2 Corinthians 11

2 Corinthians 11:1

The fear that I have that you should be seduced tempts me to do that which you will be apt to count boasting, and think me to be a fool for doing so; viz. to praise myself, and magnify the pains that I have taken among you: this piece of folly you may do well to pardon in me;

2 Corinthians 11:2

For it is caused by nothing but by my kindness to you, my zeal to your good, and jealousy that other men may get away your love and esteem from me: which is a jealousy not so much for myself as for God, that he should lose a church beloved by him. For I have been to you as that officer among the Grecians was to their virgins, I have taken upon me the educating and forming of you, the cultivating and fitting of you, the taking care and watching over you, that so I might present you a fit and a pure spouse to Christ.

[a] espoused you to one husband] The Vulg. seems to have read these words ἡρμοσάμην ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ, with a comma after them, and accordingly render them despondi vos unii viro, I have espoused you to one husband; according to that of Julius Pollux, ὁ δι’ πενθερὸς ἐγγυᾷ, ἀρμόζει, ὅθεν τινὲς τῶν πολλῶν ἀρμοστὴν τὸν μνηστῆρα ἐκάλεσαν, making ἐγγυᾷ, espouse, all one with ἀρμόζειν. So in Cinnamus, l. 4. p. 228, ταύτην ἀρμόζεται, “he married her.” But the more probable punctuation is by reading it without any comma till after παραστῆσαι, and then the notion of the word ἀρμόζειν must be taken from that use of the word which is agreeable to the office of the ἀρμοσταὶ or ἀρμόσυνοι among the Lacedæmonians. Among the magistrates of that city those were two prime names, and between them some slight difference. The ἀρμοσταὶ were a kind of provincial rulers, (placed by P. Nic. Cragius among the μέγισται ἀρχαί, the prime magistrates of that city,) sent to govern the provinces, or confederate cities, and preserve them in their fidelity, and were, saith Ulpian, so called διὰ τὸ ἀρμόζειν τὰ ἔθη τῶν πολιτῶν τοῖς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων, “because they conformed the manners of the citizens to those of the Lacedæmonians,” for so ἀρμόζειν signifies to adapt or conform. So saith Phavorinus out of Eratosthenes, ἀρμοσταὶ, οἱ ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων εἰς τὰς ὑπηκόους πόλεις ἄρχοντες ἐκπεμπόμενοι, “the governors that are sent by the Lacedæmonians to the cities under them.” These are by Hesychius called ἀρμοστῆρες, by Plutarch σωφρονισταί, in the same sense that the Athenians ἐπίσκοποι and φύλακες, overseers and guardians. From whence it is that Theophrastus observes that the Lacedæmonians sending magistrates to the provinces, style them much more commodiously ἀρμοστάς, than the Athenians do ἐπισκόπους and φύλακας. From whence also it is that in the Christian church the ancient author that goes under the name of Dionysius Areopagita, calls bishops ἀρμοστάς. But then the ἀρμόσινοι (which seem more peculiarly to belong to the use of the word in this place) were a peculiar sort of governors, which had to do with the education of women, especially for the forming of their lives and manners, and breeding of them, (as among the Athenians γυναικοκόσμοι,) from the verb ἀρμόζεσθαι, because they were set over them to fit and order their manners, and make them regular and harmonical, a kind of censors of manners among them. So saith Hesychius and Phavorinus in the same words,

o Onomast. l. 3. c. π. μνηστείας. in Dem. Or. cont. Leptinen. νισταί. p De Rep. Lac. l. 2. q Schol. r In Vit. Lycurgi, ἀρμοσταὶ καὶ σωφρο-

2 Corinthians 11:3

But there being such deceivers entered into the church, Simon Magus and his followers, using sorcery to beguile and infuse his falsities, I have reason

¹⁷ in respect of our line, κατά τὸν κανόνα ἡμῶν. ¹⁸ over those regions that are ready, εἰς τὰ ἔτοιμα. ¹ I would you would pardon me a little piece of folly, Ὀφελὸν ἠνείχεσθέ μου μικρὸν τι τῆς ἀφροσύνης. ² prepared you to present a pure virgin to one man, to Christ. ³ toward, εἰς.

2 Corinthians 11:4

For if some other teachers that are come among you preach another Christ, shake the whole foundation of your religion, promise you more extraordinary, miraculous, spiritual gifts, than those which from us you have received, and in sum preach another gospel to you, then you may give me leave (it being more than time) to magnify myself, and expostulate with you whether they come to you (or any one of them) with such authority as I come, or whether there be any appearance or show of reason why you should prefer them before me.

2 Corinthians 11:5

For not to compare myself with the deceivers, I may justly compare with the most eminent of the true apostles, Peter and James and John.

2 Corinthians 11:6

And if it be objected to me, and perhaps truly, that my language hath nothing extraordinary in it, yet sure nothing can be objected against my skill, my explaining the mysteries of the gospel, (see note [c] 1 Cor. i,) but in our preaching and behaviour toward you we are acknowledged by all men not to come short of any other apostle in any piece of knowledge or revelation useful for you.

2 Corinthians 11:7

Sure it ought not to be esteemed a fault in me (and yet I have been guilty of no other that might make me vile in your eyes) that I have so much tendered your advantages and so little mine own, that all my preaching among you hath put you to no kind of charge.

8, 9. Nay, I have been beholden to other churches, receiving provision from them, that I might preach freely to you; and when I fell short at my being with you, and had not wherewithal to supply my wants, yet I made not my wants known, I troubled none of you to make it up, but as sometimes I laboured with my hands and earned my living, (1 Cor. iv. 12, and ix. 6,) so at other times I received supply from the Philippians, (Phil. iv. 15, 16,) as they came from Macedonia, and so have neither yet put you to any charge, nor mean I ever to do so.

2 Corinthians 11:9

[b] I was chargeable] Κατενάρκησα, saith St. Jeromeᵗ ad Algasiam, is a Cilician word; the full meaning of it here will be judged by that which Ælian saith of the fish called νάρκη, the torpedo, Ὁ ἰχθὺς ἡ νάρκη, ὅτου ἂν προσάψηται, τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα ἰδωκέ τε, καὶ ναρκᾶν ἐποίησεν, “the torpedo fish whatsoever it toucheth it gives it its own name, makes it to be benumbed.” Now they which ask any thing of another are proverbially said to do that which the torpedo doth, to give a chilness or numbness. Molestum verbum est et onerosum, Rogo, saith Seneca, “asking or begging is very troublesome and burthensome;” and therefore καταναρκᾶν, which literally signifies to chill or benumb, (and so in Theocritus, Idyll. 7. νάρκαισιν ἀνιηρῆσι διδοίη,) doth in respect of this consequent signify to ask or intreat; and so here οὐ κατενάρκησα οὐδενὸς, I begged or asked of no man, I importuned no man.

2 Corinthians 11:10

As I am an apostle of Christ, and as there is any sincerity in me, I will not be deprived of this

2 Corinthians 11:11

And do not think it is any want of love that I make this resolution; God knows that is not the reason.

2 Corinthians 11:12

But the only cause of my resolution, which I will keep steadfastly, is this, that they that would fain find some fault with me, and magnify themselves before me, may not find any ground of doing so, but rather find me before them, and have somewhat to imitate in me in that very particular wherein they think they exceed me.

2 Corinthians 11:13

For the truth is, these men that come to infuse false doctrines into you behave themselves as cunningly as they can, and do labour to imitate and seem to do those very things that we true apostles do.

2 Corinthians 11:14

And it is no unusual matter for deceivers and seducers to do so, for Satan himself pretends to do those things that the good angels do, makes as if he meant you all kindness, when he comes to destroy you.

2 Corinthians 11:15

I do not pretend any title to those whom others have brought up in the gospel, but yet entertain myself with an hope, that as your church increaseth in the faith, so my province will become the larger in length or extent, I shall have more proselytes to Christ by your merchandising and traffic with other countries,

And therefore it is not any thing strange if seducing heretics employed by him do imitate the actions of the apostles of Christ; but according to the hypocrisy of their actions so shall their ends be.

2 Corinthians 11:16

And so preach the gospel far beyond Achaia, without invading any other man’s possession or province, without entering upon those parts where the gospel had been formerly preached by others.

There will be no great reason that this my glorying should make you count me imprudent; or if it do, it is no great matter; I will venture that, rather than suffer sycophants to seduce and corrupt you.

2 Corinthians 11:17

For it is a most ridiculous thing for any man to rejoice or glory in any thing, but in having done that which is acceptable to God, in discharge of his duty.

Yet what I say in this matter I deliver not as a piece of gospel, but as an external, incidental discourse in this matter, of which the false apostles boast, and I have much more reason than they: (see note [a] Heb. xi.)

2 Corinthians 11:18

For it is not our own good opinion of ourselves which qualifies us for reward or acceptation, but the sincerity of our actions before God, which may render us acceptable in his sight.

CHAP. XI.

¹ WOULD to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

² For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have ² [a] espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

³ But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is ³ in Christ.

And seeing others think fit to glory or boast of such extrinsic things as these, I may have leave to do the like.

2 Corinthians 11:19

For wise men are not wont to be angry, but are many times pleased to see others play the fools; and so do you in many other things.

2 Corinthians 11:20

I am sure you can bear with greater matters; you can give men leave to take you captive to their doctrines, how false soever; to deprive you of all you

2 Corinthians 11:21

Which I tell you, to put you in mind how reproachfully you have been used by them: as indeed I have also been set at nought and vilified by them: for which there hath been little reason. For whatsoever reason any of them hath to think well of himself, I have sure as much cause as he, (though to say so may go for folly in me, as being a kind of boasting.)

22, 23. These seducers boast they are Hebrews, and Israelites, and of Abraham’s stock, and then that they are apostles of Christ. And sure I am every one of these: and for the last, I cannot but say it, though it will be deemed boasting and folly in me, that I am more than an ordinary apostle, one that have taken more pains, suffered more of scourgings and imprisonments and dangers of imminent death than any of the very twelve apostles.

2 Corinthians 11:24

Five times was I scourged of the Jews without any mitigation, with the greatest severity that the law would permit.

25-27. Thrice was I beaten with wands, probably by the Roman officers, (see note [b]); once by a tumult of a seditious multitude of zealots I was without any judicial process stoned and left for dead, Acts xiv. 19; and still from time to time I have been exercised in all kinds and degrees of distresses.

[c] forty stripes save one] Of this punishment of St. Paul’s these four things are to be observed: 1st, that St. Paul, as a Roman, was not to be whipped ex lege Portia, and therefore, Acts xxii. 24, when the tribune had commanded him to be beaten thus, understanding he was a Roman, he dismissed him, and was afraid, saith St. Luke, because he had bound him; 2dly, that he was yet subject, as a Jew, to the laws of the Jews, which were yet in force, and so was subjected to this Jewish punishment, as a Jew; 3dly, that he was dealt with as a robustious offender, in suffering so oft the utmost extremity of the Jewish law, when they that were weak, or which upon any other score had any mitigation, were not used so severely; according to that of Maimonides Hil. Sanhedrim, c. 17. “They inflict,” saith he, “no more than forty stripes, though he be as strong as Samson; but if he be weak, they abate of that number;” 4thly, that that sum of thirty-nine was the solemn proportion in the Jewish punishments, when they were most severely inflicted. So in Josephus, of one that had accused his wife falsely of the loss of her virginity before marriage, Ἐκτινίτω πληγὰς τεσσαράκοντα μᾶς λιπούσης λαμβάνων, “Let him extend himself, and receive thirty-nine stripes.” For when the number which might not be exceeded was by the law defined to be forty, Deut. xxv. 3, and when the custom was taken up of executing this punishment with a rod of three branches, and so of giving three strokes at one blow, (or, as it is in Maccoth, c. 3. §. 12, with one twisted cord, unto which two more were fastened,) every stroke consequently going for three, (as Maimonides affirms in Sanhedr. c. 17. §. 2.) it was consequently impossible to inflict more stripes than thirty-nine, unless they exceeded to two and forty, and so that of thirty-nine was the last among those that were lawful. See Talmud Babyl. in Maccoth, cap. 3. As for the beating with rods which follows, ver. 25, that differs from this of the scourging, the ῥάβδοι, rods, being wands or cudgels, a bundle of which was carried before the Roman consul, and he that carried them called ῥαβδούχος,

ᵗ Qu. 10.

2 Corinthians 11:28

And, not to name all, the many daily emergent