2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Summary for 2Cor 11:16-29: 11:16-29 a Paul plays the part of a boastful fool (see also 12:11-13 b) so that he may present his true credentials as a suffering apostle. The intruders’ arrogant spirit impels Paul to adopt a style of writing that matches their behavior, all in irony.11:19 c The Corinthians were proud of their capacity to understand deep religious issues, and they valued teachers who made a pretense of learning. Paul came with a different agenda (1 Cor 2:1-16 d).
Summary for 2Cor 11:20-21: 11:20-21a e The Corinthian church had welcomed the intruders even when they exploited and insulted them. They even saw Paul’s refusal to exploit them as too “weak.”
Summary for 2Cor 11:21-29: 11:21b-29 f Rather than boasting about his strengths and successes like the false teachers did, Paul boasts in weakness and defeat, pointing away from himself and toward God.
11:22 g Are they Hebrews? So am I: A Jewish heritage was seen by Paul’s opponents as a qualification for ministry (see Phil 3:5 h).
• Are they Israelites? So am I: An Israelite was a member of the covenant community by circumcision (cp. John 1:47 i; Rom 9:4 j). Paul had this badge also and was in fact a Pharisee, a most devoted follower of Torah (Acts 26:4-5 k; Rom 11:1 l; Phil 3:5-6 m).
• Are they descendants of Abraham? This is yet another of Paul’s opponents’ claims to God’s favor based on ethnic identity. Elsewhere, Paul clarifies who can truly be called Israelites and descendants of Abraham (see Rom 2:28-29 n; Gal 3:16 o, 26-29 p). Here, he ironically adopts the erroneous perspective of his opponents to beat them at their own game.
Summary for 2Cor 11:23-27: 11:23-27 q I have served him far more! Paul’s service to Christ had entailed Christlike sufferings and toils. Some of the difficulties in this litany are recorded in Acts.
Summary for 2Cor 11:23-24: 11:23-24 r in prison more often: E.g., see Acts 16:22-23 s. Clement of Rome says that Paul was imprisoned a total of seven times.
• thirty-nine lashes: This punishment was prescribed in Deut 25:1-3 t. The Jewish leaders punished Paul as a renegade Jew, and he faced death again and again.
11:25 u Three times I was beaten with rods: Paul suffered this Roman punishment at Philippi, though as a Roman citizen he should have been exempted (Acts 16:22-24 v, 37 w).
• Once I was stoned: At Lystra (Acts 14:19 x).
• Three times I was shipwrecked: These events are otherwise unknown; Paul’s shipwreck on the voyage to Rome would come later (Acts 27:1-44 y).
Summary for 2Cor 11:26-27: 11:26-27 z Paul’s many long journeys are recorded in Acts 13–28 aa. These trips involved facing danger and enduring hardship.
11:28 ab In addition to physical difficulties, Paul felt the burden of concern (or anxiety) for all the churches. No church gave Paul more cause for concern than Corinth.
11:30 ac the things that show how weak I am: Paul develops this theme in 12:1-10 ad.
Summary for 2Cor 11:32-33: 11:32-33 ae As a final “boast” of his weakness, Paul tells the story of his escape from Damascus a few years after his conversion (see Acts 9:23-25 af; Gal 1:15-18 ag).
• King Aretas IV of Nabataea controlled Damascus only after AD 37, following the death of the emperor Tiberius (see Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.1-3); the mention of Aretas dates Paul’s escape from Damascus between AD 37 and the end of Aretas’s reign in AD 39 or 40.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Summary for 2Cor 12:1-7: 12:1-7 ah Paul’s accusers at Corinth leveled the charge that Paul did not have ecstatic spiritual experiences. He was no mystic, they said, but a plain person with no impressive gift (see 10:10 ai). So even though Paul’s authority did not come from visions and revelations from the Lord, he reveals his secret that he did, in fact, have such experiences. 12:1 aj This boasting will do no good: See study note on 11:21b-29.12:2 ak I was caught up (literally I know a man in Christ who was caught up): In Greek, Paul demurely uses third person to speak of himself.
• The third heaven is a Jewish expression for the immediate presence of God.
• fourteen years ago: That is, about AD 43.
Summary for 2Cor 12:3-4: 12:3-4 al Paul wasn’t sure whether he was in a trance or actually taken to heaven.
• But I do know that I was caught up: Literally But I know such a man, that he was caught up; see study note on 12:2.
Summary for 2Cor 12:5-7: 12:5-7a am Paul could boast about his experience (12:2-4 an), but it was no source of confidence in his ministry. He never makes mystical experience a proof of his apostolic authority—his life and his message must be the proof. He instead boasts about his weaknesses (11:23-33 ao).
Summary for 2Cor 12:7-10: 12:7b-10 ap We do not know what the thorn in Paul’s flesh was (cp. Num 33:55 aq; Ezek 28:24 ar; Hos 2:6 as); we only know that its purpose was to keep him from becoming proud, to prick the bubble of pride.
• It was a messenger from Satan—that is, something or someone evil—so Paul prayed to the Lord to take it away. The Lord answered each petition the same way: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Paul’s human weakness was an opportunity for the power of Christ to work through him by God’s grace. Paul accepted his suffering because Christ’s strength showed itself through his weakness.
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