2 Corinthians 2:6

Study note

Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church concerning a specific individual who caused grief, framing the instruction at the precise moment the community must evaluate whether disciplinary action has reached its intended limit.

The words — The Greek ἐπιτιμὶα (epitimia) denotes a formal punishment or censure, while ἱκανόν (hikanon) literally means sufficient or adequate.

The thread — The text connects to 1 Corinthians 5:4, where Paul describes corporate assembly for discipline, 1 Timothy 5:20, which mandates public rebuke for persistent sin, and 2 Corinthians 7:11, which lists the results of godly sorrow.

Why it lands — The passage states that the collective penalty already applied is enough, requiring the reader to halt further punishment and prepare to extend forgiveness rather than compounding the offender's sorrow.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.