Identifying "Them" in Second Corinthians 5:19

The verse reads:

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19

The key pronoun is "them" in the phrase, "not imputing their trespasses unto them." The question is whether "them" should be taken as Jews, Gentiles, or some narrower group.

The Immediate Grammatical Context

The nearest explicit noun is "the world" (Greek kosmos, singular). However, in Greek it is perfectly acceptable for a singular collective noun to be referred to by a plural pronoun when persons are in view. In many texts "world" clearly means people rather than the physical universe (for example, John 1:29; John 3:16).

In this passage, "reconciling the world unto himself" depicts God’s reconciling action directed toward humanity in general. "Not imputing their trespasses unto them" then naturally explains what that reconciliation entails: God is no longer counting the world’s trespasses against them.

Thus, at the simplest level, "them" refers to the persons encompassed by "the world" in view: humanity as such.

Clarification from the Broader Context

The surrounding verses help clarify the scope. In verse 15 Paul writes:

"And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

Here:

• "He died for all" states the universal extent of Christ’s death.
• "They which live" uses a present active participle: "the living." Grammatically this is not a technical term for believers but simply those who are alive.
• "Him which died for them" uses "them" to refer back to "they which live"—that is, to the living.

In the flow of thought, Paul moves from:

• Christ’s death for all (v. 15index[scripture]2 Corinthians 5:15)
• to the new perspective on all persons (vv. 16–17index[scripture]2 Corinthians 5:16–17)
• to God reconciling "the world" to himself and not imputing their trespasses to them (v. 19index[scripture]2 Corinthians 5:19).

This sequence consistently presents the scope of God’s reconciling work in terms of "all" and "world," not in terms of a restricted ethnic group.

Answering the Jew/Gentile Question

Nothing in the grammar or context narrows "them" to Jews only or to Gentiles only. On the contrary:

• "All" in verse 15 is unqualified.
• "World" in verse 19 is unqualified.
• Paul’s subsequent appeal is likewise unqualified: "we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God" (v. 20index[scripture]2 Corinthians 5:20).

Therefore:

"Them" in 2 Corinthians 5:19 refers to human beings in general—the persons included in "the world" that God was reconciling to himself in Christ. It is neither Jews only nor Gentiles only, but all living humans who are the objects of this reconciling work.

If one wishes to distinguish Jew and Gentile in this context, both are included equally. The text does not support restricting "them" to one group as opposed to the other.

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