2-corinthians 8:5
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God.
American Standard Version (ASV)
and this , not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And going even farther than our hope, they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us after the purpose of God.
Webster's Revision
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God:
World English Bible
This was not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God.
English Revised Version (ERV)
and this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God.
Clarke's 2-corinthians 8:5 Bible Commentary
Not as we hoped - They far exceeded our expectations, for they consecrated themselves entirely to the work of God; giving themselves and all they possessed first unto the Lord; and then, as they saw that it was the will of God that they should come especially forward in this charitable work, they gave themselves to us, to assist to the uttermost in providing relief for the suffering Christians in Judea.
Barnes's 2-corinthians 8:5 Bible Commentary
And this they did ... - They did not give what we expected only. We knew their poverty, and we expected only a small sum from them.
Not as we hoped - Not according to the utmost of our hopes. We were greatly disappointed in the amount which they gave, and in the manner in which it was done.
But first gave their ownselves to the Lord - They first made an entire consecration of themselves and all that they had to the Lord. They kept nothing back. They felt that all they had was his. And where a people honestly and truly devote themselves to God, they will find no difficulty in having the means to contribute to the cause of charity.
And unto us by the will of God - That is, they gave themselves to us to be directed in regard to the contribution to be made. They complied with our wishes and followed our directions. The phrase "by the will of God," means evidently that God moved them to this, or that it was to be traced to his direction and providence. It is one of the instances in which Paul traces everything that is right and good to the agency and direction of God.
Wesley's 2-corinthians 8:5 Bible Commentary
8:5 And not as we hoped - That is, beyond all we could hope.They gave themselves to us, by the will of God - In obedience to his will, to be wholly directed by us.