📖WEB · 2 Corinthians 12:5
What does 2 Corinthians 12:5 mean?
"On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses."
— 2 Corinthians 12:5 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.
I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows),
how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.
For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me, or hears from me.
By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively.
Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
Explanation
2 Corinthians 12:5 comes from a passage where Paul is discussing a remarkable spiritual experience—being "caught up to the third heaven" or paradise, where he heard things he was not permitted to repeat (verses 2-4). In this verse, Paul draws a careful distinction: he will boast on behalf of "such a one" (referring to himself, but described almost as if it were another person) regarding this extraordinary revelation, but he refuses to boast about himself directly, except in his weaknesses. This unusual way of speaking about himself in the third person shows Paul's discomfort with self-promotion, even when he has a genuinely impressive spiritual experience to point to.
The context is crucial for understanding this verse. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, a congregation he had founded but which was now being influenced by rival teachers who boasted about their spiritual credentials, visions, and eloquence. These "super-apostles," as Paul sarcastically calls them elsewhere in the letter, had apparently undermined Paul's authority by suggesting he lacked impressive spiritual experiences or rhetorical skill. Reluctantly, and somewhat ironically, Paul is forced into a "fool's boast" (his own term) to defend his apostolic legitimacy. He does this not because he wants to elevate himself, but because the Corinthians' spiritual welfare is at stake if they're deceived by false teachers.
Theologically, this verse reveals Paul's understanding of where true Christian confidence should lie. He separates the extraord
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