<p>4:13 <i>Being defamed, we entreat- </i>The 'defamation' may well have included slander from the Corinthians; for the same word is used of how Paul was reviled or 'evil spoken of' by them (1 Cor. 10:30). The word is also frequently used of the Lord's sufferings, which Paul was fellowshipping both from the world and from his own brethren and converts.</p><p><i>We are made as the garbage of the world- </i>The Greek <i>perikatharma</i> is a form of the Greek term <i>katharmata</i> which was used to describe how a victim was killed to expiate for the people. Paul felt that all his sufferings were for the sake of others' salvation. He was surely alluding to the Lord's sufferings for our salvation, and saw his own sufferings reflecting that. There's nothing worse than to suffer for no cause or end; and Christian suffering is the supreme form of achievement for others through personal suffering.</p><p><i>The scum of the earth, even until now</i>-&nbsp; Paul described himself as the offscouring of all things- using the very language of condemned Israel (Lam. 3:45). He so wanted to see their salvation that he identified with them to this extent. By doing so he was reflecting in essence the way the Lord Jesus so identified Himself with us sinners, as our representative, &quot;made sin&quot; whatever precisely this means for the sake of saving us from that sin (2 Cor. 5:21).</p>