For I do not want to see you now only in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
Parallel translations
- WEB For I do not wish to see you now in passing, but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
- KJV For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
- NKJV For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
- NASB For I do not want to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits.
- NLT This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul does not want a passing visit but hopes to stay a while, if the Lord permits. It matters because it shows both his love for them and his submission to God's will.
Overview
Paul desires more than a brief stop; he longs for meaningful time with the Corinthians. Yet he qualifies every plan with 'if the Lord permits,' submitting his intentions to God's sovereign will. This blend of earnest love and humble dependence models how believers should hold their own plans before the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Acts 18:21But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
- 1 Cor 4:19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
- Jas 4:15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
- Rom 1:10in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.
- Jer 10:23I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
- 2 Cor 1:15Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
- Prov 19:21Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 16:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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