2 Corinthians 12:21

American Standard Version (1901)

lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Μὴ, πάλιν ἐλθόντα, με ταπεινώσει ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων, καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν.

Transliteration

Mē, again having elthonta, me tapeinōsei the Theos of me before you, and I penthēsō many of the proēmartēkotōn, and not having metanoēsantōn over the akatharsia and porneia and aselgeia which they epraxan.

Grammar Details

• *Mē*: negative particle - lest/not
• *elthonta*: aorist participle, active, accusative, masculine, singular - having come
• *tapeinōsei*: future indicative, active, 3rd singular - will humble
• *Theos*: nominative, masculine, singular - God
• *penthēsō*: future indicative, active, 1st singular - I will mourn/lament
• *proēmartēkotōn*: perfect participle, active, genitive, masculine, plural - having sinned before
• *metanoēsantōn*: aorist participle, active, genitive, masculine, plural - having repented
• *akatharsia*: dative, feminine, singular - uncleanness/impurity
• *porneia*: dative, feminine, singular - sexual immorality/fornication
• *aselgeia*: dative, feminine, singular - sensuality/licentiousness
• *epraxan*: aorist indicative, active, 3rd plural - they did/practiced

Word Meanings

• *tapeinōsei*: will humble/will bring low/will make ashamed
• *penthēsō*: I will mourn/I will lament/I will grieve
• *proēmartēkotōn*: having sinned before/having previously sinned
• *metanoēsantōn*: having repented/having changed their mind
• *akatharsia*: uncleanness/impurity/filthiness
• *porneia*: sexual immorality/fornication/prostitution
• *aselgeia*: sensuality/licentiousness/debauchery
• *epraxan*: they did/they practiced/they committed

Referenced Verses

• 2 Cor 13:2 : 2 I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, to them that have sinned heretofore, and to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare;
• Gal 5:19 : 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these] : fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
• Col 3:5 : 5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
• 1 Cor 5:1 : 1 It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one [of you] hath his father's wife.
• 1 Cor 5:9-9 : 9 I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators; 10 not at all [meaning] with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: 11 but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.
• 1 Cor 6:15-18 : 15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid. 16 Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
• 2 Cor 2:1-9 : 1 But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is [the joy] of you all. 4 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 that I have more abundantly unto you. 5 But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all. 6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was [inflicted] by the many; 7 so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you to confirm [your] love toward him. 9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. 10 But to whom ye forgive anything, I [forgive] also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes [have I forgiven it] in the presence of Christ; 11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
• 2 Cor 7:9-9 : 9 I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, [a repentance] which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.
• 2 Cor 8:24 : 24 Show ye therefore unto them in the face of the churches the proof of your love, and of our glorying on your behalf.
• 2 Cor 9:3-4 : 3 But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared: 4 lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.
• 2 Cor 10:6 : 6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.
• 2 Cor 12:7 : 7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
• Exod 32:31 : 31 And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
• Deut 9:15 : 15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount was burning with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
• Deut 9:25 : 25 So I fell down before Jehovah the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because Jehovah had said he would destroy you.
• 1 Sam 15:35 : 35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Jehovah repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
• Ezra 9:3 : 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.
• Ezra 10:1 : 1 Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore.
• Ps 119:136 : 136 Streams of water run down mine eyes, Because they observe not thy law.
• Jer 9:1 : 1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
• Jer 13:17 : 17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for [your] pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is taken captive.
• Luke 9:41-42 : 41 And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and bear with you? bring hither thy son. 42 And as he was yet a coming, the demon dashed him down, and tare [him] grievously. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
• Rom 9:2 : 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.
• Rom 13:13 : 13 Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy.
• 1 Thess 4:3-7 : 3 For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; 6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
• Heb 13:4 : 4 [ Let] marriage [be] had in honor among all, and [let] the bed [be] undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
• 1 Pet 4:2-3 : 2 that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries:
• 2 Pet 2:10-14 : 10 but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; 14 having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing;
• 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
• Jude 1:7 : 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
• Jude 1:23 : 23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
• Rev 21:8 : 8 But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
• Rev 22:15 : 15 Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.
• Rev 22:20 : 20 He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
• Eph 5:5-6 : 5 For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.
• Phil 3:18-19 : 18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.