Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 11

Verses 1-33

Having thus stated the true grounds of glorying, and being about to make his boast (such action having been made necessary by the opposition), the apostle has so little love for it that he commences with an apology, and a very explicit declaration of his deepest reason for doing it. He is jealous with a godly jealousy, that is, with a jealousy after the pattern of the jealousy of God, which is always the jealousy of wounded love. The extreme difficulty of the case was that while preaching the same things, those in opposition were creating divisions by personalities, and therefore Paul was bound to save them by personal boasting.

He commenced this boasting with the remarkable statement that he was "not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles." It has been said that this is a sarcastic reference to the false teachers, but it is far more probable that in harmony with his constant defense of his own apostleship he first declares his equality with all the apostles on the basis of his divine appointment to this office.

Then followed the threefold glorying in the exercise of his apostolic office among the Corinthians, in its manner, in its method, and in its motive.

So that if he himself must needs glory, it shall be in the things that concern his weakness, while he calls God to witness to the truth of the things he writes. And of these things of weakness the first is the escape from Damascus, in which was nothing :to create the spirit of fleshly boasting, and yet it was his open door to apostleship and service.