2 Corinthians 12:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

Legacy Standard Bible
On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses.

Simplified Cowboy Version
I wish I could brag about the things I heard and saw, but I'm not going to. I'm only going to brag about my weaknesses.

Bible in Basic English
On account of such a one I will have glory: for myself I will take no glory, but only in my feeble body.

Darby Translation
Of such [a one] I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, unless in my weaknesses.

Christian Standard Bible®
I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.

World English Bible
On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Of such an one I will glory; but I will not glory of myself, unless in my infirmities.

Weymouth's New Testament
Of such a one I will boast; but of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

King James Version (1611)
Of such a one will I glory, yet of my selfe I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

Literal Translation
On behalf of such a one I will boast. But I will not boast on my behalf, except in my weaknesses.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Here of will I boast, but of my selfe wil I make no boast, excepte it be of myne infirmyties.

Mace New Testament (1729)
I might glory in being the man; but I will not glory in any thing relating to myself, unless it be my sufferings.

Amplified Bible
On behalf of such a man [and his experiences] I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

American Standard Version
On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses.

Revised Standard Version
On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Of this man will I reioyce of my silfe will I not reioyce except it be of myne infirmities.

Update Bible Version
On behalf of such a one I will glory: but on my own behalf I will not glory, save in [my] weaknesses.

Webster's Bible Translation
Of such one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in my infirmities.

Young's Literal Translation
Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,

New Century Version
I will brag about a man like that, but I will not brag about myself, except about my weaknesses.

New English Translation
On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.

Berean Standard Bible
I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.

Contemporary English Version
I will brag about that man, but not about myself, except to say how weak I am.

Complete Jewish Bible
About such a man I will boast; but about myself I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

English Standard Version
On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—

Geneva Bible (1587)
Of such a man will I reioyce: of my selfe will I not reioyce, except it bee of mine infirmities.

George Lamsa Translation
Of such a person, I will boast; but of myself, I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

Hebrew Names Version
On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

International Standard Version
I will boast about this man, but as for myself I will boast only about my weaknesses.2 Corinthians 11:30;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Of this I boast; but of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.

Murdock Translation
Of him I will glory: but of myself I will not glory, except in my infirmities.

New King James Version
Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.

New Living Translation
That experience is worth boasting about, but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses.

New Life Bible
I will be proud about this man, but I will not be proud about myself except to say things which show how weak I am.

English Revised Version
On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in [my] weaknesses.

New Revised Standard
On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
On behalf of such a one as this, will I boast, but, on behalf of myself, will I not boast, save in my weaknesses; -

Douay-Rheims Bible
For such an one I will glory: but for myself I will glory nothing but in my infirmities.

King James Version
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

Lexham English Bible
On behalf of such a person I will boast, but on behalf of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Of such a man wyll I glorie, yet of my selfe wyll I not glorie, but in myne infirmities.

Easy-to-Read Version
I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself. I will boast only about my weaknesses.

New American Standard Bible
In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses.

Good News Translation
So I will boast about this man—but I will not boast about myself, except the things that show how weak I am.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For such maner thingis Y schal glorie; but for me no thing, no but in myn infirmytees.

Contextual Overview

¹You've forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we're at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don't know if this took place in the body or out of it; only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise—again, whether in or out of the body, I don't know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I'm not saying another word apart from the humiliations. ⁶ If I had a mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and I'd still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I'll spare you. I don't want anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you'd encounter if you saw me on the street or heard me talk. ⁷Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

such: 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

yet: 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 12:10, 2 Corinthians 11:30

Reciprocal: Romans 8:26 - infirmities 1 Corinthians 2:3 - General 2 Corinthians 10:1 - base 2 Corinthians 10:10 - but 2 Corinthians 11:18 - I will 2 Corinthians 13:9 - when Hebrews 5:2 - is compassed

Cross-References

Genesis 11:31
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram's wife) and set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.

Genesis 12:8
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God .

Genesis 12:9
Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev.

Genesis 14:21
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me back the people but keep all the plunder for yourself."

Acts 7:4
"So he left the country of the Chaldees and moved to Haran. After the death of his father, he immigrated to this country where you now live, but God gave him nothing, not so much as a foothold. He did promise to give the country to him and his son later on, even though Abraham had no son at the time. God let him know that his offspring would move to an alien country where they would be enslaved and brutalized for four hundred years. ‘But,' God said, ‘I will step in and take care of those slaveholders and bring my people out so they can worship me in this place.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Of such an one will I glory,.... The apostle in great modesty seems to speak of some other person, and not himself, as caught up into the third heaven, when he yet means himself; and does as it were distinguish himself from himself; himself in paradise from himself on earth; his sense is, that though he might lawfully glory of such a person so highly exalted and favoured, yet since this was his own case, he chose to forbear, and say no more of it:

yet of myself I will not glory; though he could, and might, and did glory in the Lord, who had done such great things for him; as that he was in Christ, and knew himself to be so, had been rapt up into heaven, and heard things unutterable; yet he would not glory of these things as from himself, as owing to any merit or worthiness of his, but as instances of mere favour, grace, and goodness; if he gloried of anything of himself in his present state and condition, it should be of his weaknesses:

but in mine infirmities; not his sinful ones, for these he mourned over, and was humbled before God and man under a sense of; but his many pressing difficulties of life, heavy reproaches, very great afflictions, and violent persecutions he endured for Christ's sake; see 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of such an one will I glory - Of such a man it would be right to boast. It would be admitted that it is right to exult in such a man, and to esteem him to be uniquely favored by God. I will boast of him as having received special honor from the Lord. Bloomfield, however, supposes that the words rendered “of such an one should be translated “of such a thing,” or of such a transaction; meaning” I can indeed justly boast of my being caught up to heaven as of a thing the whole glory of which pertains to him who has thus exalted me; but of myself, or of anything in me, I will not boast.” So Rosenmuller explains it. But it seems to me that the connection requires that we should understand it of a person, and that the passage is partly ironical. Paul speaks in the third person. He chooses to keep himself directly out of view. And though he refers really to himself, yet he wound not say this directly, but says that of such a man they would admit it would be proper to boast.

Yet of myself - Directly. It is not expedient for me to boast of myself. “You would allow me to boast of such a man as I have referred to; I admit that it is not proper for me to boast directly of myself.”

But in mine infirmities - My weaknesses, trials, pains, sufferings; such as many regard as infirmities; see the note on 2 Corinthians 11:30.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Corinthians 12:5. Of such a one will I glory — Through modesty he does not mention himself, though the account can be understood of no other person; for, did he mean any other, the whole account would be completely irrelevant.