2 Corinthians 8:19
ESV
And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will.
NIV
What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
NASB
and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness,
CSB
And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gracious gift that we are administering for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
NLT
He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem — a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.
KJV
And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
NKJV
and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,
What does 2 Corinthians 8:19 mean?
Paul is sending three delegates to Corinth to deliver this letter and to help collect their contribution to the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. He first mentioned Titus, recently returned from Corinth and now well known to them. He next mentioned an unnamed man famous for proclaiming the gospel.This man has been appointed by the churches, likely in the Macedonian region, to represent them and travel with the team that is collecting and distributing these funds. Paul again refers to the collection as an act of grace, meaning that it is being carried out by the freewill of all the churches who are participating in it. Paul adds that this act of grace is ultimately for the Lord's glory, but also to show the good will of all those who contribute.
The Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians did not always get along. Paul didn't like the division between them and perhaps saw this collection as an opportunity for Gentile Christians to express love and support for the Jewish believers in Jerusalem and maybe help to heal some of those tensions (Romans 15:25–28).
