2 Corinthians 6 11

2 Corinthians 6:11 kjv

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

2 Corinthians 6:11 nkjv

O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.

2 Corinthians 6:11 niv

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.

2 Corinthians 6:11 esv

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open.

2 Corinthians 6:11 nlt

Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.

2 Corinthians 6 verses

2 Corinthians 6 11 Meaning

Paul declares his profound and unrestrained affection and transparency towards the Corinthian believers. His words (mouth) openly convey his sentiments, and more significantly, his innermost being (heart) has been expanded and made boundless in its love and concern for them, despite the challenging history of their relationship. It expresses his complete sincerity and deep, fatherly devotion.

2 Corinthians 6 11 Context

This verse is embedded within Paul's powerful defense of his apostleship and his appeal for the Corinthians' allegiance, especially against "super-apostles" or false teachers challenging his authority. The preceding verses (2 Cor 6:3-10) detail the authentic marks of true ministry, highlighting Paul's enduring suffering, purity, knowledge, patience, and love as evidence of his divine calling. He has laid bare his trials and conduct to demonstrate his faithfulness and the legitimacy of his ministry. Verse 11, then, serves as a deeply personal and emotional plea. Having presented his case for genuine apostolic integrity, Paul now opens his heart fully to the Corinthians, directly expressing his love and urging them to reciprocate this affection, contrasting his boundless love with their current constricted state. This paves the way for his admonition against unequal yokes in the subsequent verses and his appeal for reconciliation in the rest of the letter.

2 Corinthians 6 11 Word analysis

• Our mouth (Greek: στόμα ἡμῶν - stoma hēmōn):
  • "Our": Refers to Paul and potentially his co-laborers (Timothy, Silvanus), but in this intimate context, it largely conveys Paul's personal voice as the primary author and spokesperson.
  • "Mouth": The organ of speech. It signifies verbal communication, explicit declaration, and the outward expression of inward thoughts and feelings. Here, it denotes direct, open, and unreserved speaking.
• is open (Greek: ἀνέῳγεν - aneōgen):
  • Aorist active indicative of ἀνοίγω (anoigō), meaning "to open." This tense indicates a decisive, completed action: Paul's mouth has been opened. It’s not a temporary state but a deliberate and firm posture of communication. It means speaking freely, without holding anything back, with candor and transparency.
• to you, Corinthians, (Greek: πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορινθίοι - pros hymas, Korinthioi):
  • "To you": A direct, personal address, emphasizing the specific recipients of Paul's candidness.
  • "Corinthians": The particular community being addressed. This makes the expression intensely personal, an apostle speaking directly and emotionally to his spiritual children, almost like a father addressing wayward but beloved children. It carries an intimate, even pleading, tone.
• our heart (Greek: καρδία ἡμῶν - kardia hēmōn):
  • "Our": Again, signifying Paul's personal interiority.
  • "Heart": (from Hebrew lev/lebab, Greek kardia). In biblical anthropology, the heart is not merely the seat of emotions but the very core of one's being, encompassing intellect, will, affections, moral conscience, and spiritual life. Paul is revealing his deepest self, not just his words.
• is wide open. (Greek: πεπλάτυνται - peplatyntai):
  • Perfect passive indicative of πλατύνω (platynō), meaning "to widen, enlarge, broaden." The perfect tense signifies a state resulting from a past action, an enduring condition: "it has been widened and remains wide open."
  • "Wide open": Metaphorically describes an expanded, unbounded capacity for love, affection, and concern. Paul's heart is not restricted, narrow, or closed; it is spacious enough to fully embrace them. It signifies unreserved love, boundless affection, and a spirit of comprehensive generosity towards them, despite their prior coolness or accusations against him.

Words-group analysis:

• "Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians, our heart is wide open.": This parallelism uses a common rhetorical device in ancient literature to emphasize and reinforce the message. The repetition of "our" and the synonymous opening of "mouth" and "heart" demonstrates congruency between Paul's external expression and his internal disposition. His outward verbal frankness (mouth is open) flows directly from and is reflective of his expansive, unrestricted inner love and affection (heart is wide open). It highlights his transparency and sincerity. This structure also establishes a cause-and-effect or direct correlation: what he speaks from his mouth truly represents the boundless affection held in his heart. It sets the stage for an appeal to them for reciprocal openness and love.

2 Corinthians 6 11 Bonus section

The Greek word platynō (wide open) for the heart carries a strong spiritual significance beyond just emotional expansiveness. In the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), an "enlarged heart" can also refer to freedom, relief, and liberation from distress, or even an openness to God's law (e.g., Ps 119:32). Here, Paul’s "wide open" heart speaks not of distress but of a Spirit-enabled capacity for deep love that overcomes past hurts and animosity, signifying a spiritual expansion. It contrasts sharply with a "narrowed" or "constricted" heart (implied in the next verse) which suggests an unwillingness to forgive or receive love fully. This imagery suggests that genuine Christian love, exemplified by Paul, is capacious and resilient, able to embrace others in a comprehensive, redemptive way.

2 Corinthians 6 11 Commentary

Paul, having spent the previous verses validating his apostolic ministry through his endurance in suffering and righteous conduct, now lays bare his soul to the Corinthians. This verse is a poignant expression of his authentic love and deep personal connection, urging them to match his emotional generosity. His "mouth is open" signifies not just frankness, but unreserved communication—holding nothing back. His "heart is wide open" is a profound declaration of boundless affection. This "widening" implies an absence of restraint or ill-will, a willingness to fully embrace and forgive, inviting them to step into the spaciousness of his love, unlike their own "constricted" affections mentioned in the following verse. It reflects the heart of Christ's love, willing to extend itself fully despite imperfections, calling for a return to open, mutual fellowship. Paul exemplifies pastoral vulnerability and unconditional love, which are crucial for authentic spiritual leadership and communal reconciliation.