For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears: not that you should be made sorrowful: but that you might know the charity I have more abundantly towards you.

“"For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." What more tenderly affectioned than this man's spirit is? for he showeth himself to have been not less pained than they who had sinned, but even much more. For he saith not "out of affliction" merely, but "out of much," nor "with tears," but "with many tears" and "anguish of heart," that is, I was suffocated, I was choked with despondency; and when I could no longer endure the cloud of despondency, "I wrote unto you: not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love," saith he, "which I have more abundantly unto you." And yet what naturally followed was to say, not that ye might be grieved, but that ye might be corrected: (for indeed with this purpose he wrote.) This however he doth not say, but, (more to sweeten his words, and win them to a greater affection,) he puts this for it, showing that he doth all from love. And he saith not simply "the love," but "which I have more abundantly unto you." For hereby also he desires to win them, by showing that he loveth them more than all and feels towards them as to chosen disciples.”

“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.”

“For out of much affliction and anguish of heart,.... Being greatly pressed in his spirit, and grieved at his heart, for the abominable iniquities among them, which they seemed to take no notice of, and to be unconcerned about, yea, rather to be puffed up with: I wrote to you with many tears; as signs and expressions of, and by which were vented, the inward anguish and distress of his soul; and the letter he sent to them in some measure bore witness to it: which was written, not that you should be grieved; that is, not merely for the sake of grieving of them, in which he took no pleasure; not but that the apostle designed and desired to affect their minds with a holy grief and godly sorrow for sin, and hereby their amendment; but his chief view was, next to their spiritual good, and God's glory, to express the greatness of his love to them: as he says, that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you; as his love was very vehement towards them, he was desirous they should know it, and how exceeding abundant it was; and that it was even greater towards them, than to others; and he thought he could not give a greater proof and evidence of it, than by reproving them faithfully, and that sharply too, as the necessity of the case required.”

“For out of much affliction, etc. - It is very likely that the apostle's enemies had represented him as a harsh, austere, authoritative man; who was better pleased with inflicting wounds than in healing them. But he vindicates himself from this charge by solemnly asserting that this was the most painful part of his office; and that the writing of his first epistle to them cost him much affliction and anguish of heart, and many tears.”

“So far from my change of purpose being due to "lightness" (Co2 1:17), I wrote my letter to you (Co2 2:3) "out of much affliction (Greek, 'trouble') and anguish of heart, and with many tears." not that ye should be grieved--Translate, "be made sorry," to accord with the translation, Co2 2:2. My ultimate and main object was, "not that ye might be made sorry," but that through sorrow you might be led to repentance, and so to joy, redounding both to you and me (Co2 2:2-3). I made you sorry before going to you, that when I went it might not be necessary. He is easily made sorry, who is admonished by a friend himself weeping [BENGEL]. that ye might know the love--of which it is a proof to rebuke sins openly and in season [ESTIUS], (Psa 141:5; Pro 27:6). "Love" is the source from which sincere reproof springs; that the Corinthians might ultimately recognize this as his motive, was the apostle's aim. which I have more abundantly unto you--who have been particularly committed to me by God (Act 18:10; Co1 4:15; Co1 9:2).”