As it is written: He that had much, had nothing over; and he that had little, had no want.

“Now this happened in the case of the manna. For both they that gathered more, and they that gathered less, were found to have the same quantity, God in this way punishing insatiableness. And this he said at once both to alarm them by what then happened, and to persuade them never to desire to have more nor to grieve at having less. And this one may see happening now in things of this life not in the manna only. For if we all fill but one belly, and live the same length of time, and clothe one body; neither will the rich gain aught by his abundance nor the poor lose aught by his poverty.”

“Here he leads the Corinthians to give alms by the example of Christ, saying: I wish to prove your good disposition toward giving, namely to the poor, and this you ought to do by the example of Christ. **For**, that is, *because*, **you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ**, which indeed he conferred upon the human race. John 1:17: *grace and truth came through Jesus Christ*, etc. And this is called grace, because whatever of our penalties the Son of God assumed, all of it is to be imputed to grace, since he was neither anticipated by anyone's goodness, nor compelled by anyone's power, nor induced by his own necessity. Now this is grace, since **for our sake he was made needy**. And he says *needy*, which is more than *poor*. For he is called needy who not only has little, but who lacks or is in want; whereas he is poor who has little. Therefore, to signify a greater poverty, it says **he was made needy**, namely in temporal things. Luke 9:58: *the Son of man has not*, etc. Lamentations 3:19: *remember my poverty*, etc. Now he was made needy, not out of necessity, but out of will, for otherwise this grace would no longer be grace. And therefore he says **though he was rich**, namely in spiritual goods. Romans 10:12: *the same God is rich unto all*, etc. Proverbs 8:18: *with me are riches*, etc. But he says *was* [*esset*], not *had been* [*fuisset*], lest Christ should seem to have lost spiritual riches when he assumed poverty. For he assumed this poverty in such a way that he did not lose those inestimable riches. Psalm 48:3: *rich and poor together, as one* — rich in spiritual things, poor in temporal things. Now the reason why he wished to become needy, he adds when he says **that by his want we might become rich**, that is, that by his poverty in temporal things, you might be rich in spiritual things. And this is on account of two things, namely on account of example and on account of sacrament. On account of example indeed, because if Christ loved poverty, we too, by his example, ought to love it. But by loving poverty in temporal things, we are made rich in spiritual things. James 2:5: *did not God choose the poor of this world, rich in faith*, etc. And therefore he says **that by his want**, etc. But on account of the sacrament, because all that Christ did or endured was for our sake. Hence, just as through his enduring death we have been freed from eternal death and restored to life, so through his enduring want in temporal things we have been freed from want in spiritual things, and made rich in spiritual things. 1 Corinthians 1:5: *you have been made rich in him in all knowledge*, etc. Next, when he says **in this I give counsel**, etc., he leads them to give from their own side. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets down their own advantage that arises from this; second he shows that this was also willed by them, namely that they should give alms, at **who not only**, etc. He says therefore: considering this benefit, **I give you counsel**, that is, I exhort you to this, namely to give alms — not only for the benefit of the saints who are in Jerusalem, but also for your own benefit. Proverbs 27:9: *the soul is sweetened by the counsels of a good friend*, etc. And this because **it is useful to you**. For the good of piety is more useful to the one who does it than to the one for whom it is done, because the doer thereby carries away a spiritual benefit, while the recipient carries away a temporal one. And just as the spiritual ought to be preferred to the temporal, so in works of piety the advantage of the giver is preferred to the advantage of the recipient. 1 Timothy 4:8: *piety is profitable to all things*. But this is not only useful to them, but they themselves also willed it, and therefore he says **because not only**, etc. Here he does three things. First he calls to mind the good beginning that was in them; second he exhorts them to the due completion, at **but now also in deed**, etc.; third he explains something he had said, at **for if the will**, etc. He says therefore: truly you ought to give alms gladly, because it is not only useful to you, but you yourselves also began to will this of your own accord, namely to give alms, **from the year before**, that is, when I came to you. Or **from the year before**, that is, the preceding one. As if he were saying: to will is more than to do, according to Ecclesiasticus 18:16: *a word is better than a gift*, etc. And therefore you ought to be ready to give. And because you are ready to give, therefore now **complete in deed** what you had in mind, otherwise that will would be in vain. John 4: *let us not love in word, nor in tongue*, etc. Philippians 1:6: *he who began in you*, etc. And the reason for this is: just as the mind of the will, that is, the discretion of the will — according to the Gloss, is ready — so let the discretion for accomplishing be ready. Or, otherwise, that *mind* be taken for *will*; and then it is said: just as you were ready to will, so be ready to accomplish. And this **from what you have**, that is, according to your means. Next he explains what he means by **from what you have**, saying **for if**, etc., as if he were saying: I say that you ought to be ready to give, and in this I do not intend to burden you — namely, that you should give beyond your means, because perhaps a ready will induces you to this, but in this matter the deed cannot imitate the will. And therefore he says: **from what you have** — *for* here stands for *because* — if the will is ready according to what it has, **it is accepted**. And the reason for this is that the will is accepted in the perfection of the operation; but the work is not perfected except from what one has. And therefore he says **according to what one has, it is accepted**. Tobit 4:9: *if you have much, give abundantly*, etc. Next, when he says **for not that to others**, etc., he removes a certain suspicion. For these might say: if we give alms to the poor saints who are in Jerusalem, they will live idly, and we will suffer loss, and thus we will be made wretched. Therefore the Apostle first excludes this suspicion; second he makes plain his own intention; third he confirms it by authority. He removes the suspicion when he says **for not that to others**, etc., as if he were saying: I do not so counsel you to give alms that there be relief to others, while they live idly on your alms, but tribulation to you, that is, poverty, in that you would be afflicted. But do they sin, those who give everything to others and are themselves afterward afflicted by poverty? And it seems that they do, by these words of the Apostle. I respond: it must be said, according to the Gloss, that it would be better to give everything to the poor and be afflicted for Christ. But what he says here, he did by condescension, because they were weak, and might perhaps fail if they were pressed by want. He makes plain his own intention when he says **but from equality**, etc., as if he were saying: I do not intend your tribulation, but a certain equality, namely that **your abundance**, etc. This can be explained in three ways: first, concerning equality of quantity; second, concerning equality of proportion; third, concerning equality of will. Concerning equality of quantity: because these, namely the Corinthians, abounded in temporal things and were lacking in spiritual things, while the saints who were in Jerusalem abounded in spiritual things and were lacking in temporal things. He wishes, then, that there be an equality of quantity between them, namely that those who abound in temporal things should give half of all to those who lack them, and these should give half of their spiritual things to them, so that thus they might be equally rich. And therefore he rather says this: that from equality of quantity, that is, from half the part of your goods, **in the present time**, which is brief, **your abundance** of earthly things may **supply their want**, who have forsaken all the things of the world, and that their abundance, namely in spiritual things, may be the supplement of your want in spiritual things, that is, that you may be partakers of eternal life. Luke 16:9: *make for yourselves friends*, etc. Ecclesiasticus 14:15f.: *in the division of the lot, give and receive* — give temporal things and receive spiritual things. But concerning equality of proportion, it is explained thus, and better: you, Corinthians, have an abundance of temporal things; the saints who are in Jerusalem, an abundance of spiritual things. I wish, then, a certain equality — not one according to quantity, but according to proportion — namely, that just as they are sustained by your alms, so you may be enriched by their prayers before God. For just as they are not so enriched by your temporal goods as you are rich, so neither are you enriched by their spiritual goods as they are. And therefore he says **but from equality**, etc.: let your aforesaid abundance of earthly things supply their want, namely the saints', in temporal things, so that their abundance also, in spiritual things, etc. 1 Corinthians 9:11: *if we have sown spiritual things for you*, etc. But concerning equality of will, it is explained thus: **but from equality**, etc., that is, I wish that there be in you an equality of will, namely that just as they have the will to share with you those things in which they abound, so you may have the will to share with them those things in which you abound. Next he confirms this by authority. Hence he says **as it is written**, namely Exodus 16: **he who had much** — namely, had gathered of the manna, that is, who had more than a gomor — **did not abound**, that is, did not have beyond his sufficiency; **and he who had little, did not have less**, that is, it did not fail him, because all abounded equally, as is said in Exodus 16. And thus neither did he who had gathered more have more, nor did he who had prepared less find less.”

“But thanks be to God,.... The apostle proceeds to give an account of the persons and their characters, who were employed in making this collection at Corinth for the poor saints, and begins with Titus; and the rather because he had been already concerned in setting afoot that good work among them; and gives thanks to God, which, says he, put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you, by "earnest care" is meant that very great carefulness, solicitude, and diligence, Titus had shown in stirring them up to a liberal contribution; and which was the same that he had expressed in the arguments just now used by him, to engage them in the same service; and this care, as it was a very earnest and hearty one, so he suggests that it was more for them, than for the sake of the poor; the performance of acts of beneficence and liberality tending more to the advantage and account of the giver than of the receiver: and he further intimates, that these good motions in the heart of Titus were not merely natural, or the effects of human power and free will, but were of God, as every good thing is; they were wrought in him by the Spirit of God, and sprung from the grace of God, and therefore the apostle returns thanks to God for the same; and the mention of this could not fail of carrying weight with it, and of having some influence on the minds of the Corinthians.”

“He that had gathered much, had nothing over - On the passage to which the apostle alludes, Exo 16:18, I have stated that, probably, every man gathered as much manna as he could, and when he brought it home and measured it by the omer, (for this was the measure for each man's eating), if he had a surplus it went to the supply of some other family that had not been able to collect enough; the family being large, and the time in which the manna might be gathered, before the heat of the day, not being sufficient to collect a supply for so numerous a household; several of whom might be so confined as not to be able to collect for themselves. Thus there was an equality among the Israelites in reference to this thing; and in this light these words of St. Paul lead us to view the passage. To apply this to the present case: the Corinthians, in the course of God's providence, had gathered more than was absolutely necessary for their own support; by giving the surplus to the persecuted and impoverished Christian Jews these would be an equality; both would then possess the necessaries of life, though still the one might have more property than the other.”

“He that had much, &c. The words were spoken of those who gathered the manna. (Exodus xvi. 18.) Every one was there ordered to gather such a particular measure, called a gomer, and they who for fear of wanting, gathered more, found they had no more than the measure they were ordered to take, and they, who as it happened, took less, still found they had their measure of a gomer. By this example, St. Paul exhorts them to contribute to the relief of their brethren, with confidence in God’s providence, and without fear of wanting themselves. (Witham)”

“(Exo 16:18; Septuagint). As God gave an equal portion of manna to all the Israelites, whether they could gather much or little; so Christians should promote by liberality an equality, so that none should need the necessaries of life while others have superfluities. "Our luxuries should yield to our neighbor's comforts; and our comforts to his necessities" [J. HOWARD].”