While there is no new paragraph here in Revised Standard Version, it will probably be better to follow Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, and others in making a break at this point.
In this matter is simply “in this” in Greek. These words may look back to what Paul has just written about the reality of their love, or it may look ahead to his comments about the collection. The latter seems probable, though Paul’s comments about their “love” and about “the collection” are closely related. If it seems necessary to clarify the meaning, translators may consider the following models: “I will tell you what I think about the collection…” or “Now about the matter of gathering money, I want you to know how I feel….”
It is best for you …: literally “for this is fitting for you who were the kind of people not only to do….” The Greek pronoun is not the simple relative pronoun “who.” It is difficult in translation to capture the sense of the pronoun “who were the kind of people,” and neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation do so. God’s New Covenant attempts to preserve the force of this Greek pronoun: “I am simply offering an opinion, that being the proper course to take with people like you who led the way….” Martin also attempts to maintain the force of the Greek pronoun: “for this advice befits you, you who last year were those who….”
A year ago is literally “from last year.” The period covered can be from a couple of months ago to twenty-three months ago. The Greek does not necessarily mean “twelve months ago.” Both a year ago and “last year” are possible translations. The Revised Standard Version translation suggests an interval of twelve months, which is more precise than what we can really know.
You began: the Greek word translated as you began in Revised Standard Version is ambiguous. Literally the word is “you began beforehand,” and Revised Standard Version does not fully capture the sense of this verb. Probably it means that the Corinthians began “first” (Good News Translation), that is, before the Macedonians (so also Martin; see 9.2). Although less likely, it is possible that this means that they began “before Titus had come to Corinth.”
Not only to do but to desire: the logical order is that one first desires something and then one acts on that desire. Paul has reversed the order here, however, to give emphasis to their desire. For Paul it was important that the Corinthians began to collect money for the Christians in Jerusalem, but it was even more important that they had the desire to do so.
A possible model for this verse as a whole is provided by Knox: “I am only giving you my advice, then, in this matter: you can claim that as your due, since it was you who led the way, not only in acting, but in proposing to act, as early as last year.” Providing a different model, Contemporary English Version restructures the verse as follows: “A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to. So listen to my advice. [11] I think you should finish what you started.” It should be noted, however, that the Revised Standard Version words now to complete occur as a part of this verse; yet Contemporary English Version translates them as the first part of verse 11, which is where the idea of completion is found in Greek. The problem is that Revised Standard Version has expressed the idea of completing in this verse and then repeated it in the following verse, but Contemporary English Version has chosen to translate this idea only once.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .