2 Corinthians 12:16

Contextual Overview

¹¹ I have been talking like a fool, but you made me do it. You people are the ones who should say good things about me. I am worth nothing, but those "super apostles" are not worth any more than I am! ¹¹ I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. ¹¹ I am made a fole in bostynge my silfe. Ye have copelled me: I ought to have bene comeded of you. For in nothinge was I inferior vnto ye chefe apostels Though I be nothynge ¹¹ I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for in nothing was I behind the very best apostles, though I am nothing. ¹¹ I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. ¹¹ I have been talking like a fool, but you made me do it. You are the ones who should say good things about me. I am worth nothing, but those "great apostles" are not worth any more than I am! ¹¹ I have become foolish: you compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing. ¹¹ I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended by you: for in nothing am I behind the very greatest apostles, though I am nothing. ¹¹ I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. ¹¹ I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for in nothing was I behind the very best apostles, though I am nothing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I did not: 2 Corinthians 12:13, 2 Corinthians 11:9, 2 Corinthians 11:10

being: That is, as my enemies represent, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Corinthians 7:2, 2 Corinthians 10:2, 2 Corinthians 10:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 1 Peter 2:3

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 5:22 - give them 2 Kings 10:19 - But Jehu Nehemiah 5:16 - all my Matthew 4:19 - I will 1 Corinthians 9:3 - them 2 Peter 1:16 - we have

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."

Genesis 12:13
Say, I pray you, you are my sister; that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.

Genesis 12:13
Tell them you are my sister so that things will go well with me and I may be allowed to live because of you."

Genesis 12:13
So tell them you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you and my life will be spared on account of you."

Genesis 12:13
Say, I pray thee, thou [art] my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Genesis 12:13
Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you."

Genesis 12:13
"Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you."

Genesis 12:13
Therfor, Y biseche thee, seie thou, that thou art my sistir, that it be wel to me for thee, and that my lijf lyue for loue of thee.

Genesis 12:13
say, I pray thee, thou [art] my sister, so that it is well with me because of thee, and my soul hath lived for thy sake.'

Genesis 12:13
Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But be it so, I did not burden you,.... These words are not spoken by the apostle in his own person of himself, but in the person of his adversaries, and contain a concession and an objection of theirs, but be it so; they granted that he had not burdened the Corinthians, that he had took nothing of them himself for preaching the Gospel; they owned that he had preached it freely; this was so clear a point, and so flagrant a case, that they could not deny it; yet they insinuated to the Corinthians, and objected to the apostle, that though he did not receive anything from them with his own hands, yet he craftily and cunningly made use of others to drain their purses, and receive it for him; and which is suggested in the next clause:

nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile; so say the false apostles of me; for these are not the words of the apostle in his own person; nor to be understood of any spiritual craft, or lawful cunning and prudent artifices used by him, to allure and draw the Corinthians into a good liking and opinion of the Gospel and of his ministry, and so caught them, and was the happy means of their conversion; but they are spoken in the person of the false apostles, charging him with a wicked and criminal craftiness, by making use of other persons in a sly underhanded way, to get this church's money, when he pretended to preach the Gospel freely; to which he answers in the next verse.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But be it so - This is evidently a charge of his enemies; or at least a charge which it might be supposed they would make. Whether they ever in fact made it, or whether the apostle merely anticipates an objection, it is impossible to determine. It is clearly to be regarded as the language of objectors; for:

(1) It can never be supposed that Paul would state as a serious matter that he had caught them with deceit or fraud.

(2) He answers it as an objection in the following verse. The meaning is, “We admit that you did not burden us. You did not exact a support from us. But all this was mere trick. You accomplished the same thing in another way. You professed when with us not to seek our property but our souls. But in various ways you contrived to get our money, and to secure your object. You made others the agents for doing this, and sent them among us under various pretexts to gain money from us.” It will be remembered that Paul had sent; Titus among them to take up the collection for the poor saints in Judea 2 Corinthians 8:6, and it is not at all improbable that some there had charged Paul with making use of this pretence only to obtain money for his own private use. To guard against this charge. was one of the reasons why Paul was so anxious to have some persons appointed by the church to take charge of the contribution; see 1 Corinthians 16:3; compare the notes on 2 Corinthians 8:19-21.

Being crafty - Being cunning That is, by sending persons to obtain money on different pretences.

I caught you with guile - I took you by deceit or fraud. That is, making use of fraud in pretending that the money was for poor and afflicted saints, when in reality it was for my own use. It is impossible that Paul should have ever admitted this of himself; and they greatly pervert the passage who suppose that it applies to him, and then plead that it is right to make use of guile in accomplishing their purposes. Paul never carried his measures by dishonesty, nor did he ever justify fraud; compare the notes on Acts 23:6.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. But be it so, I did not burden you — That is: You grant that I did not burden you, that I took nothing from you, but preached to you the Gospel freely; but you say that, BEING CRAFTY, I caught you with guile; i.e. getting from you, by means of others, what I pretended to be unwilling to receive immediately from yourselves.

Many persons suppose that the words, being crafty, I caught you with guile, are the words of the apostle and not of his slanderers; and therefore have concluded that it is lawful to use guile, deceit, c., in order to serve a good and a religious purpose. This doctrine is abominable and the words are most evidently those of the apostle's detractors, against which he defends his conduct in the two following verses.