2 Corinthians 11

David Lipscomb Commentary On 2nd Corinthians 112 Corinthians 11:1 Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness:—[Paul has been forced by the challenge of the Judaizers into an argument which to him was very distasteful. In this case it was indeed necessary; but he describes it as foolishness, and he asks the Corinthians to bear with him a little longer, as the matter which has extorted his self-vindication from him is one of the greatest importance.]but indeed ye do bear with me.—He turns from a request to an assurance that, on account of their love for him, they bear with him while he asserts his apostolic mission and authority.2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealously:—A godly jealousy is a pious zeal of which God is both the author and the object, and is such a zeal as he has. The feeling which Paul had for the church was no selfish or mercenary in­terest, but such as arose from his desire that the church should be faithful to Christ, and not turn aside to another.for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.—In this the church is represented as a virgin espoused to Christ, arranged by Paul who pro­moted the espousal, desiring that she should be a chaste virgin who had not lavished her affections on others when Jesus shall come to take her to himself and abide with her. If the espoused cannot comply with the terms and conditions im­posed, she cannot stand the test he has made, and is rejected as a spurious and unreal love.2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness,—The false teachers who came into their midst and turned the disciples away from their true love to God and an unshaken fidelity to his word, to things Paul had not taught, is compared to the evil one entering Eden and turning Eve from her loyalty to God. [The New Testament writers sanction and confirm the historical verity of the Old Testament record. The account of the temptation as recorded in Genesis is regarded by the inspired writers of the New Tes­tament not as a myth, or an allegory, or fiction, but a true story.]your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.—Satan operates through his word, institutions, and appointments to accomplish his work. Every rebel against God is a minister of Satan; every word of opprobrium, reproach, or disparagement of the church of Christ, every discouraging word spoken, or influence exerted against faithful obedience to the gospel in its spirit and pre­cepts, is the devil working and speaking through his minis­ters.

The kingdoms of earthly mould, the institutions of man’ s framing, the fashions, the public sentiment of the world, are all institutions of Satan to divert men’ s heart from God. Every institution and appointment that is not God’ s planting is a means through which Satan exerts his influence to wean man from God.

Whoever comes into the church of God, and with fair promises leads men away from a strict loyalty to God and his word to things not taught, is used by the evil one to corrupt their minds from the simplicity of the truth re­vealed in Christ.2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preached another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.—Exactly what the false teachers taught is not clear. They denied that Paul was an apostle and sought to supersede his influence and authority among them, and probably sought to reinstate the law of Moses, yet this is not clear. This shows that men may acknowledge many of the leading truths of the Christian religion, yet so pervert the teachings as to make it another gospel. If he who comes should preach another Jesus, or if they received a different spirit bestowing miraculous powers, or a different gospel plan of salvation from that they received from Paul, then they might bear with him. But these teachers came with nothing different, acknowledging the Jesus that Paul preached, the same spirit, the same plan of salvation, yet denied that Paul, working miracles by the Spirit, was a teacher from God, and so perverted the teachings of the Spirit. Paul seems to think there was more inconsistency in acknowledging Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and then changing their teachings, than in deny­ing outright that Jesus is the Christ, or that the Spirit was sent from God.

Many now do as these false teachers did— ac­knowledge Jesus and the Spirit, and the gospel from God, yet change and pervert the teaching. They are placed by Paul as he did these early teachers, in company with the serpent in Eden deceiving Eve.[The import of this verse is not quite clear, and commen­tators differ in their interpretation.

But it is clear enough that the reference is to the Judaizing teachers who threatened to carry away the Galatian Christians. (Galatians 1:6-9). In this case the import is that Paul might well be jealous over them, for they seemed ready to drink in the teaching of these men. In the interpretation of the passage it is necessary to bear in mind that Paul begins this paragraph with the wish that the Corinthians would “ bear with me” in the constrained “ foolish­ness” of boasting, to which he adds, “ but indeed ye do bear with me.” He gives us a reason for this earnestness, his “ godly jealousy,” which fills him with great anxiety as to their spiritual welfare. He then adverts (verses 3, 4) to the source of his fear of their estrangement from Christ through the perverse teaching of those who were preaching “ another Jesus” than the crucified and risen Christ whom he himself had preached to them, and were consequently inculcating “ a different gospel” from that which they had received from him. What now could be more appropriate and more closely con­nected with this than to end with the enforcement of the ear­nest entreaty which begins this train of thought by saying, “ ye do well to bear with me” in his anxious effort to expose every such adversary of the truth and to hold them in stead­fast loyalty to the redeeming Christ of the gospel which he preached. He had said in full form of expression, “ but indeed ye do bear with me,” and after presenting his argument in jus­tification of this entreaty repeats it in elliptical form, and ac­cording to usage the word to be supplied is the one that is found in the complete form of expression already employed.

To suppose that Paul, after speaking of the false teachers who would preach “ a different gospel” for his, ironically says, “ ye do well to bear with him,” is absurd; for this would re­quire emphasis upon the pronoun and hence demand its ac­tual appearance in the sentence. The simple construction is that Paul, after entreating them to bear with him in his efforts to detach them from false teachers, shows from the character of their teaching that the Corinthians would do well to bear with him in his effort and accordingly urges them to do so.]2 Corinthians 11:5 For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.—He had shown all the powers that the very chiefest of the apostles, Peter, James, and John, possessed.

God had given his testimony to Paul as an apostle as fully as he had to them. He was behind them in no qualification, and greatly surpassed them in the extent of his labors and sufferings for the cause of Christ.2 Corinthians 11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowl­edge;—Paul was a scholar, learned and wise in the use of knowledge. He was plain and direct in speech and fearlessly denounced wrongs and perverters of the word of God. [They charged him with being rude and rough, and not following the rhetorical style of reasoning. He accepted this as true, but said he was not deficient in knowledge and the truths he preached, having received them by direct revelation from heaven. (Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 3:4-5).]nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things.—In everything he had made himself plain, intelligi­ble, and had given ample proof of his knowledge of the gospel to all men while in their midst.2 Corinthians 11:7 Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought?—The only thing Paul had done that the other apos­tles did not was that he had not been chargeable to any of them while preaching to them. He worked with his own hands to supply his wants. He calls this abasing himself that they might be free from charge and that he might save the more. [In suggesting that it was perhaps a sin to preach the gospel of God for nought, Paul is using the language of bitter irony, compare 12:13, where the allusion is the same—“ for­give me this wrong.” He was deeply hurt by the ungenerous construction of his generosity.

The grace of God is more elo­quently proclaimed by the preacher who illustrates it in his own conduct.]2 Corinthians 11:8I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you;—He accepted assistance from other churches while preaching to the Corinthians, but he does not mean that what he received was against the will of those help­ing him; but he deprived others of their goods by receiving help from them while preaching to the Corinthians. [There is a pointed contrast between others and you; and the language is very vigorous; the contribution from other churches he characterizes as robbery— the motive of which was service to you— though from another point of view it is simply wages. (1 Corinthians 9:7). In Corinth, as the sequel shows, the most scrupu­lous care must be taken to give no offense, and Paul would be less exposed to reproach, if he accepted nothing from the Co­rinthians for his services.]2 Corinthians 11:9and when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man;—When he needed, and what his own labor did not furnish, the churches supplied. [This recalls with almost tragic force his laboring among the Corinthians, how earnestly and successfully they knew well, and yet in want.]for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want;—He instances the brethren coming from Macedonia and supplying his wants when he began to be in need. [The Philippians had sent supplies to him while he was in Thessalonica “ once and again” (Philippians 4:15-16), and it was a natural sequence that they should send to him also at Corinth.]and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.—He had not been charge­able to any of them, nor did he intend to be. [He accepted with gratitude free gifts from a distance.

For these he felt to be a meet expression of spiritual life.]2 Corinthians 11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia.—This is a solemn form of earnestly saying he will not be stopped from this privilege of boasting that he preached the gospel without charge. (1 Corinthians 9:18). That is, in the regions of Achaia he did not in­tend to take help that would prevent his boasting. He desig­nates this region because there his course had been attacked.2 Corinthians 11:11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth—He appeals to God as to how strong his love was for them.2 Corinthians 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion;—He did not refuse their help because he did not love them, but because he had deter­mined to cut off all occasion for his enemies to charge that he was seeking gain of them.that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.—[Paul’ s enemies desired that they should be on an equality with him. But they accepted support while Paul did not; though it pleased them to construe this as an admission that he was not a true apostle, the obvious unselfishness of Paul’ s policy was, to candid men, a sufficient refutation of this argu­ment. Paul therefore in this respect had a distinct advantage over them, and he was determined to retain it.

The apostolic equality with him to which they aspired he rendered impossi­ble by adopting an unselfish policy which their avarice would not let them imitate.]2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles,—False apostles were those who claimed to be apostles. They claimed to be what they were not, and usurped an authority which did not belong to them.deceitful workers,—They were workers in so far as they were preachers or teachers; but they were not honest; they availed themselves of every means to deceive and pervert the people.

They were workers; but with hidden, selfish, and wicked motives.fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.—[Though their real object was not to advance the kingdom and glory of Christ, and although they were never commissioned for that work, they gave themselves out as Christ’ s messengers and servants, and even claimed to have more intimate relation with him, and to be more devoted to his service than Paul himself.]2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.—Satan pretends to be an angel of light to men, seeking their good. So he appeared to Eve and deceived her. He generally comes in the garb of righteousness pre­tending to seek the good of those he would ruin.2 Corinthians 11:15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness;—Since this is true of Satan, it is not a strange thing that his servants should fol­low his example and claim to be ministers of light. These im­postors claiming to be apostles were an example of this. They yet do it. Every one who seeks to turn the children of God from his appointed ways is a minister of Satan, even though he thinks he is serving God. [This fearful description implies that Paul’ s opponents, though church members and professed followers of Jesus Christ, were bad men, deliber­ately deceiving the Corinthian Christians.

Therefore since Satan even assumes the garb of righteousness in order to en­snare men, it is no wonder that these men assumed a garb which was not their own.]whose end shall be according to their works.—The end of all such shall correspond to their works; evil works bring an evil end. [They are guilty of the deepest sort of lie, and their punishment will be as terrible as their sin.]2 Corinthians 11:16I say again,—[Paul had made three attempts to begin his glorying. First (2 Corinthians 10:7), he stops to give attention to the empty glorying of his opponents; second (2 Corinthians 11:1), he pauses to express his anxiety for the Corinthian Christians under the in­fluence of false teachers; and third (2 Corinthians 11:6), he stops again to answer the charge of not accepting support.

Now he returns to the point and expresses himself fully as far as 2 Corinthians 12:13.Let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish re­ceive me, that I also may glory a little.—While averring that his course was not that of a foolish, self-boaster, he tells them that if they think he is, receive him as such, as bear with him to see if he has not as much of which to boast as those whom they had received in their boasting.2 Corinthians 11:17 That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying.—[The words ren­dered “ after the Lord” possibly mean according to the spirit of the Lord, “ who never boasted in this manner.” Self-praise, in itself considered, is not the spirit of the Christian; it is not a work to which the Spirit of Christ impels the believer. But, when it is necessary to the vindication of the truth or the honor of Christ, it becomes a duty.] What Paul now says, he does after the manner of the boasters, to show that he has much stronger claims than they do to be received, even on their own grounds.2 Corinthians 11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.—As the false apostles gloried in their fleshly relation to Abraham, he meets them on this ground. [Here for the first time, he tells just what course his glorying is to take. It is to his claim to honor as a man. It includes his ancestry, his en­durance of physical hardships in his ministry, and the special visions and revelations which had been granted to him. His opponents so magnified themselves and their services, and so depreciated him and his labors, that he was forced, in order to maintain his influence as the advocate of the pure gospel, to set forth his claims to the confidence of the people.]2 Corinthians 11:19 For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise your­selves.—Before presenting his claims as a child of Abraham, he tells them that they are wise (in their own conceits), that they can afford to bear with him while he meets the foolish on their own ground to show that he has greater claims than they.2 Corinthians 11:20 For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself,—This is given as a reason why they should bear with him in his boasting. A reason personal to them.

The false apostles had brought them into bondage; they had become lords over God’ s heritage; they had devoured their substance; they had taken them captive by bringing them around to serve their ends. They had borne all these things from the false apostles.

They certainly could bear a little boasting from him.if he smiteth you on the face.—[To smite on the face was the highest indignity; as such it was offered to our Lord (Luke 22:64), and to Paul (Acts 23:2). Such was the treat­ment to which the Corinthians submitted from the hands of false teachers. They really took away their freedom is Christ as much as if they had been abject slaves. It is only the pure and undefiled of our Lord Jesus Christ that gives perfect free­dom. All heathens are slaves to their priests; all those who embrace error are slaves to those who are their guides.]2 Corinthians 11:21I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak.—In this boasting he ironically brings reproach upon himself, or disparages himself as though he were weak, but he was not weakYet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.—In this he refers to the reproach cast upon him, as a weak preacher, because he showed none of that proud and insolent bearing which the false teachers did. But he could be as bold as they, and with much better reason too. [Now fol­lows that incomparable burst of indignant eloquence, embody­ing particulars of history, or rather bare allusions to facts in his apostolic history— extending over about fourteen years, without any of those details which we should be so glad to have.]2 Corinthians 11:22 Are they Hebrews?—This then was their boasts. [They were Jews of Palestine, speaking Aramaic, reading the law and the prophets in the original.]so am I.—His answer is that he too was a Hebrew [or as he puts it, “ a Hebrew of Hebrews.” (Philippians 3:5).

What he means is obviously that his parents were Jews of Palestine and that the accident of his birth had not annulled his claim to that nationality. As a matter of fact, it made him able to unite things that were commonly looked upon as incompatible, and to be both a Hebrew and a Hellenist.]Are they Israelites?—They claimed to be members of the nation which traced its origin to Jacob (Genesis 32:28), and which had, through all its history, been a nation whose God was Jehovah.so am I.—His response to this was that he too was an Isra­elite of the purest blood and the accident of his having been born in Tarsus did not annul his claim to that nationality, nei­ther did it prevent his being brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel their great teacher. (Acts 22:3).Are they the seed of Abraham?—They boasted that they were the descendants of Abraham.

This will all the Jews was regarded as a distinguished honor (Matthew 3:9; John 8:39), and no doubt the false apostles gloried in it as eminently qual­ifying them to engage in the work of the ministry.so am I.—The mention of the “ seed of Abraham” to Paul was an equivalent to “ heirs according to the promise” (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 22:17; Galatians 3:8; Galatians 3:29); it describes the Jewish people as directly and immediately interested in “ this salvation of God” (Luke 2:30; Acts 28:28). [No one can read Romans 9:4-5 without feeling that pride of race as pride in his people— and in their special relation to God and their special place in the history of redemption— was among the strongest passions in his heart; and we can understand the indignation with which he regarded men who trailed him over Asia and Europe, assailed his authority, and sought to undermine his work, on the ground that he was faithless to the lawful prerogatives of Israel. There was not a son of Abraham in the world prouder of his birth, with a more magnificent sense of his people’ s glo­ries than the apostle to the Gentiles. And it provoked him be­yond endurance to see the things in which he gloried debased, as they were debased, by his enemies— made the symbol of paltry vanity which he despised, made barriers to the univer­sal love of God by which all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Driven to extremity, he could only outlaw such op­ponents from the Christian community, and say to the Gentile Christians: “ We are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confi­dence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3).]2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ?—They called themselves apostles and ministers; but Paul called them false apostles and ministers of Satan. [This defines fairly accurately who they were. They claimed to be more genuinely ministers of Christ than Paul. That is, they were Judaizers seeking to ground all Christian faith, first of all in Jewish form and cere­mony.](I speak as one beside himself)—[This is a strong expres­sion, and is said out of the consciousness of ill desert and utter insufficiency.

Feeling himself to be in himself both im­potent and unworthy, this self-laudation, though having refer­ence only to his infirmities and to what God had done in him and by him, was in the highest degree painful and humiliating to him.]I more;—He claimed to be something beyond the ordinary servant of Christ. [This is the frantic boast which he pro­ceeds to justify in a fragment of biography which must ever be accounted as the most remarkable and unique in the world’ s history.]in labors more abundantly,—More abundant in labors nec­essary to propagate the gospel and more indefatigable in it. [The comparison between himself and them were reference to these conclusively shows how far they were from being minis­ters of Christ. They did not labor, but claimed the fruits of his labor. (2 Corinthians 10:15-16).

But comparison, in fact, was out of the question— the sufferings of Paul in laboring for the advance­ment of the cause of Christ were unparalleled and alone. The few lines he devotes to them are the most vivid light on the apostolic age and the apostolic career.]in prisons more abundantly,—[Luke mentions only one im­prisonment of Paul before this time. That was at Philippi. (Acts 16:23-39). But we must remember that many things which actually occurred were omitted by Luke. He does not profess to give an account of all that happened to Paul.]in stripes above measure,—[This probably refers to scourg­ings inflicted by the heathen, which were not limited to forty stripes save one to which the Jews were restricted.]in deaths oft.—He suffered as though he died, “ for we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11). No one familiar with his life can doubt that he was often in danger of death.2 Corinthians 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.—[None of these occasions are mentioned in Acts but he may have been whipped at Damascus on his conversion, and then at Jerusalem, and again at Antioch.

The chiefs of the syna­gogue had the power to inflict stripes on their own people, and would often exercise the jurisdiction against Paul, who was in the habit of preaching in the synagogue what was re­garded as heresy. The number of stripes was not to exceed forty (Deuteronomy 25:3); whence the Jews took care not to exceed thirty-nine (Josephus, Ant. iv. 8, sec. 21).

The convict was stripped to the waist and tied in a bent position to a low pil­lar, and the stripes with a whip of three thongs were inflicted on the back between the shoulders. (Acts 22:25). A single stripe in excess subjected the executioner to punishment. The fortieth was omitted that they might not by mistake ex­ceed the number allowed. The infliction was severe and fre­quently resulted in death.]2 Corinthians 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods,—This was the Roman mode of scourging, and this also sometimes resulted in death. Only one of these three cases is recorded in Acts 16:22-24. In Paul’ s case it was an illegal act, and inflicted barbarously and with cruel aggravation, the bleeding backs of him and his companion being left to smart on the floor of a dark dungeon, while their feet were fast in stocks.once was I stoned,—This was the usual mode of punish­ment among the Jews for blasphemy.

The instance referred to here occurred at Lystra. After stoning him, they “ dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.” (Acts 14:19).thrice I suffered shipwreck,—[None of these are recorded, but Paul was frequently on the seas in the course of his la­bors, and from defective navigation and unskilled shipbuild­ing, and from want of the mariner’ s compass, wrecks were fre­quent.]a night and a day have I been in the deep;—It is probable that in this Paul refers to some time, when having been ship­wrecked, he was saved by supporting himself on a plank or fragment of the vessel until he obtained relief.

Such a situa­tion is one of great peril, and he mentions it, therefore, among the trials which he had endured.2 Corinthians 11:26in journeyings often,—[Traveling in those days was both arduous and dangerous. Journeyings seem to introduce the various forms of peril, just as labors introduced the experi­ences with magistrates and mobs.]in perils of rivers,—[In all countries which, like parts of Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece, abound in unbridged mountain torrents, journeys are constantly accompanied by deaths from drowning in the sudden rush of swollen streams.]in perils of robbers,—Some of the mountain regions through which he passed are known to have been infested by robbers, and it is probable that he was often attacked and his life was endangered.in perils from my countrymen,—The Jews in most cases were the first to stir up opposition and to excite the mob against him. This was the case at Damascus (Acts 9:23), at Jerusalem (Acts 9:29), at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:50), at Iconium (Acts 14:5), at Lystra (Acts 14:19), at Thessalonica (Acts 17:5), at Berea (Acts 17:13), and at Corinth (Acts 18:12). They had deep enmity against him as an apostle, and he was in constant danger of being put to death by them.in perils from the Gentiles,—The Gentiles were generally stirred up against him by the Jews, but sometimes by inter­ested idolaters, as at Iconium (Acts 14:5), at Philippi (Acts 16:19-24), at Ephesus (Acts 19:23-31).in perils in the city,—Damascus (Acts 9:23), Jerusalem (Acts 9:29), Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:50), Iconium (Acts 14:5), Lystra (Acts 14:19), Philippi (Acts 16:19), Thessalonica (Acts 17:5), Berea (Acts 17:13), Corinth (Acts 18:13), and Ephesus (Acts 19:23).in perils in the wilderness,—[In traveling through the wild waste tracts of land between Perga and Antioch in Pisidia, or thence to Lystra and Derbe; or over the mountain of Taurus into the cities of Galatia where he would be exposed to the at­tacks of wild beasts, or to hunger and want.] He met with constant danger wherever he was, whether in the busy haunts of men or in the solitude and loneliness of the desert.in perils in the sea,—He had encountered many storms, shipwrecks, and had most likely been beset by pirates.in perils among false brethren;—It is probable that this re­fers to the treachery of those who professed to be his brethren in Christ, and yet endeavored to deliver him into the power of his enemies. [This was the crowning danger and trial to Paul, as it is to all others. A man can better bear danger by land and sea, among robbers and in deserts, than he can bear to have his confidence abused, and to be subjected to the ac­tions and the arts of spies upon his conduct.]2 Corinthians 11:27in labor and travail,—Wearisome toil and consequent ex­haustion and suffering resulting from the hard work wherever he preached.in watchings often,—He pursued the labor and travail by night as well as by day and so incurred the want of sleep. He also sacrificed sleep for teaching and preaching (Acts 20:31), as well as for prayer and meditation (1 Thessalonians 3:10).in hunger and thirst,—The hunger and thirst endured was through lack of necessary food.in fastings often,—The fastings were abstinence practiced when he preferred the service of Christ and labor for the sal­vation of men to the satisfaction of physical want. (2 Corinthians 6:5).in cold and nakedness.—All these hardships were the neces­sary accompaniments of a life spent in traversing half-civi­lized countries, such as Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece. [He was insufficiently clad.

In his labors his clothing became old and badly worn, and he had no friends to replace them, nei­ther had he money with which to buy new ones.][In all this we cannot resist the impression of triumph with which Paul records the “ perils” he had faced; so many they were, so various and so terrible, yet in the Lord’ s service he had come safely through them all. It is a commentary from his own hand on his own words—“ As dying, and behold, we live.” (2 Corinthians 6:9).

In the retrospect all these perils show not only that he was a true servant of Christ, entering into fellowship with his Master’ s sufferings to bring blessings to men, but that he was owned by Christ as such. The Lord had deliv­ered him from deaths so great; yes, and he would deliver him; and his hope was set on him for every deliverance he might need. (2 Corinthians 1:10). In all their kinds and degrees— violence, priva­tion, exposure, fear— they are a historical testimony to the de­votion with which Paul had served Christ. He bore in his body the marks which they had left, and to him they were “ the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17); they identified him as Jesus Christ’ s bond servant.]2 Corinthians 11:28 Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.—In addi­tion to all these bodily afflictions, one harder to be borne was that he, as the apostle to the Gentiles, felt the care of all the churches resting upon him. The anxiety which he had for them was more real and intense than that which the ordinary man has about food and raiment. This came as a daily and a constant burden— to see that they were properly taught and trained in the way of the Lord.

Each epistle which he wrote manifested different causes of anxieties, and different admoni­tions, and different thanksgivings, so that he must have kept himself perfectly alive to the spiritual necessities of each.2 Corinthians 11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak?—Paul, in sympathy with all men, felt their weaknesses and infirmities. He be­came all things to all men.

He felt and bore the weaknesses of the body with them.who is caused to stumble, and I bum not?—Who was led into sin that he did not feel the shame and sorrow with him? Paul, like Jesus, bore the sins and weaknesses of the children of God with them. Yet despite all these sufferings in spirit and body, sorrows and burdens, Paul rejoiced as few men have rejoiced. Jesus was “ a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” on whom the stripes of all were laid, suffered as never man suffered, yet beyond all doubt was the happiest being who ever trod this earth. Happiest because he did and suffered most to make others happy. After Jesus, Paul was the happiest man on earth because he suffered more to make others happy.

This is a new way of happiness opened by Jesus to man that we learn so slowly. Yet the truest happi­ness of earth comes from denying self to help others.

This is akin to the happiness of heaven.2 Corinthians 11:30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that con­cern my weakness,—As Paul was forced to glory, he gloried in what he had suffered for God and man. This was a new theme for glorying, it was a new way to prove his apostleship and power from God. How strange, how unanswerable, how crushing to his enemies. It was like the Master. He proved his love for men by what he suffered for them.2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth that I lie not.—[Paul’ s glorying was so different from the common glorying among men that he felt that some would not appreciate his deep feelings, and would listen to his words with astonishment and doubt; but this sol­emn affirmation is in keeping with the fervid character of the whole passage. It is thrown in somewhat independently, hav­ing reference to what precedes and what follows.]2 Corinthians 11:32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me:—From the mass of his past endurances for Christ, he selects as a specimen and proof of all the rest this great fact, occurring at the beginning of his Christian career— a fair note to the whole— to show his sufferings and deliverances as an apostle. [Paul saw enacted in Damascus a scene like some in which he had played a part in Jerusalem, but with his own part re­versed.

He experienced some of the ill-treatment which he had heaped upon others. From the account given by Luke (Acts 9:23; Acts 9:25), we learn that when he heard of their plot to kill him he hid himself; but his enemies, thinking that he would try to escape through one of the gates of the city, and that they would be sure of finding him, kept constant watch for him.

This watching also became known to his friends, which shows that they too were on the watch, and they provided for him another mode of escape.]2 Corinthians 11:33and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.—[Along the wall of Damascus some of the houses were built against the wall, with upper stories of wood resting on the top of the wall. Out of a win­dow in one of these he was let down by the side of the wall in a basket. This attempt to kill him was the effect of his preaching on unbelieving Jews. The effect was seen “ when many days were fulfilled” (Acts 9:23), an indefinite expres­sion which might mean a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. But we learn from Paul’ s own statement (Galatians 1:17-18) that his escape occurred three years after his conversion and within this period he had made a sojourn into Arabia. How far he had gone into Arabia, or how long he had re­mained there, he does not say; but he does say that after the excursion he returned to Damascus, and it is easy to see that the attempt to kill him occurred after his return.

He also says that “ the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes” in order to take him, which shows that Damascus was then under the dominion of Aretas, who was king of Arabia, and that the Jews had his cooperation in the attempt to arrest Paul in the gates. Furthermore, as Da­mascus was at that time under the king of Arabia, the country of and adjacent to it must have been overrun by his forces, and for the time in which he held it it would be styled a part of Arabia.

Saul’ s sojourn there, then may have been into this re­gion for the purpose of preaching in its cities and villages; and it may have been his activity in this work which aroused the Jewish opposition to its highest pitch, and at the same time enabled them to enlist the Arabian government in their plot. For many reasons unknown to us the danger in Damas­cus, and the escape from it, had a peculiar interest for Paul. He gloried in what he had endured there in imminent peril and in the undignified escape alike— as in things belonging to his weakness. Another might choose to hide such things, but they are precisely what he tells. In Christ’ s service scorn is glory, ignominy is honor; and it is the mark of loyalty when men rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.] Verse 1 2 Corinthians 11This chapter, along with the first 10 verses of the next chapter, is printed in the English Revised Version (1885) in but two paragraphs, the general theme of which is Paul’s Apostolic Labors and Sufferings. This is sometimes called Paul’s Boasting Chapter. A large number of different subjects are touched upon, and it ranks as one of the most interesting passages in the New Testament. Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness. (2 Corinthians 11:1) Paul was about to speak of his own labors, sufferings and qualifications; and, to him, it was distasteful and somewhat embarrassing to do so; however, the false apostles who had intruded themselves into the Corinthian scene had spoken of the apostle so adversely, and the rather naive Corinthians had shown such vulnerability to their seductions, that Paul destroyed them in the withering attack recorded here, reluctantly meeting them upon their own grounds, and, in a sense, stooping to their level of personal boasting in order to do it. His enemies were only a minority of the Corinthian church; and even these “are divided into two classes, the leaders and the led; and Paul does not always keep these separate in his mind."[1] Yet in this chapter, “He clearly appealed to those who were led and denounced those who led them."[2]The great majority at Corinth had Paul’s confidence. He believed they would bear with him and not misunderstand his motives. Carver said, “Again he is giving voice to his underlying confidence in the church at Corinth, as expressed in 2 Corinthians 7:4 2 Corinthians 7:14 2 Corinthians 7:16; 2 Corinthians 8:24, and 2 Corinthians 9:2."[3] Some would understand this verse as imperative, a plea that the Corinthians would bear with Paul (as in English Revised Version (1885) margin); but the preferred meaning is, “Yet my prayer is not necessary, for you do, in fact, bear with me."[4] Thus the unity of this epistle is evident in the fact that “His confidence in the Corinthians, his boldness' on their behalf, shines clearly through."[5]A little foolishness ... God's word commands that a fool should be answered according to his folly (<a href="/bible/parallel/PRO/26/5" class="green-link">Proverbs 26:5</a>), and this was exactly the thing Paul proposed to do here. [1] J. W. McGarvey, Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Standard Publishing Company, 1916), p. 225. [2] Ibid. [3] Frank C. Carver, Beacon Bible Commentary (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1968), Vol. 8, p. 601. [4] R. V. G. Tasker, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958), p. 144. [5] Philip E. Hughes, Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), p. 373. Verse 2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.Godly jealousy ... "This means a jealousy like that of God, not a mean, blind or unworthy passion, but a justified concern for the honor and purity of the church at Corinth."[6]Espoused you to one husband ... "The word espoused’ is used of the act of a father who gives his daughter in marriage."[7] Broomall noted that “The espousal took place at conversion; the presentation' will be consummated at the Second Coming";[8] however, Kelcy was correct in not limiting the "presentation" to the Second Coming. "It includes the thought of himself as presenting them to Christ as a pure virgin’ all along during his ministry."[9]; Romans 12:1 f confirms Kelcy’s view of this. “Paul was very far from despising marriage, since he made it a symbol”[10] of the final union of the church with her Lord. As a pure virgin to Christ … This whole verse means that Paul was just as jealously concerned for the purity of the church as a father would be for the purity of a daughter betrothed to a kingly bridegroom. [6] Floyd V. Filson, The Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1953), Vol. X, p. 392. [7] E. H. Plumptre, Ellicott’s Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), Vol. VII, p. 401. [8] Wick Broomall, Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 682. [9] Raymond C. Kelcy, Second Corinthians (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet Company, 1967), p. 62. [10] E. H. Plumptre, op. cit., p. 401. Verse 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.For a list of other New Testament passages bearing upon the great apostasy, see my Commentary on Acts, pp. 395,396, and my Commentary on Matthew, p. 96. At the time of Paul’s writing, only a few of the Corinthians were under the domination of the false apostles, “But there was a risk that they might distract the church as a whole from its loyalty to Christ."[11] Historically, and as regards the entire church on earth, Paul’s fears were more than justified. The great analogy between Eve as the wife of Adam I and the church as the wife of Adam II is in bold relief here. The seduction of Eve was therefore viewed by Paul as a prophecy of the seduction of the church. Paul dealt with this at length in 2 Thessalonians 2. Just as Satan through subtlety deceived Eve, Paul feared that the false apostles, doing the work of Satan, would deceive the church. Several things of great importance appear in these lines: (1) The account of the temptation and fall as recorded in Genesis “was regarded by the inspired writers of the New Testament not as myth, allegory or fiction, but as a true record of what happened."[12] (2) Human egotism has always been the point of vulnerability of people. As Tasker said: From Eve onwards the human heart has been prone to be deceived by those who, appearing to have wisdom, insinuate the most destructive of all lies, that men are not under an imperative duty to recognize and obey God.[13]Craftiness … This is even a stronger word than “subtlety,” the corresponding word in Genesis; and it means “an extreme malignity which is capable of anything."[14]The serpent beguiled Eve … True and historical as the Genesis account is, there are mysteries in it which remain unknown. Macknight spoke of one of these thus: Some think that the devil in that history is called a serpent figuratively, because in tempting Eve he used the qualities natural to serpents; and that the punishment inflicted on him, namely, his being confined to our atmosphere, is figuratively expressed by his going on his belly and eating dust. But others think that in the history of the fall the devil is called a serpent because he assumed the appearance of a serpent: and that after the fall a change was actually made in the form and state of that animal as a memorial of the devil’s having abused its primitive form.[15][11] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 145. [12] David Lipscomb, Second Corinthians (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company), p. 138. [13] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 146. [14] Frank G. Carver, op. cit., p. 603. [15] James Macknight, Apostolical Epistles and Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 433. Verse 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.The translation of the last clause cannot be correct; for the very thing Paul wanted to correct was their “bearing with” any false apostle. The true meaning must be similar to the following renditions: You manage to put up with that well enough (NEB). Ye bear with him (the false apostle) nobly.[16] You put up with that finely.[17]He that cometh … “This either designates the outstanding leader among the false apostles, or is a generic reference to all of this group."[18] Since it is not known that there was any “outstanding leader,” it is better understood as “any man that cometh” to proclaim so false a doctrine. All of the true apostles were “sent” of God; but the false apostles were mere “comers” who commissioned themselves and were in no sense messengers from God. Preacheth another Jesus … It is not revealed in the New Testament exactly what the false teaching was. “Every opinion concerning the character and identity of these false apostles is ventured only in the realm of conjecture."[19] It is enough for us to know that their teachings were unsound, tended to immorality, denied essential truth and were utterly destroyed by Paul’s inspired epistles. As McGarvey said, “These first four verses are an introduction”[20] to the main theme of the chapter; and this verse fits in, according to Dummelow’s paraphrase, thus: My fear is not without reason, for you are certainly very favorably inclined to those who bring a different gospel; but if you can tolerate them, you can surely tolerate me.[21][16] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 940. [17] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 148. [18] Floyd V. Filson, op. cit., p. 393. [19] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 358. [20] J. W. McGarvey, op. cit., p. 226. [21] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 940. Verse 5 For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.For ages, this has been construed as a reference to the Twelve, especially to Peter, James and John, the inner circle of that sacred group; but the true meaning, as advocated by McGarvey, Kelcy and many others, appears to be that “chiefest apostles” is Paul’s designation of the false apostles who were troubling Corinth. The reasons underlying what is now the generally accepted interpretation are these: (1) The Greek words for “chiefest apostles” occur only twice in the New Testament; and, “As fresh light is thrown on the language of the New Testament, it is increasingly probable that Paul coined the word thus rendered."[22] Tasker especially favored this view.[23] Only here and in 2 Corinthians 12:11 is it found. (2) The pronouns in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 logically refer to “chiefest apostles”; and there they are designated as “false apostles” and servants of Satan. (3) In speaking of the true apostles, Paul called them “the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:5); and it is hard to believe that he would have used the words here of them, words which are quite properly rendered “super-apostles.” (4) The context favors understanding this as a reference to the false apostles; and, as Plumptre said: The whole tone of the passage ought to have made it impossible for any commentator to imagine that these words referred to Peter and James and John as the pillars of the church of Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9). Of them Paul spoke, even in his boldest moment, with respect, even where respect is mingled with reproof.[24]For these reasons, then, we shall construe “chiefest apostles” as a term of derogation applied sarcastically by Paul to the false teachers. However, the obvious truth must also be stated that, even if it did refer to Peter, James and John, it is also true of them, no less than it was true of the false apostles! Which of the Twelve themselves had any such record as is here revealed of the blessed Paul? It must be received as fact, then, that such a comment as the following from Macknight cannot be denied; for the basis of it, that Paul was not a whit behind Peter, James and John, etc., is solid truth, no matter how these words are understood. He said: “Let the Papists reconcile this account which Paul gives of himself as an apostle, with their pretended supremacy of Peter over all the apostles."[25][22] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 379. [23] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 149. [24] E. H. Plumptre, op. cit. p. 401. [25] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 434. Verse 6 But though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things.Rude in speech … In no single area of Christian literature is there a more widespread and generally accepted error than the notion that the apostle Paul was deficient as a public speaker. Filson spoke of Paul’s lack as a speaker, saying, “He admits it,” and citing this verse along with 2 Corinthians 10:10; 1 Corinthians 1:17,1 Corinthians 2:4.[26] First, we shall glance at these verses which are supposed to be Paul’s admission that he was a poor speaker. The verse here: “Rude in speech” does not mean lacking agility as a speaker. “One definition of rude' is forceful or abrupt’; and our translators could have more worthily supplied such terms, if substitute they must; but there is no end to their tampering with the text."[27] Wallace was referring to the perversion of this verse in the RSV, which has “unskilled in speaking,” which is of course a gross falsehood. See treatise below on Paul, a Skilled Speaker. The principal point, however, is that Paul here made a sarcastic reference to the slander of the false apostles; and the true meaning is, “They say I am rude in speech; but it has to be admitted that my speech makes sense, whereas theirs does not!” There is no thought whatever of Paul’s making a confession here that, after all, he is not a very good speaker. His speech is contemptible … Paul did not say this of himself. The text says, “THEY SAY … his speech is contemptible” (2 Corinthians 10:10); and just why should such an allegation from servants of Satan be allowed as gospel truth? Commentators who take this as a fact are poor friends of Paul; with friends like them, he does not need any enemies! Christ sent me … to preach the gospel, not in wisdom of words … (1 Corinthians 1:17). This has no reference whatever to Paul’s ability as a speaker, but reveals his rejection of the stylish but worthless oratorical style of the Greeks. See treatise below on Greek Oratory. I came unto you … not with excellence of speech or of wisdom … not in persuasive words of wisdom … not in the wisdom of men … (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). All that is said in the above paragraph applies equally here. There is not a hint in either place of Paul’s ability. He was an eloquent and powerful speaker. All of these expressions he was applying to the Greek oratory which he rejected as worthless, not because he COULD NOT HAVE USED IT, but because he knew a better way. GREEK ORATORYVolumes could be written about the oratorical conceit of the Greeks. Their speakers assumed an emphatic distance, constructed their speeches with all kinds of decorative phraseology, gloried in balanced phrases and clauses, sought stunning effects by the use of alliteration, used words which sounded good, no matter what their meaning, modulated their voices in undulating cycles of dynamic contrast, adopted an “oratorical tone” much like the “holy voice” affected by some preachers, skillfully employed a hundred different gestures, each having its hidden significance and known only to the profession, timed their gesticulations so that the ictus always occurred exactly with the intonation of the proper syllable, strutted like peacocks before their audiences, exposing their good Grecian profiles in moments of dramatic pause (Paul was a Jew and had no such profile), arranged their speeches in classical outlines, cut, altered or perverted all material to suit the outline, paused at predetermined intervals to receive the applause of their hearers, and produced by such devices what they called an oration! This ornate, artificial and worthless kind of speaking resulted at last in the destruction of Greece; but in Paul’s day it was still very stylish and popular among the self-imagined intelligentsia of a place like Corinth. The various references in these epistles to “wisdom of words,” “wisdom of men,” “excellency of speech,” etc., are precise and exact designations of the bombastic, worthless oratory of the Greeks, described above. That is what THEY meant by such terms; and Paul used the terms in exactly the same sense. Now, as regards Paul’s ability as a speaker, see article below. PAUL; A SKILLED SPEAKERIt may well be doubted if a more effective speaker ever lived. The great apostle to the Gentiles who preached before governors and kings delivered messages which, even in the abbreviated form of their preservation, have fired the imagination of people in all ages. Among his achievements are the following: He interrupted and calmed a vicious and unprincipled mob in the Jerusalem temple, a mob which stood transfixed, hypnotized and breathless for the great oration recorded in Acts 22. It is impossible to suppose that any weak speaker could have done a thing like that. While speaking in the streets of Athens, the center of Greek culture, Paul was invited by responsible members of the Areopagus to speak before the highest tribunal in the Greek world. Would they have invited an “unskilled” speaker? A thousand times, NO! Invitations before that tribunal were not casually passed out to mere street-preachers. The oration that he delivered there resulted in the baptism of one of the mighty judges and an undetermined number of other converts; and the content of it has challenged the thinking of nineteen centuries! Paul’s eloquence before Festus was of such persuasive and glowing quality, that when the governor entertained royalty (Agrippa II and Bernice), he presented the apostle for the entertainment of his royal guests! Does that sound like he was a timid, embarrassed, weak and incompetent speaker? Commentators who affirm such nonsense should be ashamed. Paul’s address on that occasion was so impressive, that even when Festus tried to break up the meeting, the king and his royal consort refused to leave until Paul had finished! Weak preaching? Absolutely NO! Paul converted rulers of synagogues, the governor at Paphos, the chamberlain of the City of Corinth and enjoyed the friendship of the politarchs of Ephesus. He was bilingual, possibly trilingual, and one of the best educated men of his generation. As a high sheriff of the Sanhedrin, he enjoyed a post of honor and trust which was its own inherent testimony to the man’s unusual and outstanding ability, which would of necessity have included mastery of the art of speaking. No man ever communicated his ideas to humanity any better than Paul did. Another incident confirming the views expressed here happened at Lystra, where the pagan citizens of that Lycaonian city hailed the apostle as “Hermes” (Acts 14:12). And who, pray tell, was Hermes? He was the chief speaker for the gods of Grecian civilization! Weak speaker? The Lycaonians thought he was the chief speaker of the gods! Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels … (1 Corinthians 13:1). This probably is as good an estimate of Paul’s speaking ability as any that was ever written; and the lines could reflect unconsciously his own subjective awareness of his superlative ability as a mover of mankind with the spoken word. It is our humble prayer that students of the sacred scriptures will recover themselves from the stupid error of thinking that Paul was an “unskilled” speaker. It is quite evident that much of the gratuitous downgrading of Paul as a gifted speaker derives from the thought that it is stylish, in a literary sense, to do so. [26] Floyd V. Filson, op. cit., p. 394. [27] Foy E. Wallace, Jr., A Review of the New Versions (Fort Worth, Texas: Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Publications, 1973), p. 440. Verse 7 Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for naught?The bitter sarcasm of this is evident. “Professional Greek rhetoricians (alluded to in 2 Corinthians 11:6) would be suspect if they failed to demand fees."[28] Paul’s sarcastic question is, “Have you been so completely taken in by these false apostles that you could believe I am a sinner because I did not demand your money when I preached to you the gospel?” As Lipscomb said, “This is bitter irony … he was deeply hurt by the ungenerous construction of his generosity."[29]It really is not certain that all of the alleged slanders against Paul which he answered in these lines were really spoken against him, although most commentators seem to assume this. However, Clines pointed out that, It can be argued that these extremely perverse criticisms were not actually made, but are ironically imagined by Paul in order to contrast his own and the false apostles’ attitude to financial support.[30][28] Norman Hillyer, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1085. [29] David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 141. [30] David J. A. Clines, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 436. Verse 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you.During Paul’s eighteen months ministry at Corinth when the Corinthians had been converted, he had received no money from them. He had decided that, in Corinth, the gospel would in some manner be compromised by his asking and receiving support of his many converts. It was in Corinth that Paul had labored as a tent maker, working with Aquila, in order to be free to preach without charge. It was from Corinth that he had written the letters to the Thessalonians, among whom also he had preached without imposing any financial burden upon them (1 Thessalonians 2:9). “It was Paul’s custom when preaching in a place to accept no gifts from the local people, despite the fact that it imposed a severe hardship upon himself."[31]I robbed other churches … This is a reference to the churches of Macedonia (mentioned a moment later); and thus, “It is once again that the earnestness of others' (<a href="/bible/parallel/2CO/8/8" class="green-link">2 Corinthians 8:8</a>) is set before the Corinthians; and in this we may discern another internal strand uniting these last four chapters to those which precede them."[32][31] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 385. [32] Ibid., p. 386. Verse 9 And when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want; and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.See my comment under the preceding verse. When they came from Macedonia ... These were in all probability Silas and Timothy. Based upon the record in <a href="/bible/parallel/ACT/15/40" class="green-link">Acts 15:40</a> and <a href="/bible/parallel/ACT/16/1" class="green-link">Acts 16:1</a> ff, and upon inferences from <a href="/bible/parallel/1TH/3/1" class="green-link">1 Thessalonians 3:1</a>, those were the two men referred to here, but not by name, as the Corinthians already knew who had come from Macedonia. Even this bounty only supplemented Paul's earnings as a tent maker. I was not a burden on any man ... The word here translated "burden" is a medical term derived from the name of a certain kind of fish listed by Aristotle, a creature which benumbed people who came in contact with it. Its being in the vocabulary of physicians has led to the supposition that "Paul may have derived it from Luke."[33]ENDNOTE: [33] E. H. Plumptre, op. cit., p. 402. Verse 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia.Paul did not here rule out the acceptance of funds from Christians in other places, but vehemently declared that nothing would induce him to get on the payroll of the Corinthians. All of Paul's considerations in such a decision may not be clear to us; but it is safe to believe that there were very good reasons for this; and, especially at this time, "Paul knew the spot he had them (the false apostles) in, and he meant to keep them there."[34] Even the most naive persons in Corinth could not have failed to be impressed by the fact of Paul's obvious sincerity, a fact demonstrated and made certain by his attitude toward money. ENDNOTE: [34] Frank G. Carver, op. cit., op. 608. Verse 11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.The false apostles hoped to induce Paul to accept money from the Corinthians; but this Paul adamantly refused to do. However, this was not a sign of lack of love for them, but just the opposite. He would do nothing that would give the false apostles an excuse for claiming to be on the same level with Paul. This was due to Paul's loving determination to destroy the hold of those parasites upon his beloved Corinthian converts. The false apostles were already feeling the pinch of the situation in which they found themselves. One of the things they gloried in was that of taking money from the Corinthians; and so, "They desire an occasion for inducing Paul to accept payment as they do, so that the disadvantage forced upon them by the contrast might be removed."[35] This will be made clear in the next verse. ENDNOTE: [35] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 392. Verse 12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.This is a somewhat tricky and involved sentence; but the meaning is apparently that suggested by Tasker: Those superlative apostles receive pay for their work, and would like for this difference between them and Paul to be eliminated by Paul's behaving as they do, so that they may be on an equality with him.[36]But what I do, that will I do ... Paul meant by this, "I will go right on doing as I have done all along." Why should he have taken the heat off of them? ENDNOTE: [36] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 153. Verse 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.These men at Corinth were in no sense genuine, being phony self-seekers playing the religious game for money. Lies and deception were their stock in trade; they were evil hypocrites pretending to be apostles of Christ. It is a marvel that they had managed to put together a following at Corinth; but such is the mystery of iniquity that they were fully able to do so; and the marvel of our own times is that wicked and lying deceivers are still doing the same thing. Hughes described such a marvel thus: It is no less so in our own day when an individual has only to make the most preposterous claims for himself in order to gain for himself an enthusiastic and undiscerning following. In every age, the church is under the necessity of holding fast to the doctrine of those who are Christ's true apostles. That doctrine, in a word, is that which we possess in the writings of the New Testament.[37]ENDNOTE: [37] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 393. Verse 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.The explanation reveals that such developments as that of false teachers stealing the church away from the Lord are no "marvel" at all, in one sense, but merely what should have been expected in view of the nature and tactics of the evil one. The tactics of such deceivers follow closely the pattern of Satan in Eden: (1) As Satan flatly denied God's word, evil teachers do the same today, stridently declaring their soul-destroying doctrine of salvation "by faith alone," contradicting the word of God which says people "are not justified by faith alone" (<a href="/bible/parallel/JAS/2/24" class="green-link">James 2:24</a>). (2) As Satan promised Eve that she and Adam would "be as gods," the sophisticated false teachers of this generation are doing everything in their power to deify humanity. (3) The same triple allurements of fleshly delight, pride of life, and lust of the eye which overthrew Eve are today carrying the thoughtless into every kind of sin. (4) As Satan pretended to be wise, so do the false teachers of all generations masquerade as wise ones, people in the "know" who make light of God's commands and rush into rebellion against the Creator. These are the people who make fun of Christian ordinances, deny the claims of God's church upon people's loyalty, and represent Almighty God as a doting, loving Father who will never punish anybody, and who will never notice the crimes of blood, lust and savagery raging under his very nose. And as for worshipping God, "Let that be every man doing exactly what he pleases, when he pleases, if he pleases; and God will at last save everybody." See under <a href="/bible/parallel/2CO/11/15" class="green-link">2 Corinthians 11:15</a>. Verse 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.In connection with this and the preceding verse, it has been suggested by some that "Paul may be alluding to a Jewish legend that Satan appeared to Eve in the form of an angel and sang hymns like the angels";[38] but such a tale could hardly be anything except human imagination. There does not seem to be in view here any actual event of Satan's transforming himself into an angel of light; but, in all probability, this is a metaphorical statement of the exceedingly great power of Satan to deceive people. He even appeared before the Lord during our Master's temptation, advocating a sinful act and backing up the temptation with a misquotation from the Holy Bible (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/4/4" class="green-link">Matthew 4:4</a> ff). Ministers of righteousness ... This the false teachers do literally; and, from this basic truth, there derives the necessity for every soul who would be true to God to "search the scriptures daily, whether these things are so" (<a href="/bible/parallel/ACT/17/11" class="green-link">Acts 17:11</a>). Not one teaching of the New Testament is free from the corrupting devices of man; there are none of its doctrines that have not been denied; and there is no commandment in it which is not rejected out of hand, if not by one false teacher, then by another. To borrow a line from Jesus (out of context), "What is written ... how readest thou?" (<a href="/bible/parallel/LUK/10/26" class="green-link">Luke 10:26</a>). ENDNOTE: [38] David J. A. Clines, op. cit., p. 437. Verse 16 I say again, Let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little.Paul here stated that his boastings were in no sense foolish. They were the only way to open the eyes of those being deceived by the false boasters. Nevertheless, Paul said, "Even if you think I am foolish, let me boast a little in order for you to see how silly, by comparison, are the claims of those "superlative apostles" who are leading some of you around by the nose!" As Paul had already explained, "Any boasting he did was not for his own sake but theirs, and for the sake of the purity of the gospel in their midst."[39]ENDNOTE: [39] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 396. Verse 17 That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying.Not after the Lord ... It is astounding that commentators will render this as did Dummelow, "I am not speaking now under the inspiration of Christ."[40] The New International Version renders it, "I am not speaking now as the Lord would";[41] but the RSV perverted it completely, giving this: "What I am saying, I say not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool!" This despite Paul's having just said, "Let no man think me foolish!" (<a href="/bible/parallel/2CO/11/16" class="green-link">2 Corinthians 11:16</a>). Paul was familiar with both "authority" and "inspiration"; and, if he had meant anything like the words attributed to him in RSV, he would have used those words. The fact that he did not use them shows that something else was meant. It means that his words IF SPOKEN IN would not be "after the Lord"; but Paul was not speaking in that manner at all, but as in foolishness. In that latter usage of such boasting, there can be no question. Of course they were spoken. "after the Lord," according to the will of the Lord. Not after the Lord ... was interpreted thus by Kelcy: It was not the Lord's usual method; but Paul speaking by inspiration, certainly had the Lord's approval. The Lord granted this use of boasting because it was the best weapon to use in the situation Paul faced.[42]The view advocated by Kelcy goes all the way back to Chrysostom and has been known for ages as the correct view of what is said here. Many of the so-called translations have committed grievous sin in the perversion of Paul's words here. It should be noted that Paul did not say that he was speaking "in foolishness" but "as in foolishness." In that distinction lies the understanding of <a href="/bible/parallel/2CO/11/17" class="green-link">2 Corinthians 11:17</a>. Two things are in view here: (1) boasting for reasons of personal pride, and (2) boasting for the purpose of saving a church, when no better method was available. The first of these is indeed "not after the Lord"; but the second, in the circumstances, most assuredly was. Chrysostom phrased it like this: "By itself (boasting) is indeed not of the Lord, but by Paul's intention it becomes so."[43]This is not any more complicated than a score of other difficult passages in Paul's writings. [40] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 941. [41] New International Version (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1973), in loco. [42] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 66. [43] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 397. Verse 18 Seeing that many glory in the flesh, I will glory also.Having laid the groundwork for it, being careful to reveal his natural loathing at being forced, in a sense, to resort to such a thing, and also his pure intention of redeeming his beloved converts from the control of their enemies, Paul announced in this verse his purpose of proving the utter worthlessness of the false apostles' vaunted credentials, not one of whom could even approach the matchless authentication manifested in a true apostle like Paul. When the hay and stubble of their false claims were viewed alongside the pure gold of God's work in the life of Paul, only a fool could have failed to see the difference. Verse 19 For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.This is sarcastic irony at its withering best. The sting in it comes from the obvious meaning, "Such smart people are bigger fools than the fools they indulge!"[44]ENDNOTE: [44] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians (Columbus, Ohio: Wartburg Press, 1937), p. 1261. Verse 20 For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face.Titus had no doubt given Paul a first-hand account of such scandalous conduct on the part of the false teachers; and the majority of the Corinthians must have blushed to hear this factual record of their cowardice and servility in submitting to it. The failure of some of the Corinthians had been in their putting up with the arrogance and aggressiveness of the false apostles and in submitting to it as if they were actually true apostles, incredibly failing to notice how anti-Christian and contrary to the Holy Spirit their outrageous behavior surely was. Note what these false apostles were doing: Bringing into bondage. This could have meant that they were being enslaved to keep the ceremonial laws of the Jews (see <a href="/bible/parallel/GAL/2/4" class="green-link">Galatians 2:4</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/GAL/5/1" class="green-link">Galatians 5:1</a>). Devouring them. This, like most of what is said here, has overtones of the Pharisaical methods in Jerusalem. Jesus, for example, said that they "devoured widows' houses" (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/23/14" class="green-link">Matthew 23:14</a>). They took as much money and substance as they could lay hold of. Taking them captive. This suggests <a href="/bible/parallel/2TI/2/26" class="green-link">2 Timothy 2:26</a>, where Paul spoke of Satan's taking people "captive" to do his will. The false apostles were leading the people into gross sin. Exalting themselves. "Light is thrown on Paul's meaning here by what he had already said about every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God’ (2 Corinthians 10:5)."[45] Those evil men were placing their own words above the word of God. Smiting in the face. Whether this was literal or not has been disputed; but representatives of that class who had smitten the Son of God himself in the face would have been perfectly in character by perpetrating such actions against the Lord’s followers. The view here is that there is no reason to suppose it was anything but physical. ENDNOTE: [45] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 400. Verse 21 I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.Hughes’ paraphrase of the first sentence here is: “I confess to my shame, that as compared to those super-apostles, I have been weak!"[46] If arrogance, greed, deceit, tyranny, oppression and the robbery of Christians of their wealth are marks of true Christian oversight, Paul was willing to admit that in those categories he had indeed fallen somewhat behind the super-apostles who were plundering the church of God at Corinth. This is sarcastic irony. ENDNOTE: [46] Ibid. Verse 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.This is the best hint of all regarding the identity of the false apostles. They evidently belonged to the fierce Judaizers who almost succeeded in stealing the church of God itself. Although speaking here of fleshly descent from Abraham, Paul had a much higher view of who were really Israelites and the true seed of Abraham. The Christians are the true Israelites, as well as the genuine seed of Abraham. Paul developed this extensively in Romans, and also in Galatians 3:29. Verse 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft.Ministers of Christ … This is not, as suggested by some, a reference to a sinful “Christ party” at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12); for, if it had been, Paul would not have said, “I more.” As one beside himself … The RSV descends to the level of a ridiculous paraphrase in rendering this “I am talking like a madman.” As Wallace said, “That certainly is not a translation of anything Paul said."[47] This has the same meaning of “as in foolishness” in 2 Corinthians 11:17. Labors … prisons … stripes … deaths … Although somewhat of a loose summary of what he was about to relate, it is obviously extemporaneous. The amazing sufferings and tribulations suffered by Paul were so numerous that they tumbled over each other in his mind as he dictated these words. Aside from the Christ himself, whoever suffered as did Paul for the propagation of Christianity? “All that follows from here to verse 28, inclusive, is proof of Paul’s right to call himself a minister of Christ.[48]All of the things mentioned here at the outset would be elaborated further on. [47] Foy E. Wallace, Jr., op. cit., p. 440. [48] E. H. Plumptre, op. cit., p. 405. Verse 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.If those false apostles, as appears likely, were part of the old hierarchical crowd in Jerusalem, it must have required divine power for Paul to speak of them as mildly as he does. A Jewish beating with stripes was a cruel, brutal and inhuman punishment. It was founded on Deuteronomy 25:3 which fixed forty stripes as the number inflicted. The barbarous instrument was a three-ply scourge of knotted leather thongs, with the knots so arranged as to give the maximum pain and injury to the victim. The 39 blows were delivered 13 on the chest, 13 on the right shoulder, and 13 on the left shoulder. Neither the New Testament nor any other history mentions any of these five cruelties inflicted upon Paul, showing how little is actually known of all that he suffered for the cause of Christ. Verse 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep.Beaten with rods … In Acts is the record of Paul’s being thus beaten at Philippi; but nothing is known of the other two punishments (Acts 16:22-23). Once was I stoned …; Acts 14:19 describes this event, in which Paul was apparently thought to be dead by his enemies. It occurred at Lystra. Thrice I suffered shipwreck … As this was written before the shipwreck on Malta, it has to refer to events nowhere else recorded. Paul made no less than nine voyages before these lines were written and another nine afterward.[49] Travel by ship in those times was hazardous indeed. A night and a day … in the deep … “After one of the shipwrecks, Paul spent a night and a day clinging to wreckage while adrift at sea."[50] At least four times, the blessed apostle heard the dreadful cry, “Abandon ship”; and anyone who ever heard it once knows the soul-chilling terror of such an experience. Paul’s sufferings are a glorious odyssey surpassing that of Homer, or any other; and, when it is remembered that this brief record is practically all that people know of it, the surpassing modesty and humility of the matchless Paul are almost unbelievable. [49] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 411. [50] Floyd V. Filson, op. cit., p. 401. Verse 26 In journeyings often, in peril of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.A thousand pages could not tell the whole story if God had given it to us; but the vast majority of the events which stormed Paul’s memory in this recital are forever shrouded in the modesty of Paul and in the mists of nineteen centuries. Yet these mountain peaks which here are momentarily lifted for a fleeting glance of them are of the highest interest. Nevertheless, we shall leave them just as they are. The scattered bits of information by which we might piece out a little more of the odyssey here and there fade into the background of this brief, stark catalogue of apostolic sufferings and tribulations. How dearly were purchased the glorious rights of all subsequent generations in the gospel of Christ by such advocates as Paul the apostle! Verse 27 In labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.Paul’s hardships were genuine and included physical hunger, cold, nakedness, thirst, unending toil and a host of other hardships which these things suggest but do not elaborate. Watchings … His day and a night in the ocean following a shipwreck was one of these; but what were the others? Did he think of that dark night before the wreck on Malta when his watching saved the ship from being abandoned by its crew? What is suggested by this list is just as interesting as what is related. In fastings … Were these devotional, or were they of those times of hunger and thirst mentioned in the same breath? Some say one thing, some another; but we do not know. Paul’s boasting was taking a turn that no one but himself could have anticipated; and the fact that shines in all of this is that Paul was boasting of his sufferings, his hardships, his persecutions for the name of Christ, his providential survivals of many deaths, and his merciless tortures from rods and stripes. It should be evident to all that no man ever boasted like this, except one under the direct inspiration of God. Verse 28 Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.Those things that are without … The New English Bible (1961) renders this, “These external things just enumerated”; but RSV has “Apart from other things,” indicating that even this astounding list is but the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, it was not any of those things that happened to Paul, but his deep and faithful concern for his Christian converts that he reserved as the climax of his credentials as a true apostle. The loving concern and care for all the churches God had blessed him to establish; that was the heart of Paul. Everything else was peripheral. One wonders if the Corinthians did not weep when they read this.

Could any human being be so unresponsive to pure and holy love as not to be touched by what was written here? The only answer we have is history. The false apostles disappeared, their names unknown, their doctrines not identified, even their number merely a conjecture; but the church of Corinth continued through centuries; and these priceless letters are living treasures nineteen centuries afterward! Oh Lord, blessed be thy holy name! Verse 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not?This elaborates Paul’s perfect identification of himself with those whom he converted. Burn … as used here is probably “to burn with indignation."[51]ENDNOTE: [51] Ibid., p. 403. Verse 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my weakness.This verse should be understood retrospectively as well as prospectively. It flies like a banner over all that Paul mentioned in this entire section through 2 Corinthians 12:10. The great spiritual power of Paul was inherent in the strength through weakness which marked his whole life. As Hillyer wisely observed: “In this verse, Paul looks back to the experiences he has just catalogued. A boastful' person, in the ordinary sense, would never have mentioned such things."[52]Circumstances had required Paul to boast; but he turned the occasion into one that stressed his own mortal weakness and dependence upon God. No man without the direction of God's Spirit would have boasted in any such manner. ENDNOTE: [52] Norman Hillyer, op. cit., p. 1076. Verse 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forevermore knows that I lie not.Recalling what he had just written, the list seemed almost unbelievable, even to Paul; and the sheer size and significance of it led him to affirm in these most solemn words the absolute truth of every syllable of it. This verse, like the one before it, "must be understood as applicable to all that Paul had said or was about to say."[53]ENDNOTE: [53] J. W. McGarvey, op. cit., p. 234. Verse 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me: and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.Some scholars have objected to what they call the intrusion of this compact little narrative into Paul's letter at this point, insinuating that it is misplaced, or an interpolation, and that it apparently does not belong here. Such opinions are due to a lack of discerning Paul's evident purpose in the exceedingly significant placement of these verses exactly where they are found. Before relating the glorious experience of being caught up into the third heaven, Paul would again emphasize his humility, doing so by placing the narrative of his undignified and inglorious flight from Damascus in the dead of night squarely alongside the account of his rapture into heaven, making the incident here a foil of the glorious experience next related. The same purpose is evident in the account of the thorn in the flesh, which account hems in the rapture narrative at the end of it. Hughes commented on this as follows: Paul's rapture into the third heaven is hemmed in, as it were, on one side by the escape from Damascus, and on the other by the humiliating record of the "thorn in the flesh" (<a href="/bible/parallel/2CO/12/7" class="green-link">2 Corinthians 12:7</a> ff) ... Paul was determined to keep himself in true perspective, that of a weak, unworthy mortal who owes everything to the grace of Almighty God.[54]In this connection, it should be remembered that the chapter division here is awkward, tending to obscure the logical connection in the three episodes, the glorious one in the center, and the two inglorious ones on either side of it. In Damascus ... The account of what occurred here harmonizes perfectly with Luke's record of the same event (<a href="/bible/parallel/ACT/9/23" class="green-link">Acts 9:23-25</a>) "There is no discrepancy between Luke's assertion that the Jews watched the gates and Paul's that the ethnarch did so."[55] The word here rendered "governor" is actually "ethnarch" (English Revised Version margin). The ethnarch was appointed by the central authority to look after the interests of some particular race, in this case, the Jews. He was most certainly a Jew himself, as were those whom he appointed to guard the city. Under Aretas the king ... It is this little phrase that gives one of the few solid clues to the chronology of Acts and the Pauline letters. Aretas reigned over Nabatea from 9 B.C. to 40 A.D.[56] The only time during his long reign, however, when he had authority over Damascus was during the reign of Caligula (37-41 A.D.).[57]Both Augustus and Tiberius who preceded Caligula, and Nero and his successors after him were the recognized rulers in Damascus; but the absence of any coins with Caligula's image in the collection of many coins from Damascus bearing images of the other Roman emperors confirms the fact mentioned here by Paul, not that anything Paul said NEEDED confirmation, but as another demonstration of his total accuracy. Paul's escape from Damascus sometime during Caligula's short reign together with the fact of the escape's being three years after his conversion fixes the date of the apostle's baptism between the years 35-40 A.D. Through a window ... The comment of Tasker is appreciated. He said: "RSV translates this, through a window in the wall’; and though the window was IN THE WALL, this is not an accurate translation of the original."[58] One might ask what is wrong with giving the true meaning in different words? What is wrong? The translator’s integrity is at stake. If the translator is not going to give what the original says, he is not translating at all, but paraphrasing; and heaven knows that in this generation some place is needed whereWHAT GOD SAID may be read, and not merely what some people think he meant. Was I let down … and escaped … It is impossible to read the words “was I let down” apart from the sequel “he was caught up” (2 Corinthians 12:4). It is the abasement of his undignified escape that Paul deliberately placed as a foil of his being caught up into heaven. There also seems to be in Paul’s narrative of this event a feeling on his part that it was symbolical, typical and prophetic of all the hardships and sufferings that he was destined to undergo as a Christian, and at the same time a pledge of God’s perfect providence and blessing which would inevitably protect and preserve him for the fulfillment of the task to which God had called him. The victory of Christ over the proud persecutor also shines in this event; because nothing could have shown any more dramatically the contrast between Saul of Tarsus and Paul the apostle, than the two situations of his approach to Damascus and his exit from it. He approached breathing out threatenings and slaughter, but he fled as a hunted animal in the dead of night. There at Damascus he sheathed forever the sword of the persecutor and unsheathed the eternal sword of the Spirit, the gospel of Christ. Strangely enough, even in the ignominy of this humiliating withdrawal from Damascus, Paul joined the company of the immortal heroes of Israel. Over the wall of Jericho, Rahab delivered the faithful spies; and David, the shepherd king himself, was delivered from death through a window (Joshua 2:15; 1 Samuel 19:12). [54] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 422. [55] Ibid. [56] The New Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), p. 80. [57] The Encyclopedia Britannica (Chicago: William Benton, Publisher, 1961), p. 599. [58] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 169.

Questions by E.M. Zerr On 2nd Corinthians 111. What forbearance does Paul request? 2. State the form of his present concern. 3. May jealousy ever be right? 4. In what relation does he represent them ? 5. Explain meaning of “ chaste virgin” here. 6. What state of mind does he next express ? 7. What being is the cause of this feeling? 8. To what ancient event does he refer ? 9. Through what influence had he worked then? 10. From what did Paul fear they were corrupted ? 11. In whom was this quality now to be found? 12. What kind of teachers had been visiting them ? 13. Did Paul claim equal right to be received? 14. Which apostle was ahead of Paul ? 15. Did his speech and knowledge differ ? 16. State their acquaintance of him among them. 17. What question did he ask as a suggestion? 18. To what service did he have reference? 19. Was this because he lived miraculously? 20. From what source did he obtain his support? 21. In what sense could this be regarded aa “ wages” ? 22. While among Corinthians who supplied his needs? 23. State his motive in relieving the Corinthians. 24. What does he determine concerning this boasting? 25. For whose love does he do all this? 26. Was all this as a precautionary measure? 27. What does he expect to cut off by it? 28. Tell what sort of apostles he has in mind. 29. What kind of workers ? 30. Making what transformation? 31. From whom did they get the example? 32. State the manner of his transformation. 33. In what relation are these others and him ? 34. Tell what will be the end of such. 35. Paul would not be thought as what? 36. But even so, what should they do for him? 37. This would grant him what privilege? 38. Was the form of his language that of the Lord? 39. What prompted him to choose his manner of speech? 40. Why did Corinthians suffer fools ? 41. What would they suffer in regard to bondage? 42. State other personal indignities they would tolerate. 43. Yet how were they inconsistent with Paul? 44. What condition did he suggest for sake of argument r 45. However, how could his boldness compare with others? 46. Why “ Hebrews” and “ Israelites” ; distinguish. 47. Distinguish “ Israelites” and “ seed of Abraham.” 48. Who are antecedents of “ they” in 23rd verse? 49. Prom whom does he quote “ I speak as a fool” ? 50. How does he compare his ministry with theirs? 51. How was it possible to be “ in deaths oft” ? 52. Why “ save one” about stripes verse 24? 53. Cite a case of his being beaten with rods. 54. Also one where he was stoned. 55. Did he die at this time ? 56. Cite a shipwreck for the cause of Christ. 57. Were his perils always among strangers? 58. Were the perils confined to the wilderness? 59. What about perils and the brethren? 60. Were the fastings (verse 21) religious ones? 61. In addition to all this what else did he bear? 62. What did the weakness, verse 29, consist in ? 63. State the attitude he took toward all this. 64. To whose knowledge does he refer as proof? 65. What did king of Damascus desire to do? 66. In what way did Paul make his escape ?

2 Corinthians 11:1

2 Corinthians 11:1. The original for folly is defined in the lexicon as “foolishness,” but Paul is not using it in any radical sense. It is somewhat like a case of a doting parent over his child, where it is often remarked, “He is quite foolish about his boy or girl.” Bear with me is rendered in the margin, “you do bear with me,” which is endorsed by other commentators. The Corinthians generally had borne with Paul in his extreme earnestness and anxiety for them, but he wishes them to go along with him still further, because his concern for them is become more and more intense.

2 Corinthians 11:2

2 Corinthians 11:2. In old times the father or other near relative often arranged espousals (engagements) for another. When such an arrangement was made, the one who acted for the parties would be anxious that they be true to each other until the actual marriage time, and if any unfaithfulness should be indicated it would cause him to be jealous. Paul had led the Corinthians in obedience to Christ, which was the time they became engaged to Him, the marriage to be celebrated when the bridegroom comes for that purpose. (See Revelation 19:7.)

2 Corinthians 11:3

2 Corinthians 11:3. Paul is continuing his comparison with the marriage relation and kindred subjects. A man who wishes to interfere with the engagement of a woman to some other man, will resort to deceptive means in order to seduce her. Likewise, the apostle fears that evil men may seduce the Corinthians by using the deceptive theories of the philosophers of Greece that the false teachers had adopted.

2 Corinthians 11:4

2 Corinthians 11:4. The last word of this verse has been supplied by the King James translators. The marginal reading gives it “with me,” which is Justified by both the original Greek and the connection in the passage. If he that cometh, etc., does not express any ques-as to whether these false teachers came with their evil doctrines, but rather that they actually were doing so. (See verses 19, 20.) Paul is reasoning that since they have been tolerating these unworthy teachers, they certainly ought to listen to him. Moffatt translates the last phrase, “Why not put up with me,” which makes good sense and is also in agreement with the context.

2 Corinthians 11:5

2 Corinthians 11:5. In this verse ,Paul begins to show some reasons why they ought to “put up” with him. He not only was an apostle, but ranked with the very chiefest apostles.

2 Corinthians 11:6

2 Corinthians 11:6. Rude means unlearned or ignorant in his use of language. Paul is not admitting that he is thus lacking, but his enemies were making the charge and urging it as a reason for belittling his teaching. The apostle is reasoning that even if such a criticism were acknowledged, it would not affect his knowledge which was furnished him by the Spirit on account of his apostolic appointment. This knowledge had been made manifest by the supernatural deeds which he had performed at Corinth.

2 Corinthians 11:7

2 Corinthians 11:7. Abasing myself does not denote he had done anything improper or undignified, but supporting himself in part by his own labor, his enemies charged that it showed he was not really an apostle.

2 Corinthians 11:8

2 Corinthians 11:8. To rob does not necessarily mean to take something wrongfully. A man will say he robbed his bees, and yet he would not have done any unlawful act. Paul means he called upon other churches to support him in his work for the people of Corinth. The church at Philippi was one that supported Paul in his labors in other places (Philippians 4:15). Wages means financial support for work in the Gospel field.

2 Corinthians 11:9

2 Corinthians 11:9. The preceding verse makes a general mention of receiving financial help from the church at Philippi, while this verse cites a more specific case of it. Philippi was in Macedonia, and the brethren from that country came to Corinth with a supply at a time when the apostle was in need; this made it unnecessary to call upon the Corinthians for help. He affirms further that he will continue to relieve them from such service, which was according to a special permit which he he had been granted by the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:17-18).

2 Corinthians 11:10

2 Corinthians 11:10. By looking to such sources for temporal support, he could still boast of giving the Gospel freely in Achaia, another name for Greece, of which Corinth was an important city.

2 Corinthians 11:11

2 Corinthians 11:11. Wherefore means, why am I doing this? He then affirms that God knoweth it is not through any lack of love for them. (It was rather for an opposite reason.)

2 Corinthians 11:12

2 Corinthians 11:12. This verse tells why Paul pursued the course described above; it was to prevent the enemies from having any occasion for evil claims. May be found even as we. The false teachers would like to. call upon the church for financial assistance on the ground they were preaching the Gospel. The example of Paul in preaching without charge would shame them out of making such an attempt upon the church.

2 Corinthians 11:13

2 Corinthians 11:13. These false teachers were able to mislead a great many brethren by trickery and other deceptive means, making themselves appear as apostles of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:14

2 Corinthians 11:14. Satan is a supernatural being, and at times in the history of the world has manifested his power in various forms. He appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent (Genesis 3:1). Sometimes he assumes the form of a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). In our verse he is said to appear as an angel of light. It will not do to say this merely means evil men who are the agents of Satan, for the next verse mentions those characters as a separate group. We are not specifically told when Satan ceased making his appearance in these disguised forms to men on the earth. Evidently it was at the same time that other miraculous characters (both good and bad) passed out of the land (Zechariah 13:2). He now does his work through evil human beings, to be mentioned in the next verse.

2 Corinthians 11:15

2 Corinthians 11:15. Ministers is from the same Greek word that its rendered “deacon” in other passages. Thayer’s primary definition is, “one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master; a servant, attendant, minister.” Hence Paul accuses these false teachers with executing the orders of Satan, but doing it under the guise of righteous workers. Whose end . . . their works; will reap as they sowed (Galatians 6:8).

2 Corinthians 11:16

2 Corinthians 11:16. Paul does not admit being a fool to the extent charged; yet, be that as It may, he requests to be tolerated in his feeling. (See comments at verse 1.)

2 Corinthians 11:17

2 Corinthians 11:17. Paul does not put this privilege which he is claiming on the basis of a direct instruction from the Lord. He claims it only as a personal liberty, and on that ground reserves to himself the right to indulge himself in that enjoyment.

2 Corinthians 11:18

2 Corinthians 11:18. After the flesh is not said in the bad sense commonly attached to fleshly things. Paul is applying it to his personal experiences, which though they were unpleasant, yet since they were endured for the sake of the Gospel, he found a joy in them and of such an experience he boasts.

2 Corinthians 11:19-20

2 Corinthians 11:19-20. These verses are referred to in the comments on verse 4. The argument Paul is making is that, he is entitled to the friendly consideration of the brethren for his whim (as they seemed to think his ideas were), when they were giving these other persons such tolerance. Especially since the apostle had nothing questionable in his case, while these other men did have. This paragraph describes what they were doing and the Corinthians were “putting up” with it. The brethren considered themselves wise, yet they endured those they considered as fools; they even tolerated many injustices from these fools.

An instance is that of being brought into bondage to the ordinances of the old law. Not that they literally were led to adopt those institutions, but suffered themselves to become confused over them. (See chapter 3.)

2 Corinthians 11:21

2 Corinthians 11:21. Paul had been reproached because of his bodily weakness (chapter 10:1, 10) but he was not allowing that to humiliate him. Instead, the very weaknesses concerning which his enemies said he was acting foolishly, were a valid source for his boasting, for he will now show that he endured untold trials in spite of those supposed handicaps. Through several verses the apostle will state the truly worthy qualifications he possessed, even while undergoing the fleshly inconveniences of which he boasts.

2 Corinthians 11:22

2 Corinthians 11:22. In the Bible there are three terms applied to the same people, namely, Hebrews, Israelites and Jews. However, they were not all derived from the same source. The first came from Heber, a distinguished man in the blood line (Genesis 10:21). The second is from the extra name given to Jacob by the angel (Genesis 32:28). Since Jacob was preferred before the elder brother Esau, to be in the blood line for the Messiah, it was an honor to be called an Israelite.

The third is derived from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, through whom the blood line was to flow. A man called by any of these names could boast of being of the seed of Abraham, as Paul does in this verse. Since some distinctions could be made between all of these names due to immediate circumstances, some persons might claim an importance out of one or the other according as his personal interests would suggest. Paul shows that none of his critics could boast of any advantage over him, for he could lay claim to all of the names.

2 Corinthians 11:23

2 Corinthians 11:23. See the comments on verse 1 for the sense in which he speaks as a fool, also those on verse 21 for the relation between the weaknesses of which he boasted, and the services he was rendering to Christ in spite of those supposed defects. Paul was more of a minister (servant) than his critics, and he specifies a number of facts as proof. His labors were more in that he carried the Gospel to a multitude of countries, whereas his objectors were located around Corinth. The stripes will be noticed at verses 24 and and 25. Acts 16 gives an account of one imprisonment, but secular history relates a great many times at which Paul was placed in prison because of his work for Christ. In deaths oft is figurative, meaning he was frequently in danger of death. (See 1 Corinthians 15:30-32.)

2 Corinthians 11:24

2 Corinthians 11:24. Forty stripes, save one. The law of Moses limited the number of lashes that could be inflicted upon a victim to forty (Deuteronomy 25:1-3). The whip by which it was done was originally single, and the punishment required forty operations of the administrator. For some reason the act was changed, and I shall quote from Prideaux’s Connexion, Year 108, for explanation: “This punishment among the Jews was not to exceed forty stripes, and therefore the whip with which it was inflicted [after the change mentioned above] being made of three thongs, each blow giving three stripes, they never inflicted upon any criminal more than thirteen blows, because thirteen of those blows made thirty-nine stripes; and to add another blow, would be to transgress the law, by adding two stripes over and above forty, contraray to its prohibition. And in this manner was it that Paul, when whipped by the Jews, received forty stripes save one, that is, thirteen blows with this threefold whip.” The verse means that Paul suffered this treatment on five different ocassions.

2 Corinthians 11:25

2 Corinthians 11:25. Not all of the details of Paul’s adversities are recorded, but his tabulation of them in this chapter is authentic, for he is writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One case of his being beaten with rods is related in Acts 16:22-23. The one instance of stoning is stated in Acts 14:19. The case of shipwreck that Paul suffered (Acts 27) was after this epistle was written, hence the three occasions referred to here are not recorded elsewhere. Been in the deep means he was forced out by shipwreck to float in lifeboats or on boards, such as Acts 27:44.

2 Corinthians 11:26

2 Corinthians 11:26. We should bear in mind that Paul is giving a list of his experiences that happened as a result of being a “minister” or servant of Christ (verse 23). Journeyings were done on behalf of the Gospel, and that exposed him to the dangers from robbers who infested many of the lines of travel. His own countrymen were the Jews who often persecuted him (verse 24). Perils by the heathen means the mistreatment from the Gentiles, such as were inflicted upon him at Philippi (Acts 16). The perils in the city, the wilderness and the sea include the trials already referred to in the verse and elsewhere in the chapter. An instance of his trouble from false brethren is recorded in Galatians 2:4.

2 Corinthians 11:27

2 Corinthians 11:27. Weariness and painfulness. The Englishmen’s Greek New Testament renders this, “labor and toil.” It refers to the difficult tasks the apostle performed frequently in his work for the Master. Thayer defines the original for watchings by “sleeplessness.” Paul lay awake for hours, thinking and pondering over the situation, wondering what was coming next. Hunger and thirst refers to the times when Paul’s friends were prevented from administering to his needs, and he was left to suffer for the things necessary for his bodily comfort. Fastings is similar to the thought just explaind, with the added idea of a more extended abstinence from food. Cold was a result of the nakedness, or the shortage of necessary clothing, brought about by the conditions similar to those causing the hunger and thirst.

2 Corinthians 11:28

2 Corinthians 11:28. Things that are without. Most of the trials Just recorded affected Paul’s body externally, and were the direct result of his work for Christ, and of the activities of his enemies. On top of all those tribulations, he was daily burdened with the care of all the churches. The word means anxiety or worry for the spiritual condition of all the congregations, not only those with whom he was permitted to labor personally. (See Colossians 2:1.)

2 Corinthians 11:29

2 Corinthians 11:29. This verse is Paul’s comment on the preceding verse. Weak refers to the disabilities and misfortunes of his brethren; offended denotes the mistreatment that is imposed upon his fellow disciples wherever they were located. Paul sympathized with all of them, and that is why he felt such care (anxiety) for the churches.

2 Corinthians 11:30

2 Corinthians 11:30. Paul regarded his sympathy for the troubled and tried as a worth-while sentiment. His own infirmities and misfortunes would enable him the more to have such a feeling for others, hence he would glory or boast of his own infirmities.

2 Corinthians 11:31

2 Corinthians 11:31. The greatest motive one can have for always telling the truth, is the realization that God knows all about his heart.

2 Corinthians 11:32-33

2 Corinthians 11:32-33. Before closing this phase of his epistle, the apostle cites a specific instance of his afflictions that were imposed by his enemies. The significant thing about this case is that it was at the very start of his service for Christ. The account of it is in Acts 9:23-25, where the Jews were so eager to seize the apostle that they watched the gates day and night.