Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Corinthians 1:23

"But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that to spare you I forbare to come unto Corinth." — 2 Corinthians 1:23 (ASV)

I call God for a record.—Better, I call upon God as a witness against my soul. The thought seems to cross St. Paul’s mind that the Corinthians would require a more specific explanation of his change of plan, and he finds this in what had been partly suggested in 1 Corinthians 4:21. Had he carried out his first purpose, he would have come to punish or chastise. For this reason, he had been reluctant to come. His not coming was an act of leniency.

I came not as yet.—Better, I came no more—that is, not a second time after his first visit. The Greek adverb cannot possibly mean “not yet.”