But: Paul uses the strong adversative conjunction here to mark the contrast between the affliction of the previous verse and the encouragement that God gave him in it.

On the translation of the verb comforts, see the comments on 1.4. As in chapter 1, Revised Standard Version understands the primary meaning of the Greek word here to be “consolation.” Good News Translation understands the primary meaning to be “encouragement.”

The downcast: that is, those people who, like Paul and his associates, are worried by various kinds of external troubles or internal distress. The term has been rendered “low in spirit” (New American Bible); “distressed” (New Jerusalem Bible); “depressed” (Phillips); “dejected” (Moffatt).

Comforted us by the coming of Titus: Titus had apparently just recently arrived when Paul wrote this letter. The use of the perfect tense in English in Revised English Bible (“has comforted”) is better than the simple past tense of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, if the very recent past is referred to.

The coming of Titus: Titus had come to Macedonia (see 7.5). Since it was God’s doing that Titus came to Paul in Macedonia, some translators may wish to follow the model of Contemporary English Version here: “when he sent Titus to us.”

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 .