Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 16:17

"And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they supplied." — 1 Corinthians 16:17 (ASV)

I am glad of the coming. That is, I am glad that they have come to me at Ephesus. I rejoice that he who was converted by my ministry in Achaia, and who has for so long shown himself to be a personal friend to me, and an aid in my work, came to where I am.

Stephanas. He is evidently the same person mentioned in the previous verses. Probably he, as one of the oldest and most respected members of the church, had been selected to carry the letter from the Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 7:1) to Paul, and to consult with him respecting the affairs of the church there.

Fortunatus and Achaicus. These persons are not referred to anywhere else in the New Testament. It appears that Fortunatus survived Paul, for he was subsequently the messenger of the church at Corinth to the church at Rome, and carried back to the Corinthians the epistle which Clement of Rome sent to them. See that epistle, section 59.

For that which was lacking, etc. The word which is used here, and rendered "that which was lacking," (usterhma), does not occur in classical writers. It properly means that which is wanting, a need, or a lack —Robinson. It may be used to denote a need or lack of any kind, whether of support, sustenance, aid, consolation, information, or counsel. See Luke 21:4; Philippians 2:30; 1 Thessalonians 3:10.

What this lack was, which the Corinthians had neglected or failed to provide for Paul and which had been supplied by the presence of these individuals, can only be a matter of conjecture; different commentators have proposed different things.

It might have been a failure to provide for his needs, or a deficiency in informing him about their affairs in the letter they had sent him. Alternatively, it might be that these persons, by their presence and conversation, furnished those consolations and friendly services that the church at Corinth would have rendered if all its members had been present. In this case, Paul may mean that he enjoyed with them the friendly interaction and Christian communion he had desired with the whole church but which had been lacking—that is, which he had not been able to enjoy because of his absence from them.

This latter view is the one held by Rosenmuller, Doddridge, and Bloomfield. Since Paul does not seem inclined here to blame the Corinthians, this interpretation is most in accordance with the general sense of the passage.