📖WEB · 2 Corinthians 12:13
What does 2 Corinthians 12:13 mean?
"For what is there in which you were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, unless it is that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong."
— 2 Corinthians 12:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.
I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for in nothing was I inferior to the very best apostles, though I am nothing.
Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty works.
For what is there in which you were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, unless it is that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong.
Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I seek not your possessions, but you. For the children ought not to save up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?
But be it so, I did not myself burden you. But, being crafty, I caught you with deception.
Explanation
Second Corinthians 12:13 is one of Paul's more sarcastic and pointed statements in this letter, and understanding the irony behind his words is essential to grasping his meaning. In plain language, Paul is saying: "The only way you Corinthians were treated worse than any other church I've founded is that I didn't ask you for financial support. Forgive me for that terrible offense!" He is being deliberately ironic, mocking an accusation that had apparently been leveled against him by his opponents in Corinth.
The context is crucial here. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to a church he had founded but that was now being influenced by rival teachers—often called "super-apostles" in this letter (2 Corinthians 11:5)—who criticized Paul's authority and character. One of their apparent criticisms was that Paul refused to accept payment or support from the Corinthians for his ministry, unlike other traveling teachers who expected to be compensated. Rather than seeing this as evidence of Paul's integrity and love, his critics twisted it into an insult, suggesting that Paul didn't think the Corinthians were worthy of the honor of supporting him, or that his refusal proved he didn't really love them as a legitimate apostle would.
Throughout chapters 10–12, Paul has been engaging in what he calls "foolish" boasting, reluctantly defending his apostolic cred
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