2 Corinthians 11

17. not after the Lord--By inspired guidance he excepts this "glorying" or "boasting" from the inspired authoritativeness which belongs to all else that he wrote; even this boasting, though undesirable in itself, was permitted by the Spirit, taking into account its aim, namely, to draw off the Corinthians from their false teachers to the apostle. Therefore this passage gives no proof that any portion of Scripture is uninspired. It merely guards against his boasting being made a justification of boasting in general, which is not ordinarily "after the Lord," that is, consistent with Christian humility.
foolishly--Greek, "in foolishness."
confidence of boasting--( 2 Corinthians 9:4 ).

18. many--including the "false teachers."
after the flesh--as fleshly men are wont to boast, namely, of external advantages, as their birth, doings, &c. (compare 2 Corinthians 11:22 ).
I will glory also--that is, I also will boast of such fleshly advantages, to show you that even in these I am not their inferiors, and therefore ought not to be supplanted by them in your esteem; though these are not what I desire to glory in ( 2 Corinthians 10:17 ).

19. gladly--willingly. Irony. A plea why they should "bear with" ( 2 Corinthians 11:1 ) him in his folly, that is, boasting; ye are, in sooth, so "wise" ( 1 Corinthians 4:8 1 Corinthians 4:10 ; Paul's real view of their wisdom was very different, 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 ) yourselves that ye can "bear with" the folly of others more complacently. Not only can ye do so, but ye are actually doing this and more.

20. For--Ye may well "bear with" fools; for ye even "bear with" oppressors. Translate, "Ye bear with them."
a man--as the false apostles do.
bring you into bondage--to himself. Translate "brings," not "bring"; for the case is not merely a supposed case, but a case actually then occurring. Also "devours" (namely, by exactions, Matthew 23:24 , Psalms 53:4 ), "takes," "exalts," "smites."
take of you--So the Greek for "take" is used for "take away from" ( Revelation 6:4 ). ALFORD translates, as in 2 Corinthians 12:16 , "catches you."
exalt himself--under the pretext of apostolic dignity.
smite you on the face--under the pretext of divine zeal. The height of insolence on their part, and of servile endurance on yours ( 1 Kings 22:24 , Nehemiah 13:25 , Luke 22:64 , Acts 23:2 , 1 Timothy 3:3 ).

21. as concerning reproach--rather, "by way of dishonor (that is, self-disparagement) I say it."
as though we . . . weak--in not similarly ( 2 Corinthians 11:20 ) showing our power over you. "An ironical reminiscence of his own abstinence when among them from all these acts of self-exaltation at their expense" (as if such abstinence was weakness) [ALFORD]. The "we" is emphatically contrasted with the false teachers who so oppressively displayed their power. I speak so as though WE had been weak when with you, because we did not show our power this way. Howbeit (we are not really weak; for), whereinsoever any is bold . . . I am bold also.

22. Hebrews . . . Israelites . . . the seed of Abraham--A climax. "Hebrews," referring to the language and nationality; "Israelites," to the theocracy and descent from Israel, the "prince who prevailed with God" ( Romans 9:4 ); "the seed of Abraham," to the claim to a share in the Messiah ( Romans 11:1 , 9:7 ). Compare Philippians 3:5 , "An Hebrew of the Hebrews," not an Hellenist or Greek-speaking Jew, but a Hebrew in tongue, and sprung from Hebrews.

23. I speak as a fool--rather, as Greek, "I speak as if beside myself"; stronger than "as a fool."
I am more--namely, in respect to the credentials and manifestations of my ministry, more faithful and self-denying; and richer in tokens of God's recognition of my ministry. Old authorities read the order thus, "In prisons above measures, in stripes more abundantly" (English Version, less accurately, "more frequent"). Acts 16:23-40 records one case of his imprisonment with stripes. CLEMENT OF ROME [First Epistle to the Corinthians] describes him as having suffered bonds seven times.
in death oft--( 2 Corinthians 4:10 , Acts 9:23 , 13:50 , Acts 14:5 Acts 14:6 Acts 14:19 , Acts 17:5 Acts 17:13 ).

24. Deuteronomy 25:3 ordained that not more than forty stripes should be inflicted To avoid exceeding this number, they gave one short of it: thirteen strokes with a treble lash [BENGEL]. This is one of those minute agreements with Jewish usage, which a forger would have not been likely to observe.

25. The beating by Roman magistrates at Philippi ( Acts 16:23 ) is the only one recorded in Acts, which does not profess to give a complete journal of his life, but only a sketch of it in connection with the design of the book, namely, to give an outline of the history of the Gospel Church from its foundation at Jerusalem, to the period of its reaching Rome, the capital of the Gentile world.
once was I stoned--( Acts 14:19 ).
thrice . . . shipwreck--before the shipwreck at Melita ( Acts 27:44 ). Probably in some of his voyages from Tarsus, where he stayed for some time after his conversion, and from which, as being a seafaring place, he was likely to make missionary voyages to adjoining places ( Acts 9:30 , 11:25 , Galatians 1:21 ).
a night and a day . . . in the deep--probably in part swimming or in an open boat.

26. In--rather, "By": connected with 2 Corinthians 11:23 , but now not with "in," as there, and as in 2 Corinthians 11:27 , where again he passes to the idea of surrounding circumstances or environments [ALFORD, ELLICOTT and others].
waters--rather, as Greek, "rivers," namely, perils by the flooding of rivers, as on the road often traversed by Paul between Jerusalem and Antioch, crossed as it is by the torrents rushing down from Lebanon. So the traveller Sport lost his life.
robbers--perhaps in his journey from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Pisidia was notorious for robbers; as indeed were all the mountains that divided the high land of Asia from the sea.
the heathen--Gentiles.
in the city--Damascus, Acts 9:24 Acts 9:25 ; Jerusalem, Acts 9:29 ; Ephesus, Acts 19:23 .
false brethren--( Galatians 2:4 ).

27. fastings--voluntary, in order to kindle devotions ( Acts 13:2 Acts 13:3 , 14:23 , 1 Corinthians 9:27 ); for they are distinguished from "hunger and thirst," which were involuntary [GROTIUS]. However, not synonymous with "foodlessness" (as the Greek of "fasting" means), but are its consequences.
cold . . . nakedness--"cold" resulting from "nakedness," or insufficient clothing, as the Greek often means: as "hunger and thirst" result from "foodlessness." (Compare Acts 28:2 , Romans 8:35 ). "When we remember that he who endured all this was a man constantly suffering from infirm health ( 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 , 12:7-10 , Galatians 4:13 Galatians 4:14 ), such heroic self-devotion seems almost superhuman" [CONYBEARE and HOWSON].

28. without--"Beside" trials falling on me externally, just recounted, there is "that which cometh upon me (literally, the impetuous concourse to me of business; properly, a crowd rising up against one again and again, and ready to bear him down), the care of all the churches" (including those not yet seen in the flesh, Colossians 2:1 ): an internal and more weighty anxiety. But the oldest manuscripts for "that which cometh," read, "the pressure": "the pressing care-taking" or "inspection that is upon me daily." ALFORD translates, "Omitting what is BESIDES"; namely, those other trials besides those recounted. But the Vulgate, ESTIUS, and BENGEL, support English Version.
the care--The Greek implies, "my anxious solicitude for all the churches."

29. I . . . weak--in condescending sympathy with the weak ( 1 Corinthians 9:22 ). "Care generates sympathy, which causes the minister of Christ personally to enter into the feelings of all his people, as if he stood in their position, so as to accommodate himself to all" [CALVIN].
offended--by some stumbling-block put in his way by others: the "weak" is most liable to be "offended."
I burn not--The "I" in the Greek is emphatic, which it is not in the former clause, "I am not weak." I not only enter into the feeling of the party offended, but I burn with indignation at the offender, I myself taking up his cause as my own. "Who meets with a stumbling-block and I am not disturbed even more than himself" [NEANDER].

30. glory of . . . infirmities--A striking contrast! Glorying or boasting of what others make matter of shame, namely, infirmities; for instance, his humbling mode of escape in a basket ( 2 Corinthians 11:33 ). A character utterly incompatible with that of an enthusiast (compare 2 Corinthians 12:5 2 Corinthians 12:9 2 Corinthians 12:10 ).

31. This solemn asseveration refers to what follows. The persecution at Damascus was one of the first and greatest, and having no human witness of it to adduce to the Corinthians, as being a fact that happened long before and was known to few, he appeals to God for its truth. Luke ( Acts 9:25 ) afterwards recorded it (compare Galatians 1:20 ), [BENGEL]. It may ALSO refer to the revelation in 2 Corinthians 12:1 , standing in beautiful contrast to his humiliating escape from Damascus.

32. governor--Greek, "Ethnarch": a Jewish officer to whom heathen rulers gave authority over Jews in large cities where they were numerous. He was in this case under Aretas, king of Arabia. Damascus was in a Roman province. But at this time, A.D. 38 or 39, three years after Paul's conversion, A.D. 36, Aretas, against whom the Emperor Tiberius as the ally of Herod Agrippa had sent an army under Vitellius, had got possession of Damascus on the death of the emperor, and the consequent interruption of Vitellius' operations. His possession of it was put an end to immediately after by the Romans [NEANDER]. Rather, it was granted by Caligula (A.D. 38) to Aretas, whose predecessors had possessed it. This is proved by our having no Damascus coins of Caligula or Claudius, though we do have of their immediate imperial predecessors and successors [ALFORD].