‏ 2 Corinthians 3:1

 To commend ourselves? ( εαυτους συνιστανειν? ). Late (Koine) form of  συνιστημ, to place one with another, to introduce, to commend. Paul is sensitive over praising himself, though his enemies compelled him to do it.

 Epistles of commendation ( συστατικων επιστολων ). Late verbal adjective from  συνιστημ and often in the papyri and in just this sense. In the genitive case here after  χρηιζομεν. Such letters were common as seen in the papyri (Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, p. 226). N.T. examples of commending individuals by letters occur in Ac 15:25f.; 18:27 (Apollos), 1Co 16:10f. (Timothy); Ro 16:1 (Phoebe with the verb  συνιστημ ); Col 4:10 (Mark); 2Co 8:22f. (Titus and his companion).

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