Revised English Bible begins this verse with “that was my intention,” indicating that Paul had wanted to visit Corinth, and implying that he had not done so. This may be a good model for certain other languages.
Since Paul canceled the return trip (see 1.23), he was accused by some in Corinth of vacillating, or being “fickle.” Revised English Bible says “Did I lightly change my mind?” Literally the Greek says “This therefore intending, did I act with the fickleness?” The presence of the definite article “the” before the noun “fickleness” may indicate that Paul is responding to a specific accusation that he was fickle or vacillating.
To do this refers to his plans to visit the Corinthians both on his way to Macedonia and on his return from there. In some cases it may be helpful to spell out what the word this means in the first part of the verse rather than waiting to read my plans in the second part. The second question is, in fact, more general. Here the reference is to his specific plan to visit Corinth. Translators may consider saying something like “Do you think that I decided on this trip without thinking?” or “When I made these plans, did that mean that I lacked determination?”
Do I make my plans…?: this second question is less restricted in nature than the first. Here Paul is not talking only about his specific plan to visit the Corinthians but about plans in general. The habitual verb form should probably be used in those languages that have it.
Like a worldly man is literally “according to the flesh.” “Flesh” in this context, as elsewhere in Paul’s writings, means humankind in its opposition to God. So Good News Translation says “from selfish motives.” But in some languages it may be most natural to translate “like the people of this world,” if this gives the idea of self-interest.
The form of both questions presupposes that only a negative answer is appropriate. If this will not be clear in the receptor language in this context, it will be better to translate the questions as negative statements: “I was not fickle when I planned to visit you. And I do not make my plans like the people of this world….”
Paul had planned to return to Corinth after his trip to Macedonia, but in 1.23–2.1 he indicates that he did not return to Corinth as he had planned. Originally Paul had planned to go to Macedonia first before he visited Corinth (1 Cor 16.5-8). Then he changed his plans and visited Corinth before going to Macedonia, intending to return through Corinth again on his return home from Macedonia. Then he again changed his plans and did not return to Corinth after his visit to Macedonia. Because of these changes in his plans, Paul was criticized by some people in the Corinthian church.
Ready to say Yes and No at once?: though some manuscripts say Yes and No (followed by Revised Standard Version), the original form was probably “Yes, yes and No, no” (followed by Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version). The meaning is the same either way. Most translations add the words “at the same time” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; similarly New International Version) to make explicit what Paul leaves implicit. By this rhetorical question Paul declares that he does not say one thing and then deny it all in the same breath.
Yes and No: in the context of these verses, the word Yes refers to his promise to visit Corinth, and No refers to his decision not to visit as planned. Revised English Bible says “First saying ‘Yes, yes’ and then ‘No, no’?” In some languages it may be more natural and more easily understood to say “saying ‘Yes’ and then ‘No’ or ‘No’ and then ‘Yes,’ ” or “saying ‘Yes’ when I mean ‘No’ and ‘No’ when I mean ‘Yes.’ ” And in some cases the use of the words “Yes” and “No” in such a context may be unnatural. In such cases one may translate more dynamically, using verbal expressions: “agreeing and refusing all at the same time” or “accepting and rejecting the same idea in a short time.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .