Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 13:12

"Salute one another with a holy kiss." — 2 Corinthians 13:12 (ASV)

Evidently the early church invested the kiss, a common form of salutation in the Orient, with a special and sacred significance (cf. Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14). It expressed union and fellowship within the one family of God, and perhaps it was also a sign of mutual forgiveness and reconciliation that was exchanged before the Lord’s Supper was celebrated (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:20b, 22).