2Cor 11:21-23 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 21. I speak as concerning reproach . I speak of disgrace. That is, says Rosenmuller, "I speak of your disgrace; or, as others prefer it, of the disgrace of the false apostles." Doddridge regards it as a question: "Do I speak this by way of dishonour, from an envious desire to derogate from my superiors, so as to bring them down to my own level?" But to me it seems that Paul refers to what he had been admitting respecting himself--to what he had evinced in rudeness of speech, , and to his not having urged his claims to the support which an apostle had a right to receive--to things, in short, which they esteemed to be disgraceful or reproachful. And his idea, it seems to me, is this: "I have been speaking of reproach or disgrace as if I was weak; that is, as if I was disposed to admit as true all that has been said of me as reproachful or disgraceful; all that has been said of my want of qualifications for the office, of my want of talent, or elevated rank, or honourable birth, etc. I have not pressed my claims, but have been reasoning as if all this were true; as if all that was honourable in birth and elevated in rank belonged to them--all that is mean and unworthy pertained to me. But it is not so. Whatever they have, I have. Whatever they can boast of, I can boast of in a more eminent degree. Whatever advantage there is in birth is mine; and I can tell of toils, and trials, and sufferings in the apostolic office which far surpass theirs." Paul proceeds, therefore, to a fur statement of his advantages of birth, and of his labours in the cause of the Redeemer. As though we had been weak . As if I had no claims to urge; as if I had no just cause of boldness, but must submit to this reproach. Howbeit . δε. But . The sense is, If any one is disposed to boast, I am ready for him. I can tell also of things that have as high claims to confidence as they can. If they are disposed to go into a comparison on the points which qualify a man for the office of an apostle, I am ready to compare myself with them. Whereinsoever . ενω. In what. Whatever they have to boast of, I am prepared also to show that I am equal to them. Be it pertaining to birth, rank, education, labours, they will find that I do not shrink from the comparison. Any is bold . τιςτολμα. Any one dares to boast; any one is bold. I speak foolishly . Remember now that I speak as a fool. I have been charged with this folly. Just now keep that in mind; and do not forget that it is only a fool who is speaking. Just recollect that I have no claims to public confidence; that I am destitute of all pretensions to the apostolic office; that I am given to a vain parade and ostentation, and to boasting of what does not belong to me; and when you recollect this, let me tell my story. The whole passage is ironical in the highest degree. The sense is, "It is doubtless all nonsense and folly for a man to boast who has only the qualifications which I have. But there is a great deal of wisdom in their boasting who have so much more elevated endowments for the apostolic office." I am bold also . I can meet them on their own ground, and speak of qualifications not inferior to theirs. (+) "Howbeit" "Yet"

2 Corinthians 11:21-23

Verse 21. I speak as concerning reproach. I speak of disgrace. That is, says Rosenmuller, "I speak of your disgrace; or, as others prefer it, of the disgrace of the false apostles." Doddridge regards it as a question: "Do I speak this by way of dishonour, from an envious desire to derogate from my superiors, so as to bring them down to my own level?" But to me it seems that Paul refers to what he had been admitting respecting himself--to what he had evinced in rudeness of speech, 2Cor 11:6, and to his not having urged his claims to the support which an apostle had a right to receive--to things, in short, which they esteemed to be disgraceful or reproachful. And his idea, it seems to me, is this: "I have been speaking of reproach or disgrace as if I was weak; that is, as if I was disposed to admit as true all that has been said of me as reproachful or disgraceful; all that has been said of my want of qualifications for the office, of my want of talent, or elevated rank, or honourable birth, etc. I have not pressed my claims, but have been reasoning as if all this were true; as if all that was honourable in birth and elevated in rank belonged to them--all that is mean and unworthy pertained to me. But it is not so. Whatever they have, I have. Whatever they can boast of, I can boast of in a more eminent degree. Whatever advantage there is in birth is mine; and I can tell of toils, and trials, and sufferings in the apostolic office which far surpass theirs." Paul proceeds, therefore, to a fur statement of his advantages of birth, and of his labours in the cause of the Redeemer.

As though we had been weak. As if I had no claims to urge; as if I had no just cause of boldness, but must submit to this reproach.

Howbeit. δε. But. The sense is, If any one is disposed to boast, I am ready for him. I can tell also of things that have as high claims to confidence as they can. If they are disposed to go into a comparison on the points which qualify a man for the office of an apostle, I am ready to compare myself with them.

Whereinsoever. ενω. In what. Whatever they have to boast of, I am prepared also to show that I am equal to them. Be it pertaining to birth, rank, education, labours, they will find that I do not shrink from the comparison.

Any is bold. τιςτολμα. Any one dares to boast; any one is bold.

I speak foolishly. Remember now that I speak as a fool. I have been charged with this folly. Just now keep that in mind; and do not forget that it is only a fool who is speaking. Just recollect that I have no claims to public confidence; that I am destitute of all pretensions to the apostolic office; that I am given to a vain parade and ostentation, and to boasting of what does not belong to me; and when you recollect this, let me tell my story. The whole passage is ironical in the highest degree. The sense is, "It is doubtless all nonsense and folly for a man to boast who has only the qualifications which I have. But there is a great deal of wisdom in their boasting who have so much more elevated endowments for the apostolic office."

I am bold also. I can meet them on their own ground, and speak of qualifications not inferior to theirs.

(+) "Howbeit" "Yet" Verse 22. Are they Hebrews? This proves that the persons who had made the difficulty in Corinth were those who were of Hebrew extraction, though it may be that they had been born in Greece, and had been educated in the Grecian philosophy and art of rhetoric. It is also clear that they prided themselves on being Jews--on having a connexion with the people and land from whence the religion which the Corinthian church now professed had emanated. Indications are apparent everywhere in the New Testament of the superiority which the Jewish converts to Christianity claimed over those converted from among the heathen. Their boast would probably be that they were the descendants of the patriarchs; that the land of the prophets was theirs; that they spake the language in which the oracles of God were given; that the true religion had proceeded from them, etc.

So am I. I have as high claims as any of them to distinction on this head. Paul had all their advantages of birth. He was an Israelite; of the honoured tribe of Benjamin; a Pharisee; circumcised at the usual time, Php 3:5 and educated in the best manner at the feet of one of their most eminent teachers, Acts 22:3.

Are they Israelites? Another name, signifying substantially the same thing. The only difference is, that the word "Hebrew" signified, properly, one who was from beyond (, from , to pass, to pass over--hence applied to Abraham, because he had come from a foreign land; and the word denoted, properly, a foreigner--a man from the land or country beyond, ) the Euphrates. The name Israelite denoted, properly, one descended from Israel or Jacob; and the difference between them was, that the name Israelite, being a patronymic derived from one of the founders of their nation, was in use among themselves; the name Hebrew was applied by the Canaanite to them as having come from beyond the river, and was the current name among foreign tribes and nations. See Gesenius' Lexicon on the word () Hebrew. Paul, in the passage before us, means to say that he had as good a claim to the honour of being a native-born descendant of Israel as could be urged by any of them.

Are they the seed of Abraham? Do they boast that they are descended from Abraham. This, with all the Jews, was regarded as a distinguished honour, (see Mt 3:9, Jn 8:39;) and no doubt the false teachers in Corinth boasted of it as eminently qualifying them to engage in the work of the ministry.

So am I. Paul had the same qualification. He was a Jew also by birth. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, Php 3:5. Verse 23. Are they ministers of Christ? Though Jews by birth, yet they claimed to be the ministers of the Messiah.

I speak as a fool. As if he had said, "Bear in mind, in what I am now about to say, that he who speaks is accused of being a feel in boasting. Let it not be deemed improper that I should act in this character; and since you regard me as such, let me speak like a fool." His frequent reminding them of this charge was eminently fitted to humble them that they had ever made it, especially when they were reminded by an enumeration of his trials of the character of the one against whom the charge was brought.

I am more. Paul was not disposed to deny that they were true ministers of Christ. But he had higher claims to the office than they had. He had been called to it in a more remarkable manner, and he had shown, by his labours and trials, that he had more of the true spirit of a minister of the Lord Jesus than they had. He therefore goes into detail, to show what he had endured in endeavouring to diffuse the knowledge of the Saviour--trials which he had borne probably while they had been dwelling in comparative ease, and in a comfortable manner, free from suffering and persecution.

In labours more abundant. In the kind of labour necessary in propagating the gospel. Probably he had now been engaged in the work a much longer time than they had, and had been far more indefatigable in it.

In stripes. In receiving stripes; that is, I have been more frequently scourged, 2Cor 11:24. This was a proof of his being a minister of Christ, because eminent devotedness to him, at that time, of necessity subjected a man to frequent scourging. The ministry is one of the very few places--perhaps it stands alone in this--where it is proof of peculiar qualification for office that's man has been treated with all manner of contumely, and has even been often publicly whipped. What other office admits such a qualification as this?

Above measure. Exceedingly; far exceeding them. He had received far more than they had; and he judged, therefore, that this was one evidence that he had been called to the ministry.

In prisons more frequent. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, mentions only one imprisonment of Paul before the time when this epistle was written. That was at Philippi, with Silas, Acts 16:23; seq. But we are to remember that many things were omitted by Luke. He does not profess to give an account of all that happened to Paul; and an omission is not a contradiction. For anything that Luke says, Paul may have been imprisoned often. He mentions his having been in prison once; he does not deny that he had been in prison many times besides. 2Cor 11:24.

In deaths oft. That is, exposed to death; or suffering pain equal to death. 2Cor 1:9. No one familiar with the history of Paul can doubt that he was often in danger of death.

(*) "fool" "as one foolish" (a) "more abundant" 1Cor 15:10 (b) "above measure" Acts 9:16, 20:23, 21:11 (c) "deaths oft" 1Cor 15:30-32 (+) "oft" "often"