Benediction Trinity

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Benediction Trinity

2 Corinthians 13:13

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (NRSV)

Here at Bible Bits, we sometimes wish that Paul and the other writers of our New Testament would have inserted a few extra lines, and made a few more editing passes, to make the Gospel message a bit more clear.  One such example of helpful Christian doctrinal clarification might have been that of the Trinity.  A few extra lines of explanatory text might have saved the early church a great deal of angst as it fretted over this matter.  🙂

In any event, here at the end of 2 Corinthians, we do have at least a line from Paul which explicitly mentions all three parties of the Trinity in one breath. This is the only benediction from Paul which does so.

This 2 Corinthians benediction not only mentions the three parts of the Holy Trinity, but also gives translators some head scratching decisions to make on other matters.  We share here the benediction in a few additional translations, and in so-doing, illuminate translator choices regarding inclusion of text and verse numbering:

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with an holy kiss. 13 All the saints salute you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. (KJV)

This was from a public domain version of the King James Version. Next is the crown-authorized Cambridge University Press version of the KJV, published and copyrighted in the United Kingdom. This version of the KJV includes a seemingly parenthetical remark tagged on to verse 14 regarding the location of writing and the claim of authorship by Titus and Lucas. Other releases of the KJV do not include this probable gloss. Here:

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with an holy kiss. 13 All the saints salute you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas. (Cambridge Authorized KJV)

In the following examples, observe how some translators choose to eliminate the numbering of verse 14, and group the content of verses 12 plus 13 into a single numbered verse 12:

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (NIV)

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (ESV)

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (Holman)

11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (NASB)

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice, be restored, be encouraged, be in agreement, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (Lexham)

Our quote at the top of this Bible Bit comes from verse 13 in the New Revised Standard Version. Here  are the remaining lines of the benediction from the NRSV:

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (NRSV)

Blessings to you! And please Read the Actual Bible for Yourself!

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