RSV ~ 2 Corinthians 11 Notes

2 Cor 11:1 | ISB Notes

bear with me: Paul asks readers to tolerate a little boasting on his part, even though he dislikes it and knows it is foolish. It is because the Corinthians have failed to support him in the face of criticisms that he is forced to defend himself (12:11). Several times he apologizes for engaging in such folly (11:1618, 21, 23; 12:1, 6).

2 Cor 11:2 | ISB Notes

I betrothed you to Christ: Paul is the “father” (1 Cor 4:15) of the Corinthians and thus in charge of safeguarding their purity before marriage. He is preserving them for Christ, the husband, who is already betrothed to them by covenant but who waits to receive them into his home as a chaste bride (literally, “virgin”). This marital imagery is frequent in the NT (Mt 25:1-13; Eph 5:23-32; Rev 19:7) (CCC 505, 796).

2 Cor 11:3 | ISB Notes

the serpent deceived Eve: An allusion to Gen I 3:1-7.

• Paul looks back to the Fall of Adam and Eve to warn readers that the same danger once present in the Garden of Eden is now lurking in Corinth. He fears that the Corinthians, like Eve, will be lured away from Christ by the seductive voice of evil. Satan is once again the intruder, this time disguised as the “false apostles” (11:13).

2 Cor 11:4 | ISB Notes

another Jesus: A distorted message about Jesus in conflict with the apostolic gospel.

2 Cor 11:5 | ISB Notes

superlative apostles: A sarcastic title for the counterfeit apostles in Corinth (12:11). It suggests they viewed themselves as superior to Paul. See note on 2 Cor 11:13.

2 Cor 11:7-11 | ISB Notes

Paul defends his practice of refusing financial assistance from the Corinthians. He was able to support himself among them by donations from other Churches (11:8) and by manual labor, probably tentmaking (Acts 18:3). The Corinthians unfortunately took this as an insult and an indication that Paul did not love them (2 Cor 11:11). To counter this, Paul reveals several reasons for this pastoral decision. (1) He wished to lay no unnecessary burden on them (11:9). (2) He hoped to accentuate the stark difference between his ministry and that of his opponents, who greedily took advantage of the Corinthians’ resources (11:20). (3) As their spiritual “father” (1 Cor 4:15), he wanted to provide for them in the same way that parents do for their children (2 Cor 12:14). In the end, Paul’s tireless labor was a greater expression of love than accepting their monetary gifts (12:15). See note on 2 Cor 2:17.

2 Cor 11:9 | ISB Notes

from Macedonia: Possibly from the Christians in Philippi (Phil 4:15-18).

2 Cor 11:13 | ISB Notes

false apostles: The precise identity and mission of these agitators are unknown.

Paul provides us with only general information: (1) they were Israelites (11:22), (2) they furnished letters of recommendation for themselves (3:1), (3) they preached a foreign gospel (11:4), (4) they accepted financial support for their services (2:17), (5) they took advantage of the Corinthians (11:20), (6) they were outsiders who invaded Paul’s missionary field during his absence (10:13-18), and (7) they were severely critical of Paul (6:8; 10:2, 10). Some scholars have argued on the basis of this that the Corinthian impostors were like the Judaizers in Galatia who pressured Christians to accept circumcision and embrace the entire ritual law of the Old Covenant. In this case, they may have come from Judea to collect money (taxes) for the Jerusalem Temple.

2 Cor 11:14 | ISB Notes

an angel of light: Satan is a master of deception, adept at hiding his darkness behind the mask of innocence and light. The “false apostles” (11:13) are intruders who collaborate with the devil and his plan to destroy the Church in Corinth. Jesus warned that such “false prophets” would masquerade as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mt 7:15).

2 Cor 11:15 | ISB Notes

Their end: The eternal destiny of Paul’s opponents will correspond to their present wickedness.

2 Cor 11:20 | ISB Notes

For you bear it: Paul chides the Corinthians for tolerating the aggressive tactics of his rivals. Their lack of resistance enabled the impostors to exploit them and wield reckless authority in their Church.

2 Cor 11:21-12 | ISB Notes

An impassioned account of Paul’s credentials, sometimes called the “Fool’s Speech”. It falls into two parts: the first recounts the apostle’s numerous afflictions (11:22-33), the second his heavenly journeys (12:1-10). Paul boasts of these experiences to counter the claims of his opponents, who brag that their credentials and leadership skills outmatch his own.

Paul insists otherwise: unlike them, he follows the footsteps of Christ by suffering and laying down his life in service to others (4:7-12; Lk 9:23; 1 Pet 2:21).

2 Cor 11:22 | ISB Notes

Hebrews: The term can have a linguistical sense, referring to peoples who speak Aramaic (Acts 6:1), or a genealogical sense, referring to the descendants of Eber, the great-grandson of Shem (Gen 10:21). Perhaps both senses are intended here.

Israelites: Descendants of the patriarch Jacob, renamed Israel (Gen 32:28). So am I: Paul boasts the same genealogical and linguistic credentials as his adversaries (Acts 21:40; Rom 11:1; Phil 3:4-5).

2 Cor 11:23 | ISB Notes

imprisonments: Several are mentioned in the NT (Acts 16:23; 24:27; 28:16).

2 Cor 11:24 | ISB Notes

forty lashes less one: A form of Jewish punishment administered by synagogue officials. Although the Torah prescribed 40 stripes, the Jews generally gave 39 to ensure the maximum penalty was not exceeded (Deut 25:1-3). That Paul endured this treatment five times over displays his unwavering commitment to bring the gospel to Israel, no matter the cost (Acts 9:15-16). See note on Acts 13:5.

2 Cor 11:25 | ISB Notes

beaten with rods: A form of Roman punishment that Paul endured at Philippi (Acts 16:22). As a Roman citizen, he should have had legal protection from this abuse (Acts 16:3740).

I was stoned: This happened on his first missionary journey in Lystra (Acts 14:19-20).

I have been shipwrecked: This does not include the shipwreck in Acts 27:13-44, which happened a few years later. The Book of Acts never mentions these earlier hardships, although it does indicate that Paul embarked on numerous sea voyages (Acts 13:4, 13; 14:26; 16:11; etc.).

2 Cor 11:26 | ISB Notes

false brethren: This may refer (1) to those who claimed to be Christians but were not or (2) to Judaizing Christians who opposed Paul’s ministry and tried to impose the ritual and sacrificial laws of the Old Covenant on Gentile converts to Christianity (cf. Acts 15:1-2; Gal 2:4). The latter meaning would link them to the “false apostles” in Corinth (11:13).

2 Cor 11:30 | ISB Notes

I will boast: Paul boasts only of his suffering and humiliation, i.e., those things that unite him with Christ, who was “crucified in weakness” (13:4).

2 Cor 11:32-33 | ISB Notes

Paul had to flee from Damascus when Jewish opponents from the synagogue conspired with the city’s governor to arrest him and kill him as a troublemaker (Acts 9:23-25). This plot is dated within the reign of the Nabatean ruler King Aretas IV, who controlled the city between A.D. 37 and 40. This was Paul’s first experience of persecution as a Christian, only a few years after his conversion in the same city (Acts 9:23-25). This dramatic escape is one more example of his weakness, making him look more like a fugitive than like a hero.