us. More abundantly, than you would believe, or more abundantly than toward others.”

“In these verses, 1. The apostle proceeds in giving an account of the reason why he did not come to Corinth, as was expected; namely, because he was unwilling to grieve them, or be grieved by them, Co2 2:1, Co2 2:2. He had determined not to come to them in heaviness, which yet he would have done had he come and found scandal among them not duly animadverted upon: this would have been cause of grief both to him and them, for their sorrow or joy at meeting would have been mutual. If he had made them sorry, that would have been a sorrow to himself, for there would have been none to have made him glad. But his desire was to have a cheerful meeting with them, and not to have it embittered by any unhappy occasion of disagreeing. 2. He tells them it was to the same intent that he wrote his former epistle, Co2 2:3, Co2 2:4. (1) That he might not have sorrow from those of whom he ought to rejoice; and that he had written to them in confidence of their doing what was requisite, in order to their benefit and his comfort. The particular thing referred to, as appears by the following verses, was the case of the incestuous person about whom he had written in the first epistle, ch. 5. Nor was the apostle disappointed in his expectation. (2.) He assures them that he did not design to grieve them, but to testify his love to them, and that he wrote to them with much anguish and affliction in his own heart, and with great affection to them. He had written with tears, that they might know his abundant love to them. Note, [1.] Even in reproofs, admonitions, and acts of discipline, faithful ministers show their love. [2.] Needful censures, and the exercise of church-discipline towards offenders, are a grief to tender-spirited ministers, and are administered with regret.”

“But I determined with myself,.... The apostle having removed the charge of levity and inconstancy brought against him, goes on to excuse his delay in coming to them, and to soften the severity, which some thought too much, he had used in his former epistle: he determined with himself, he took up a resolution within his own breast some time ago, says he, that I would not come again to you in heaviness; that he would not come with sorrow and heaviness, bewailing their sins not repented of, and by sharp reproofs and censures, which in such a case would be necessary, be the cause of grief and trouble to them; wherefore he determined to wait their repentance and amendment before he came again. The word "again", may be connected with the phrase "in heaviness"; and the sense be, that in his former epistle, which was a sort of coming to them, he made them heavy and sorry, by sharply rebuking them for some disorders that were among them; and since it has been a settled point with him, that he would not come in heaviness again: or with the word "come"; and then the meaning is, as his first coming among them was to the joy of their souls, so it was a determined case with him, that his second coming should not be with grief, either to them or himself, or both; and this is the true reason why he had deferred it so long.”

“St. Paul continues to justify his not coming to them as he promised. He told them that he did not wish to domineer over their faith, but that his whole design was to contribute to their joy, and that he did not wish to visit them as long as any thing remained worthy of correction, lest his presence should only increase their sorrow. And if in his former epistle he made use of strong expressions, it was not through any design to make them sad, but merely to correct them, by which he manifested his great charity for them. (Calmet)”