2 Corinthians Chapter 11 — Paul Defends His Apostleship
Paul defends his authority against false apostles by detailing his devotion to the church and the extensive hardships he has endured for Christ.
1I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.
2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you in marriage to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
3But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit which you didn’t receive, or a different “good news” which you didn’t accept, you put up with that well enough.
5For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.
6But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.
7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge?
8I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.
9When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.
10As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.
12But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity, that in which they boast, they may be recognized just like us.
13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.
14And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
15It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
16I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.
17That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
18Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.
19For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.
20For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.
21To my shame, I speak as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.
22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring*or, seed of Abraham? So am I.
23Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often.
24Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.
25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.
26I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;
27in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.
28Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.
29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?
30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.
31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie.
32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me.
33I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Corinthians 11:14
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
This verse warns that spiritual deception can often appear attractive or righteous to the unsuspecting.
2 Corinthians 11:30
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.”
Paul highlights that his true authority comes from his reliance on God during trials rather than human strength.
Chapter Summary
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul expresses a godly jealousy for the Corinthian believers, fearing they are being led away from the simplicity of Christ by false apostles. He addresses critics by highlighting that he preached to them free of charge, supported by other churches to avoid being a burden. Paul warns that deceitful workers can masquerade as servants of righteousness, just as Satan masquerades as an angel of light. To defend his ministry, Paul reluctantly boasts of his credentials and trials. He lists his many sufferings, including multiple lashings, shipwrecks, imprisonments, and constant perils in his travels. He concludes that his true boast is not in his strength but in his weakness and his deep concern for all the churches. The chapter ends with a specific account of his narrow escape from arrest in Damascus, being let down in a basket through a window in the city wall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paul uses the term foolishness to describe the act of boasting about his own achievements and sufferings. He feels forced into this behavior to defend his ministry against false teachers who were impressing the Corinthians with their own credentials.
Paul refers to deceitful workers who were preaching a different Jesus and leading the Corinthians away from the Gospel. He warns that these individuals masquerade as servants of righteousness but are actually undermining the truth.
Paul lists an extensive series of hardships, including being whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and surviving three shipwrecks. He also mentions constant danger from travel, hunger, thirst, and his daily anxiety for the welfare of the Christian assemblies.
Study Note
The 'forty stripes minus one' mentioned in verse 24 refers to a Jewish legal limit intended to prevent an accidental violation of the law if the count was mistaken.
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