John Gill Commentary 2 Corinthians 5

For we know, that if our earthly house
By this house is meant the body, so called from its being like a well built house, a curious piece of architecture; as an house consists of a variety of parts fitly framed and put together in just symmetry and proportion, and with an entire usefulness in all, so is the body of man; which shows the power and wisdom of God the architect: likewise, because it is the dwelling place of the soul, which makes it appear, that the soul is more excellent than the body, is independent of it, and capable of a separate existence from it.

It is said to be an "earthly" house, because it is from the earth; is supported by earthly things; has its present abode on the earth, and will quickly return to it: and the earthly house of this tabernacle, in allusion to the tabernacles the patriarchs and Israelites of old dwelt in; or to the tents and tabernacles of soldiers, shepherds, travellers, and such like persons, which are soon put up and taken down, and removed from place to place; and denotes the frailty and short continuance of our mortal bodies.

So Plato ^F26 calls the body (ghinon skhnov) , "an earthly tabernacle"; so the Jews were wont to call the body an house, and a "tabernacle": ``every man (they say <sup>F1</sup>) has two houses, (Pwgh tyb) , "the house of the body", and the house of the soul; the one is the outward, the other the inward house.'' So Abarbinel <sup>F2</sup> paraphrases those words, (Isaiah 18:4) . ``"I will consider in my dwelling place; I will return", or again consider in my dwelling place, which is the body, for that is (vpnh Nkvm) , "the tabernacle of the soul".''

Now this tabernacle may, and will be, "dissolved", unpinned, and taken down; which does not design an annihilation of it, but a dissolution of its union with the soul, and its separation from it: and when the apostle puts an "if" upon it, it is not to be understood as though it is uncertain whether it would be dissolved or not, unless it be said with a view to the change that will be on living saints at Christ's second coming; but it is rather a concession of the matter, and may be rendered, "though the earthly house" or it points out the time when the saints' future happiness shall begin, "when the earthly house" and signifies that being in the body, in some sense, retards the enjoyment of it. Now it is the saints' comfort whilst they are in it, and in a view of the dissolution of it, that they

have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens ?
which some understand of the glorified body upon its resurrection, as opposed to its frail, mortal, earthly frame in its present situation; though rather all this designs the happiness of the saints, which will be begun, and they shall immediately enter into, at the dissolution of their bodies, and will be consummated at the resurrection.

Which is all of God's building and preparing; not made by the hands of the creature; or obtained by works of righteousness done by men; and it lies in the heavens, and will continue for ever.

So the ^F3 Jews speak of (avydq tyb) , "the holy house", in the world to come, and which they suppose is intended in (Isaiah 56:5) (Proverbs 24:3) .

In this the saints have a present interest; they have it already built and prepared for them; they have an indubitate right and title to it through the righteousness of Christ; they have it secured to them in Christ, their feoffee in trust, their head and representative; and they have the earnest of it, the Spirit of God in their hearts.

Of all which they have sure and certain knowledge: "for we know"; they are well assured of the truth of this from the promise of God, who cannot lie, from the declaration of the Gospel, the testimony of the Spirit, and the close and inseparable connection there is between the grace they have already received, and the glory that shall be hereafter.

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: In Clement. Alexandr. Stromat. l. 5. p. 593.
• F1: Sepher Caphtor, fol. 38. 2.
• F2: Mashmia Jeshua, fol. 11. 4.
• F3: Zohar in Exod. fol. 34. 3. & 35. 3.

For in this we groan earnestly
Meaning either for this happiness we groan, or rather in this tabernacle we groan. These words are a reasonof the former, proving that the saints have a building of God; and they know they have it, because they groanafter it here; for the groanings of the saints are under the influence and direction of the Spirit of God,who makes intercession for them, as for grace, so for glory, according to the will of God: and this groaningis further explained by

desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven ;
by which is meant not the glorified body in the resurrection morn; for though the bodies of the saints willbe glorious, incorruptible, powerful, and spiritual, they are not said to be celestial, nor will they be fromheaven, but be raised out of the earth: besides, the apostle is speaking of an habitation the soul will gointo, and is desirous of going into as soon as it removes out of the earthly house of the body, and of aclothing it desires to be clothed with as soon as it is stripped of the garment of the flesh: wherefore, bythe house from heaven must be meant the heavenly glory, which departed souls immediately enter into, and arearrayed with, even the white and shining robes of purity, perfection, and glory they shall be clothed with,as soon as ever their tabernacles are unpinned and dissolved.

The Jews indeed speak of a celestial body which the soul shall be clothed with immediately upon its separation from the earthly body, and much in suchfigurative terms as the apostle does in this, and the following verse; ``when a man's time is come, saythey ^F4 , to go out of this world, he does not depart until the angel of death has stripped him ofthe clothing of body, (see ( 2 Corinthians 5:4) ) and when the soul is stripped of the body, by the angel ofdeath, it goes (arxa apwg awhhb avbltmw) , "and is clothed with that otherbody", which is in paradise, of which it was stripped when it came into this world; for the soul has nopleasure but in the body, which is from thence, and it rejoices because it is stripped of the body of thisworld, (Mylv arxa avwblb vbltaw) "and is clothed with another perfectclothing".''

And a little after, ``the holy blessed God deals well with men, for he does not strip men oftheir clothes until he has provided for them other clothes, more precious and better than these, except thewicked of the world, who return not to their Lord by perfect repentance; for naked they came into this world,and naked (see ( 2 Corinthians 5:3) ) they shall return hence.'' And in another place <sup>F5</sup> , ``thesoul does not go up to appear before the Holy King, until it is worthy to be clothed (alyeld avwblb) , "with the clothing which is above".''

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Zohar in Exod. fol. 62. 1, 2.
• F5: Zohar in Exod. fol. 92. 2. Vid. fol. 84. 3. & in Gen. fol. 49. 3. & Caphtor, fol. 18. 2. & 78. 2.

If so be that being clothed
This supposition is made with respect to the saints who shall be alive at Christ's second coming, who will not be stripped of their bodies, and so will "not be found naked", or disembodied, and shall have a glory at once put upon them, both soul and body;

or these words are an inference from the saints' present clothing, to their future clothing, thus; "seeing we are clothed", have not only put on the new man, and are clothed and adorned with the graces of the Spirit, but are arrayed with the best robe, the wedding garment, the robe of Christ's righteousness,

we shall not be found naked ;
but shall be clothed upon with the heavenly glory, as soon as we are dismissed from hence. Some read these words as a wish, "O that we were clothed, that we might not be found naked!" and so is expressive of one of the sighs, and groans, and earnest desires of the saints in their present situation after the glories of another world.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan
There are some of the saints who are not in the tabernacle, the body. They were in it, but now are not; their bodies are in the grave, the house appointed for all living; and their souls are in the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, in everlasting habitations, in the mansions prepared in Christ's Father's house.

And they have done groaning, being delivered from every oppressor, sin, Satan, and the world; are at rest from all their labours, and are free from every burden; only the saints who are in the tabernacle of the body, in an unsettled state, groan, being in the midst of tribulation, and not yet in the enjoyment of that happiness they are wishing for. The reason of their groaning is, because they are

burdened
with the body itself, which is a clog and incumbrance to the soul in its spiritual exercises; and oftentimes by reason of its disorders and diseases a man becomes a burden to himself; but what the saints are mostly burdened with in this life, and which makes them groan the most, is the body of sin and death they carry about with them.

The filth of it is nauseous, grievous, and intolerable; the guilt of it oftentimes lies very heavy on the conscience; the weight of it presses hard, and is a great hindrance to them in running their Christian race; nor have they any relief under this burden, but by looking to a sin bearing and sin atoning Saviour, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

They are also frequently burdened with Satan's temptations, with blasphemous thoughts, solicitations to sin, the fears of death, the pangs of it, and what will follow upon it; though God is faithful, who will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able to bear; however, these temptations are great burdens, and occasion many a groan.

To which may be added the various afflictions of life, which though comparatively "light", are in themselves heavy, grievous burdens, and hard to be borne; the nature, number, and continuance of them often make them so; and especially they are such, when God is pleased to hide his face, and withhold the discoveries of his love and mercy. The apostle goes on to explain what he means by desiring to be clothed,

not for that we would be unclothed ;
that is, of our bodies; and this he says, not through any love and liking he had to this animal life, or to the sensual methods of living here, which make natural men in love with life, and desirous of always living here;

but from a principle of nature, which recoils at death, does not like a dissolution, chooses any other way of removing out of this world than by death; a translation of soul and body together to heaven, like that of Enoch and Elijah's, is more eligible even to a good man; or such a change as will be upon the living saints at the coming of Christ, which the apostle seems to have in view, who will be not unclothed of their bodies, as men are at death,

but clothed upon ;
as is here desired, with incorruption and immortality:

that mortality might be swallowed up of life ;
not that the mortal body, or the substance of the body, which is mortal, might be consumed and destroyed, but that mortality, that quality to which it is subject by sin, might be no more:

and he does not say, that "death may be swallowed up of life", which will be done in the resurrection morn; but mortality, which being swallowed up by a translation, or such a change as will be at the last day, will prevent death:

and the phrase, swallowed up, denotes the suddenness of the change, in an instant, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and that without any pain, or such agonies as usually attend death;

and also the utter, final, and total abolition of mortality; so that there will never be more any appearance of it;

his desire is, that it may be swallowed up "of the life", which is properly and emphatically life, as this life is not; and means the glorious, immortal, and everlasting life, which saints enter into as soon as they are rid of their mortal bodies, and the mortality of them.

Now he that has wrought us for the selfsame thing
By "the selfsame thing" is meant, either the cross, the burden of sorrows and afflictions, under which the saints groan whilst here, which God has appointed them unto, and therefore to be bore patiently by them; or that glory and immortality, which they, as vessels of mercy, were prepared by him for from everlasting; for which their bodies and souls are formed by him in creation, and for which they are made meet in regeneration, by the curious workmanship of his Spirit and grace upon them:

and seeing he "is God", and not man, who has wrought them for this, either by his secret purposes and preparations of grace in eternity, or by his open works of creation and regeneration in time; there is no doubt but they shall certainly enjoy it, since his counsels are immutable, and he is a rock, and his work is perfect; whatever he begins he finishes, nor is he ever frustrated of his end: one of Stephens's copies adds, "and has anointed us", which seems to have been transcribed from (2 Corinthians 1:21) .

Who also has given us the earnest of the Spirit ;
and therefore may be assured of possessing the inheritance, of which he is the earnest; see (2 Corinthians 1:22) .