2 Corinthians 12:21

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

I fear that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will grieve over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality they have practiced.

📖 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

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall mourn for many who have sinned already and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  lest again when I come {G3825} 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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  I feare lest when I come agayne God brynge me lowe amoge you and I be constrayned to bewayle many of the which have synned all redy and have not repented of the vnclennes fornicacion and wantanes which they haue committed.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  lest whan I come agayne, God bringe me lowe amoge you & lest I be constrayned to bewayle many of the yt haue synned before, & haue not repented ouer ye vnclennesse and whordome, and wantonnes, which they haue comytted.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  I feare least when I come againe, my God abase me among you, and I shall bewaile many of them which haue sinned already, and haue not repented of the vncleannesse, and fornication, and wantonnesse which they haue committed.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And that when I come agayne, my God bryng me lowe among you, and I shall bewayle many of the which haue sinned alredy, and haue not repented of the vncleannesse, and fornication, and wantonnes, which they haue comitted.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  [And] lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and [that] I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lustfulness which they committed.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  lest again having come, my God may humble me in regard to you, and I may bewail many of those having sinned before, and not having reformed concerning the uncleanness, and whoredom, and lasciviousness, that they did practise.

• 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.

• 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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

• World English Bible (2000)

  that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lustfulness which they committed.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  I am afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.

Referenced Verses

• 2 Cor 13:2 : 2 I have said before, and I am saying again now as though present, even though I am absent, to those who have sinned previously and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not spare anyone.
• Gal 5:19 : 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery,
• Col 3:5 : 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
• 1 Cor 5:1 : 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and a kind of immorality that is not even found among the Gentiles—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife.
• 1 Cor 5:9-9 : 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 I did not at all mean the sexually immoral people of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler. With such a person, do not even eat.
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 Don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
• 1 Cor 6:15-18 : 15 Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every sin a person commits is outside the body, but the one who sins sexually sins against their own body.
• 2 Cor 2:1-9 : 1 I decided this for myself: that I would not come to you again in sorrow. 2 For if I grieve you, who then will make me glad but the one who is grieved by me? 3 I wrote this very thing to you so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to bring me joy. I have confidence in all of you, that my joy is your joy. 4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the love I have for you more abundantly. 5 Now if anyone has caused sorrow, they have not grieved me alone but to some degree—not to overburden you—they have grieved all of you. 6 The punishment imposed by the majority is sufficient for such a person. 7 Instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this reason, I also wrote to you, to test you and see if you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it has been for your benefit in the presence of Christ. 11 So that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
• 2 Cor 7:9-9 : 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God intended, so that you would not suffer any loss from us. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow produces death. 11 See what earnestness this godly sorrow has produced in you! What eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what readiness to see justice done! At every point you have proved yourselves to be pure in this matter.
• 2 Cor 8:24 : 24 Therefore, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
• 2 Cor 9:3-4 : 3 But I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter might not be empty, so that you may be ready, just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we would be ashamed—not to mention you—in this confidence of boasting.
• 2 Cor 10:6 : 6 And we are ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
• 2 Cor 12:7 : 7 And because of the extraordinary revelations, so that I might not become conceited, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me, so that I would not become conceited.
• Exod 32:31 : 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, this people have committed a great sin; they have made themselves gods of gold.
• Deut 9:15 : 15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it was ablaze with fire, with the two tablets of the covenant in my hands.
• Deut 9:25 : 25 So I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, just as I had done before, because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
• 1 Sam 15:35 : 35 Samuel never saw Saul again until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
• Ezra 9:3 : 3 When I heard this, I tore my garment and my robe, pulled out some of the hair from my head and beard, and sat down appalled.
• Ezra 10:1 : 1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping, and falling facedown in front of the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, because the people were weeping bitterly.
• Ps 119:136 : 136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes because people do not keep Your law.
• Jer 9:1 : 1 If only I had a place to stay in the wilderness, a travelers' shelter, so that I might leave my people and go away from them. For they are all adulterers, a gathering of traitors.
• Jer 13:17 : 17 But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will weep bitterly and overflow with tears, for the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
• Luke 9:41-42 : 41 Jesus answered, 'You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.' 42 Even as the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
• Rom 9:2 : 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
• Rom 13:13 : 13 Let us walk properly, as in the daytime, not in revelries and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
• 1 Thess 4:3-7 : 3 For this is God’s will: your sanctification—that you abstain from sexual immorality. 4 That each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. 6 And that no one transgresses or defrauds their brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these things, as we have forewarned and solemnly testified to you. 7 For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness.
• Heb 13:4 : 4 Marriage is to be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
• 1 Pet 4:2-3 : 2 As a result, you should no longer live the rest of your earthly life for human desires but instead for the will of God. 3 For you have already spent enough time in the past doing what the Gentiles choose to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
• 2 Pet 2:10-14 : 10 especially those who follow the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. They are bold and arrogant, and they are unafraid to slander celestial beings. 11 Yet even angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not bring a slanderous judgment against such beings before the Lord. 12 These people, however, are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They speak abusively about things they do not understand, and in their destruction, they too will be destroyed. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to indulge in carousing during the day. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, never ceasing from sin. They entice unstable souls and have hearts trained in greed. They are accursed children.
• 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For they utter arrogant, empty words and entice those who are barely escaping from others living in error, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh and by debauchery.
• Jude 1:7 : 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desires, serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
• Jude 1:23 : 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire, and on some, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
• Rev 21:8 : 8 But as for the cowardly, the unbelieving, the detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
• Rev 22:15 : 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
• Rev 22:20 : 20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
• Eph 5:5-6 : 5 For you know this with certainty, that no sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person—who is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
• Phil 3:18-19 : 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ, as I have often told you, and now I tell you again with tears. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their appetite, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.