For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn't it even you, before our Lord Jesus{TR adds "Christ"} at his coming?
στεφανον καυχησεως, "a crown of rejoicing", or "glorying": the Hebrew phrase עטרת תפארת, may be rendered "a crown of glory", as the phrase here is by the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions; but does not mean the crown of glory, life, righteousness, and immortality, the apostle expected at the hands of Christ another day; nor that his being an instrument of the conversion of these persons was the ground of such an expectation, or was what entitled him to such a crown; since he knew that conversion work was owing to the powerful grace of God, and the crown of eternal life was his free gift; but that it would be an honour to him, and give him abundant joy and pleasure at the coming of Christ, to be encircled with such a number of souls he had been useful to, and who were his spiritual children; just as children's children are the crown of old men, Proverbs 17:6 all this is put by way of question, which strongly affirms,