A Commentary of the Book of 2 Corinthians
By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins
Text Used: King James Version
Bible Study 2 Corinthians 11: 1-33
Text:
11 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. 2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. 9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. 12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. 17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. 19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. 21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak.
Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: 33 and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Verse by verse commentary:
Verse 1: “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.”
Paul was reluctant to engage in self-praise, having recently highlighted its foolishness. However, because the Corinthians had embraced the assertions of false apostles, Paul was compelled to present his own apostolic credentials as the sole means of revealing the truth to them. Distinguishing himself from these false teachers, Paul directed his boasting toward the Lord, driven by a sincere concern for the spiritual health of the Corinthians amidst the dangers of deceptive doctrine.
Verse 2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Utilizing the metaphor of betrothal and matrimony, Paul expresses a deep desire for the Corinthians to maintain their allegiance to Christ. He cautions that succumbing to the influence of false apostles would constitute spiritual infidelity, leading them away from their devotion to Him. In such a state, they would be unable to present themselves to Christ as a "chaste virgin". This imagery presupposes a divine standard for marriage characterized by purity, where both the bride and the husband come to one another without prior sexual relations.
Verse 3: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Comparing the false apostles to the serpent, Paul recognizes them as a significant spiritual danger.
Verse 4: “ For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
Contemporary society continues to encounter the challenge of doctrines advocating for an inclusive Jesus, a different spirit, and a substitute gospel. Years ago, certain creative productions, such as "Jesus Christ, Superstar," rejected His divinity and depicted a figure far removed from the historical and biblical account. This representation aligns with liberal theology, which often presents a version of Jesus that lacks scriptural foundation. Denials of the virgin birth, His miraculous works, and His sacrificial death for the sins of humanity result in the presentation of a "Jesus" distinct from the one found in the Bible. Furthermore, the rejection of His bodily resurrection and His dual nature as both fully God and fully man contradicts established creeds, such as those affirming He is "very God of very God and very man of very man". To dismiss these fundamental tenets is to propose an entirely different Jesus than the one preached in the Gospels.
Verse 5: “For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.”
Paul's reference to these "chiefest apostles" likely carries a sarcastic undertone, mocking the grand title his Corinthian adversaries perhaps even bestowed upon themselves.
Verse 6: “But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.”
Paul was a gospel preacher rather than a professional orator, acknowledging his lack of training in the rhetorical expertise highly valued in Greek culture. Any deficiencies he may have had in public speaking, however, were not present in his understanding of the faith. His deep knowledge of the gospel was not a result of his rabbinic education under Gamaliel, but was received directly from God.
Verse 7: “Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?”
In Greek society, a teacher's worth was often judged by the fees they could demand. Consequently, the false apostles portrayed Paul as a fraud because he provided his services at no cost. They persuaded the Corinthians to take offense at Paul's refusal of financial support, using it as supposed proof that he lacked affection for them. Furthermore, Paul's reliance on manual labor for self-support was a source of embarrassment for the Corinthians, who viewed such work as inconsistent with the dignity of an apostle.
Using sharp irony, Paul questioned his critics on how waived support could be considered a transgression. In reality, his choice to humble himself by declining payment was intended to exalt the Corinthians, elevating them from their previous states of idolatry and sin.
Verse 8: “ I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.”
Paul employs the strong term "robbed"—a word associated with pillaging in extrabiblical Greek—to make a rhetorical point. While he certainly did not take funds without permission, he highlights the irony that the congregations supporting his ministry in Corinth gained no direct advantage from their financial contributions.
Verse 9: “And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.”
The Apostle Paul steadfastly declined financial contributions from the Corinthian congregation, opting instead for rigorous physical labor as a tentmaker to maintain his independence. Although other churches provided support that permitted him intervals for gospel ministry, the Corinthians provided no such assistance.
Verse 10: “As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.”
Paul committed himself to serving the Corinthians through significant personal toil and financial sacrifice, distinguishing his ministry from the false apostles who seemingly required payment from the congregation. The “regions of Achaia” was the area around Corinth.
Verse 11: “Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.”
Paul explains the motivation behind his behavior toward the Corinthians. His refusal of support was not due to a lack of affection or a reluctance to accept expressions of their care—acknowledging that love and friendship are often shown through such reciprocal exchanges—but was instead a deliberate choice to prevent any cause for offense.
Verse 12: “But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.”
Paul’s refusal to accept financial contributions from the Corinthians served to humiliate the false apostles, who sought payment for their religious work. By providing his ministry at no cost, Paul aimed to discredit their assertions that their operations were conducted on the same terms as his own.
Verse 13: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”
Paul identifies his adversaries in Corinth not merely as believers with differing opinions on minor issues, but as genuine agents of Satan who have infiltrated the church to vie for authority.
Verse 14: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
Satan often employs the deceptive tactic of appearing virtuous. Specifically, he may dispatch his own servants into a church, where they masquerade as Christians while actually sowing division, immorality, slander, and various forms of ruin. As Jesus instructed His disciples, an individual's true nature is revealed through the "fruits" or the actions of their life and the consequences resulting.
Verse 15: “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
The realization that Satan possesses his own ministers is a chilling thought. Just as Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, his servants masquerade as ministers of righteousness.
One distinguishing characteristic of Satan's ministers is their tendency toward self-glorification. By observing this, one can discern if a person is truly sharing the plain Truth of God's Word or if they are promoting a different Jesus and a distorted gospel.
Verse 16: “ I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.”
Paul chose to engage his critics on their own terms, adopting a defensive posture that he would normally consider foolish, because some in Corinth—swayed by false apostles—held him in low regard. His primary motivation was not to protect his own reputation, but to safeguard the spiritual integrity of the church. The apostle recognized that if the Corinthians abandoned his leadership for these deceivers, they would effectively be trading the authentic gospel for a fraudulent one. Consequently, by validating his own ministry and character, Paul was ultimately championing the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Verse 17: “That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.”
Paul employed sarcasm by requesting that the Corinthians endure his "foolish" boasting, mockingly suggesting that their own great wisdom should make them patient with him. Furthermore, because he had initially approached the church as a lowly servant of God, he sarcastically remarked that he appeared too weak to take advantage of them in the predatory manner of the false apostles.
Verse 18: “Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.”
Paul provides a compelling reason for his brief self-commendation: the Corinthians already tolerated similar boasting from others who possessed far less valid grounds for doing so.
Verse 19: “For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.”
Paul noted with irony that the Corinthians, in their self-professed wisdom, ought to find it easy to tolerate a "fool" such as himself.
Verse 20: “For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.”
Paul issues a strong admonition in this passage. He observes that the Corinthians permit individuals to enter their congregation and subject them to the legalistic bondage of the Law. These false teachers exploit the community for their own livelihood, practice self-exaltation, and even inflict physical or verbal abuse, yet the Corinthians remain remarkably tolerant of such mistreatment from those propagating false doctrines.
Verse 21: “I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak.
Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.”
Paul justifies his temporary self-praise by pointing out that the Corinthians were already permitting similar boasting from others who had much weaker claims to authority.
Verse 19: “For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.”
With biting irony, Paul suggests that since the Corinthians consider themselves so wise, they should have no trouble putting up with a "fool" like him.
Verse 20: “For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.”
In a sharp rebuke, Paul observes that the Corinthians allow outsiders to lead them into legalistic servitude. These deceptive teachers exploit the church for personal gain, promote themselves, and even resort to physical or verbal mistreatment; remarkably, the congregation remains patient with such abuse from those teaching error.
Verse 21: “I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.”
Reaching a peak of sarcasm, Paul remarks that he was evidently too "weak" to mistreat the Corinthians in the same aggressive manner as the false apostles.
Verse 22: “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.”
Paul’s opponents were Jewish, likely arriving from Jerusalem and claiming to have the backing of the apostles there. By asserting his own heritage, Paul demonstrates that his credentials are at least equal to theirs.
Verse 23: “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.”
Although Paul had already denied that his opponents were "ministers of Christ," some Corinthians still believed they were. Accepting that belief for the sake of argument, he proceeded to demonstrate how his ministry was superior to their so-called "ministry" in every way. Paul provides a general summary of his frequent brushes with death and his sufferings for the gospel, offering specific examples in the following verses that are often absent from the book of Acts.
Verse 24: “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.”
Employing a high degree of sarcasm, Paul observes that he was apparently too "weak" to subject the Corinthians to the same aggressive mistreatment practiced by the false apostles.
Verse 22: “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.”
Paul’s adversaries were of Jewish descent, likely originating from Jerusalem and asserting the endorsement of the apostles residing there. By affirming his own lineage, Paul establishes that his heritage is equivalent to theirs.
Verse 23: “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.”
Despite Paul’s previous denial of his opponents' status as "ministers of Christ," certain members of the Corinthian church maintained that belief. Adopting this premise for the purpose of his argument, Paul illustrates the superiority of his ministry over their purported service. He offers a comprehensive overview of his frequent encounters with mortality and his tribulations for the gospel, providing specific instances in subsequent verses that are frequently omitted from the Acts of the Apostles.
Verse 24: “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.”
Contemporary Jewish practice involved the administration of thirty-nine lashes. To avoid a fatal outcome, thirteen lashes were typically applied to each side and thirteen to the back. Paul was subjected to this form of corporal punishment on five separate occasions.
Verse 25: “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;”
The phrase “beaten with rods” refers to a Roman punishment involving flexible sticks bound together. Paul also faced stoning at Lystra. His experience “in the deep” indicates that during at least one of his shipwrecks, the situation was so dire that he spent a full twenty-four hours clinging to debris in the open sea before being found.
Verse 26: “in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”
Throughout his ministry, Paul remained obedient to God's call, placing his security entirely in divine hands rather than seeking personal safety or ease. He endured an incredibly hazardous existence, much of which is not documented within the book of Acts. Among these many dangers were "false brethren"—individuals who posed as Christians while infiltrating the church specifically to incite conflict.
Verse 27: “in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
Few contemporary individuals can assert that they have experienced even a fraction of such tribulations. Residing within an affluent society characterized by significant material comfort, many remain largely unacquainted with the profound hardships endured for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Verse 28: “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”
Individuals serving in pastoral roles understand the significant weight associated with leading a single congregation; however, Paul bore the spiritual and administrative responsibility for all the churches. The magnitude of such a burden is difficult to fully comprehend.
Verse 29: “Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?”
Paul possessed a profound empathy, feeling the struggles of every vulnerable Christian and the sting of every scandal as if they were his own. His trust in God did not make him distant; rather, he was deeply affected by the needs and sufferings of the churches. When we consider that this exceptional apostle—perhaps the finest man to live besides Jesus Christ—endured such hardship, it reveals how little reason we have to prioritize the comforts and wealth of this world.
Verse 30: “If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.”
By choosing to “glory” in his own weaknesses, Paul served to highlight and magnify the Divine power operating through him.
Verse 31: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.”
Aware that the catalog of his tribulations might appear unbelievable, Paul appealed to God as his witness to confirm the veracity of his account and the reality of his experiences.
Verse 32: “ In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:”
It appears that Paul’s Jewish adversaries in Damascus convinced the governor to assist in a conspiracy against him. While the inclusion of verses 32 and 33 might seem unexpected in this context, they highlight Paul’s initial—and quite humbling—encounter with being the target of persecution, rather than its perpetrator, for the sake of the gospel.
Verse 33: “and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.”
Consider the indignity Paul endured as he was lowered down the city wall in a basket to evade those conspiring to take his life. This humbling escape illustrates the extent of the hardships Paul accepted in his service to Jesus Christ.
