II Corinthians 6:13 · Bible study
2 Corinthians 6:13 Commentary: Open Your Hearts as Recompense
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul appeals for reciprocal love as a father to children, grounding his command to be separate from the world.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul appeals for a return of genuine love, an open heart, as the only recompense for his costly ministry.
- Key words: antimisthia (recompense); platunō (to enlarge, used in the aorist passive imperative “be enlarged”).
- Main debate: Whether the “recompense” is a duty owed (Calvin) or a gentle invitation (Barnes); also the exact link to the following warning.
- Theological theme: Reciprocal love between spiritual father and children, with openness to God as the basis for holiness.
- Best use: Teaching on pastoral relationships, the nature of Christian leadership, and the motive for separation from the world.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
As a fair exchange, I ask you as my children: Open wide your hearts also.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Now in return—I speak as to my children—you also open your hearts.
KJV King James Version 1769
Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Now for a recompense in like kind (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and as a recompense of the same kind, (as to children I say it ,) be ye enlarged--also ye!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
but for an answering recompense, (I speak as to children,) let your heart also expand itself.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But having the same recompense (I speak as to my children): be you also enlarged.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Pues, para corresponder al propio modo ( como á hijos hablo), ensanchaos también vosotros.
E em recompensa disto (falo como a filhos) alargai vós também.
Rendez-nous la pareille, je vous parle comme à mes enfants, élargissez-vous aussi!
Ich rede mit euch als mit meinen Kindern, daß ihr euch auch also gegen mich stellet und werdet auch weit.
Nu, om dezelfde vergelding te doen,, ik spreek als tot mijn kinderen) zo wordt gij ook uitgebreid.
Ora, per renderci il contraccambio (parlo come a figliuoli), allargate il cuore anche voi!
O wzajemną tedy nagrodę jako dziatkom mówię: Rozszerzcież się i wy.
В равное возмездие, — говорю, как детям, — распространитесь и вы.
你們 也要 照樣 用寬宏的心 報答我。我這話正像 對自己的孩子 說的。
Now to give me back payment of the same sort (I am talking as to my children), let your hearts be wide open to me.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Corinthians 6:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Paul asks the Corinthians for a return of heartfelt affection, not any material reward. The word antimisthia (recompense) denotes a compensation or requital, but Paul clarifies he wants only love, “a return of affection,” as Barnes puts it. Adam Clarke notes Paul speaks “as unto my children, whom I have a right to command,” so the appeal carries both tenderness and authority. The verb platunthēte (aorist passive imperative: “be enlarged”) means to expand one’s heart in love, just as Paul’s own heart had been enlarged toward them in verse 11. Calvin draws on the Greek concept of anti pelargia, the mutual affection of storks for their parents, to illustrate the natural duty of children to requite a father’s care. The only compensation Paul seeks is that they “open your hearts” to him and to the message he brings.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul asks the Corinthians to return his love by opening their hearts to him, as a child ought to respond to a father’s care.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'recompense' | Paul asks for a return of love, not material payment. All commentators see an appeal for reciprocal affection. | Calvin describes it as a 'mutual duty' (required by equity), while Barnes and Clarke are more tender, presenting it as the only compensation Paul desires. Some traditions emphasize the command aspect, others the invitation. |
| Father-child relationship | Paul appeals as a spiritual father, a common NT pattern that grounds his authority in love (see 1 Corinthians 4:15). | How directly does this apply to all pastors? Some see a universal principle of reciprocal love between leaders and churches; others limit it to Paul’s unique apostolic role. |
| Connection to verses 14-18 | An enlarged heart makes the Corinthians ready to obey the command not to be unequally yoked. The love Paul asks for leads to separation from the world. | Whether verse 13 concludes the appeal before a new section (the warning) or verse 14 is the specific shape of the open heart. Lange treats 6:11, 13 as a pause before the admonition; others see a tight logical flow. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Second Corinthians is likely Paul’s fourth letter to this church (see 1 Corinthians 5:9 for an earlier one). The relationship had been strained: false teachers questioned Paul’s authority, and the Corinthians had been slow to discipline a case of incest. Now, after Titus reported their repentance, Paul writes with both relief and urgency. In chapter 6 he lists the hardships of his ministry (verses 4, 10), afflictions, beatings, sleeplessness, yet always rejoicing, to demonstrate that his love is genuine and costly.
Verse 13 is the hinge. Paul has just said, “Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged” (6:11). They, however, have restricted their affection (6:12). Now he asks them to pay back that love, “as a recompense in the same kind” (JFB). The family metaphor (“I speak as to my children”) was common in ancient rhetoric; a spiritual father had a right to expect loyalty, but Paul softens it with parental warmth. The surrounding passage then pivots sharply to the command not to be “unequally yoked with unbelievers” (6:14). Historically, some Corinthians may have been tempted to remain in pagan social or religious ties. The open heart Paul wants is not sentimental, it is the readiness to leave such entanglements and live as the temple of the living God (6:16).
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and lexical data note no significant textual variants for 2 Corinthians 6:13. The Greek witnesses are stable, and the reading antimisthian (recompense) is undisputed. A few later manuscripts add minor particles, but they do not affect the meaning.
Reception History
In the early church, this verse was often cited to illustrate the intimate bond between apostles and their congregations. Chrysostom, as noted in Lange’s commentary, saw Paul’s open mouth as a sign of “confiding love” that could not be silent. During the Reformation, commentators like Calvin and the Geneva Bible highlighted the fatherly authority combined with tender appeal, using it to model pastoral leadership. In the Anglican tradition, the Cambridge Bible connects it to the call for a “similar sympathy” with all Christ’s people. Wesley and the Methodist tradition link the enlarged heart to the indwelling of God, making this verse a springboard for teachings on holiness and the Spirit’s presence. It has been featured in hymns that speak of a wide, open heart as the condition for blessing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Paul’s request is a father’s appeal. He does not demand submission but invites a response of love, grounded in the relationship he has built through suffering (6:4, 10).
- The only return Paul wants is an open heart. Not money, not praise, but genuine affection that leads to obedience, specifically, separation from unbelief (6:14).
- An open heart makes room for God. Wesley connects “be enlarged” to the promise “I will dwell in them” (6:16). Love for Paul and love for God are inseparable.
Five-point outline
- The context of suffering love. Paul’s hardships (6:4, 10) show his love is real, not rhetorical.
- The imbalance in affection. Paul’s heart is wide open; the Corinthians have closed theirs (6:11, 12).
- The plea for reciprocity. “Now in return”, love deserves love, especially between parent and child.
- The softening touch. “I speak as to my children”, authority wrapped in tenderness.
- The goal: a heart ready for holiness. The expanded heart leads directly to the warning against being yoked with unbelievers (6:14).
Illustration hooks
- A parent who has sacrificed for a child asks only for a phone call, a visit, not money. The request is small, but the relationship makes it weighty.
- A friend who has stood by you through a crisis says, “All I want is for you to trust me again.” That kind of ask cannot be met with a token gesture.
- A coach who has given extra hours to a team asks them to “give it back” on game day. The return is not for the coach’s sake, it is for the team’s own success.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really want my love, or just my obedience? How does this verse show both?
- How do I know if my heart is “enlarged” or if I’m still holding back?
- Why does Paul connect an emotional appeal so directly to a command about dating and marriage (or any unequal yoke)?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at a turning point in 2 Corinthians. Paul has laid out his credentials as a suffering servant; now he asks for a response of love. As you discuss, consider how spiritual relationships, between pastors and congregations, parents and children, teachers and students, are meant to be mutual, not one-sided.
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Corinthians 6:11, 13. What does Paul mean when he says his heart is “enlarged”? How is that different from simply being affectionate?
- Why does Paul say “I speak as to my children” before his command? What does that add to the force of his request?
- The word antimisthia (recompense) implies a debt. In what sense do the Corinthians “owe” Paul their love? Is this a healthy model for Christian relationships?
- Verse 13 ends with “be enlarged, also you.” How does this connect to verse 14’s command about being unequally yoked? What does an open heart have to do with separations?
- Think of a time someone asked for your love or trust as a “return” for their investment in you. How did that feel? How does Paul’s fatherly tone shape the request?
- How can this passage help a congregation that has become distant from its leaders, whether pastors, elders, or missionaries?
- Wesley suggests the open heart leads to God dwelling in us (6:16). What practical steps can we take this week to “enlarge” our hearts toward God and toward those who serve us?
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)
| II Kings 13:14 | Now Elisha became sick with the illness of which he died; and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him, and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” |
| II Kings 13:19 | The man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it, but now you will strike Syria just three times.” |
| Psalms 81:10 | I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. |
| Matthew 9:28 | When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.” |
| Matthew 9:29 | Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” |
| Matthew 17:19 | Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?” |
| Matthew 17:20 | He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. |
| Mark 6:4 | Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads Paul's appeal as a father's request for returned affection. Paul has poured out his heart to the Corinthians, and now he asks them to repay that love by enlarging their hearts toward him in return. The command comes from a father who has a right to expect love from his children.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that Paul asks for no material reward but only a return of love from the Corinthians. Speaking as their spiritual father, Paul claims the right to expect their affection and wholehearted devotion as the sole compensation for his labors and sacrifices on their behalf.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that Paul asks the Corinthians for a specific recompense: not their affection or admiration, but that they not receive God's grace in vain and that they be enlarged. This means they should return Paul's own sympathy by showing the same broad love for all who belong to Christ.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights Paul’s appeal for a reciprocal response. Because Paul has opened his heart to the Corinthians, he now asks them, as a father would his children, to open their hearts fully to him in return.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees Paul appealing for a fair exchange of love, not as a demand but as a father asking children to return the same affection they have received. The Corinthians should enlarge their hearts toward Paul just as he has enlarged his heart toward them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB reads Paul's appeal as a call for reciprocal affection. Because Paul's heart has been enlarged toward the Corinthians, he asks them to enlarge their hearts in return as a fitting recompense. He speaks as a father to his children, expecting the natural response of mutual love.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that Paul's warning against unequal yoking targets fundamental incompatibility with idolatry and unbelief, not separation from imperfect believers. He stresses that Christians, as God's temple, must break all fellowship with systems essentially opposed to Christ, while cautioning against misapplying this passage to justify division over minor church differences.
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.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees Paul's appeal as a parent asking nothing burdensome in return for tender love. The "recompense" Paul seeks is simply that the Corinthians open their hearts widely — first to God, then to Paul himself — so that God may dwell among them.