II Corinthians 6:11 · Bible study
2 Corinthians 6:11 Commentary: Open Mouth, Enlarged Heart
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul's apostolic love is revealed through his open speech and enlarged heart. This verse shows the depth of his affection for the Corinthians.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul expresses his affectionate frankness toward the Corinthians because his love has been expanded.
- Key words: aneōgen (has been opened, perfect tense) and peplatuntai (has been enlarged, perfect passive); kardia (heart) as the seat of affection.
- Main debate: Whether the open mouth is merely an emotional release or a deliberate prelude to the warning about unequal yokes.
- Theological theme: Apostolic love as a model for Christian ministry, love that grows under pressure and speaks with honesty.
- Best use: As a pastoral example of open, vulnerable, and persistent love in the face of rejection.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are open wide.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged.
KJV King James Version 1769
O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Our mouth is open unto you, O Corinthians, our heart is enlarged.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Our mouth hath been open unto you, O Corinthians, our heart hath been enlarged!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Our mouth is opened to you, Corinthians, our heart is expanded.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Our mouth is open to you, O ye Corinthians: our heart is enlarged.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Nuestra boca está abierta á vosotros, oh Corintios: nuestro corazón es ensanchado.
Para vós, ó coríntios, está aberta nossa boca; e nosso coração está ampliado.
Notre bouche s’ est ouverte pour vous, Corinthiens, notre cœur s’ est élargi.
O ihr Korinther! unser Mund hat sich zu euch aufgetan, unser Herz ist weit.
Onze mond is opengedaan tegen u, o Korinthiers, ons hart is uitgebreid.
La nostra bocca vi ha parlato apertamente, o Corinzi; il nostro cuore s’è allargato.
Usta nasze otworzone są ku wam, o Koryntowie! serce nasze rozszerzone jest.
Уста наши отверсты к вам, Коринфяне, сердце наше расширено.
哥林多人哪，我們 向 你們，口 是張開的， 心 是寬宏的。
Our mouth is open to you, O Corinthians, our heart is wide.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Corinthians 6:11
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Paul is expressing his genuine, unrestrained affection for the Corinthians. The two statements, open mouth and enlarged heart, work together. Barnes notes that when the heart is full, words flow freely. Calvin goes further: he argues that the enlarged heart is the cause of the open mouth. The opened mouth means bold, frank speech, not concealment (a point also made by Gill and the Cambridge Bible). The perfect tense of the verb peplatuntai (has been expanded) points to a settled, enduring state, Paul’s love is not a passing emotion but a constant posture. The direct address, “O Corinthians,” is rare in Paul’s letters (only here, Galatians 3:1, and Philippians 4:15), and every commentator hears the emotional weight of it. Wesley calls it “peculiar force.” The main idea is not disputed: Paul loves these people, and that love demands honest, free speech.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul is speaking to the Corinthians with genuine love, using the image of an open mouth and an enlarged heart to describe his transparent affection.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The link between open mouth and enlarged heart | Paul’s open speech arises from his deep love, there is a cause-and-effect relationship. | Some commentators (Calvin) see the enlarged heart as the direct cause of the open mouth. Others (Barnes) treat them as two parallel expressions of the same affection, without specifying causal order. |
| The emotional tone of this verse | The verse is an expression of genuine, warm affection. | Some interpret the tone as a gentle rebuke (Paul is contrasting his openness with the Corinthians’ closed hearts). Others see it purely as an appeal, not a correction. |
| Connection to the following warning (v. 14) | The verse introduces Paul’s appeal for the Corinthians to respond in kind. | Some argue that the open mouth prepares for the direct command about unequal yoking (Gill). Others see it as a general expression of love that stands on its own (Calvin). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes this letter after a painful history with the Corinthian church. He had defended his apostolic authority against false teachers who questioned his motives and his appearance. In chapters 4 and 5, he describes the glory of the ministry and the reconciliation that comes through Christ. Chapter 6 begins with an urgent appeal: do not receive God’s grace in vain. Then, in verses 3, 10, Paul lists the hardships and paradoxes of his apostolic life, sorrowful yet rejoicing, poor yet making many rich. Verse 11 is the emotional pivot. After defending himself and describing his sufferings, he turns directly to the Corinthians with affection.
The phrase “our mouth is open” draws on a common biblical image. In the Old Testament, opening the mouth often signals the beginning of bold, prophetic speech (Job 33:2; Psalm 51:15). The Greek here uses the perfect tense (aneōgen), meaning the mouth now stands open, not a momentary act but an ongoing readiness to speak freely. Paul’s hearers would have recognized the language of frankness (parrēsia), prized in Greek rhetoric. But Paul ties it to the heart. The verb “enlarged” (from platunō) appears only three times in the New Testament, and here it describes the expanding effect of love. Chrysostom, cited by Calvin, compared love to heat: it warms and therefore expands. The Corinthians had given Paul many reasons to withdraw, they questioned his honesty, mocked his appearance, and followed rival teachers. Yet his heart grew larger, not smaller. That is the radical nature of apostolic love.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for 2 Corinthians 6:11. The reading is stable across the major manuscripts and translations. The Greek text underlying all supplied versions is consistent.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has been read as a model of pastoral love. Chrysostom, cited by Calvin, used the analogy of heat expanding to explain how love opens both mouth and heart. In the Reformation period, Calvin and the Geneva Bible emphasized the causal link between heartfelt affection and bold speech. Wesley and the Methodist tradition highlighted the emotional force of the direct address. The verse appears in hymns and sermon series on apostolic ministry, often paired with 2 Corinthians 7:3. Modern commentaries continue to point to this verse as a pattern for transparent, loving communication in church leadership.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Open mouth: honest love speaks. Paul’s freedom of speech is not rudeness but the fruit of genuine care. He hides nothing, because he loves fully.
- Enlarged heart: love expands under pressure. The Corinthians’ failings did not shrink Paul’s heart; they enlarged it. Real Christian love grows in the face of disappointment.
- The call to respond: be enlarged too. In verse 13, Paul asks the Corinthians to open their hearts in return. Love invites reciprocity, not as a demand, but as an appeal to children.
Five-point outline
- The rare direct address: “Corinthians”, Paul breaks the rhetorical distance to show personal investment.
- Open mouth: every word is a gift of transparency.
- Enlarged heart: the Greek perfect tense points to a settled, continuous expansion of love.
- Love that perseveres through rejection (the context of Paul’s hardships in vv. 3, 10).
- The invitation to mutual openness (v. 13).
Illustration hooks
- A parent who, after being hurt by a teenager’s rebellion, still speaks honestly and pursues the relationship rather than shutting down.
- A leader who chooses transparency about their own struggles, building trust with a team even when it would be easier to hide.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “How can I love someone who has disappointed me without becoming bitter?”
- “What does it look like to speak honestly in a way that builds up rather than tears down?”
- “Is it possible to keep my heart open when I feel hurt by others in the church?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in the middle of Paul’s most personal defense of his ministry. He has just listed the hardships he endured for Christ, and now he turns directly to the Corinthians with affection. The question for us is: what kind of love enables a person to stay open and expansive when they have every reason to close off?
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the way Paul addresses the Corinthians here? Why does he call them by name?
- “Our mouth is open”, what does that phrase suggest about Paul’s communication style? How is it connected to his heart?
- The word “enlarged” is in the perfect tense: “has been expanded.” What does that grammatical detail add to the meaning?
- Why do you think Paul’s heart grew larger toward people who had caused him pain? What does that teach us about Christian love?
- In verse 13, Paul asks the Corinthians to “open your hearts” in return. Is he demanding something, or inviting it? How does that shape your view of relationships in the church?
- How can we practice “open speech” in our own relationships without becoming harsh or careless?
- Think of a relationship where you feel tempted to close off. What would it look like to ask God for an enlarged heart in that situation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Samuel 2:1 | Hannah prayed, and said, “My heart exults in Yahweh! My horn is exalted in Yahweh. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. |
| Job 32:20 | I will speak, that I may be refreshed. I will open my lips and answer. |
| Job 33:2 | See now, I have opened my mouth. My tongue has spoken in my mouth. |
| Job 33:3 | My words will utter the uprightness of my heart. That which my lips know they will speak sincerely. |
| Psalms 51:15 | Lord, open my lips. My mouth will declare your praise. |
| Psalms 119:32 | I run in the path of your commandments, for you have set my heart free. HE |
| Habakkuk 2:5 | Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous: an arrogant man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol; he is like death and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations and heaps to himself all peoples. |
| II Corinthians 2:4 | For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads Paul's open mouth and enlarged heart as marks of unreserved affection, not mere rhetoric. Paul speaks with complete freedom because his love for the Corinthians has expanded his heart to embrace every part of their lives. The surrounding passage, he adds, is a model of powerful eloquence.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes points out that Paul's open and unrestrained speech to the Corinthians flows directly from a heart filled with deep affection. A true love for them, willing to endure reproach and suffering, naturally vents itself in fervent words without concealment or hypocrisy.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin's distinctive point is that Paul's open, bold speech is not self-generated but flows from an enlarged heart. By "enlargement of heart" Calvin means the cheerfulness and warmth that come from genuine love and goodwill. A narrow heart makes speech cautious; a broad heart sets it free.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Despite the many insults, accusations, and scorn the Corinthians heaped on Paul, his heart did not contract in bitterness. Instead, it expanded with love and frankness toward them, a remarkable response that shows the true nature of apostolic affection.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights Paul’s bold, plain speaking and his overflowing love for the Corinthians. His mouth is open means he hides nothing; his heart is enlarged means it is stretched wide with genuine affection, inviting them to respond in kind.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees Paul's open speech as flowing directly from an enlarged heart full of genuine love for the Corinthians. His plainness is not bluntness but tender affection, preparing them for the hard warning about unequal fellowship with unbelievers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that Paul’s frank, open speech to the Corinthians is the direct result of his heart being enlarged by love toward them. An unloving person grows narrow-hearted, but genuine love expands the heart and produces unreserved openness, not concealment.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees Paul's appeal for the Corinthians to be enlarged as a demand for reciprocal love based on their father-child relationship. He then connects this directly to the warning about unequal yoking: a false enlargement of heart would lead to improper fellowship with unbelievers, which must be avoided.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry emphasizes that Paul's warning against mixing with unbelievers flows from deep fatherly affection, not cold authority. The apostle first opens his heart wide to the Corinthians, then urges them to open theirs in return, so the command to separate comes wrapped in tender love.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that Paul directly names the Corinthians, a rare move found in only two other letters. He then traces the Greek word for “enlarged” through the Old Testament, where it describes prosperity, pride, deliverance, and joy, but here it specifically means a widening of the heart toward greater sympathy and understanding.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that Paul rarely addresses his readers as "O Corinthians," so the phrase here carries unusual emotional weight. The apostle speaks with uncommon freedom because his heart has been enlarged in tenderness toward them.