“I therefore so runne, not as vncertainely: so fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre:”
1611 King James Version (KJV)
9:26 I so run, not as uncertainly - I look straight to the goal; I run straight toward it. I cast away every weight, regard not any that stand by. I fight not as one that beateth the air - This is a proverbial expression for a man's missing his blow, and spending his strength, not on his enemy, but on empty air.
1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly. Not as one who had no definite goal before him. His eye was fixed upon the heavenly prize. So fight I, not as one that beateth the air. The first figure is of a runner with a definite object; the second is taken from the boxer who strikes the air instead of his competitor. So fights not Paul. He puts a skillful aim into his blows.