📖WEB · 2 Corinthians 12:7
What does 2 Corinthians 12:7 mean?
"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."
— 2 Corinthians 12:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
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.
Explanation
In this verse, Paul explains why he was given a persistent, painful affliction he calls a "thorn in the flesh." He tells his readers, the church in Corinth, that this hardship was directly connected to the extraordinary spiritual revelations he had just described—visions and experiences so remarkable that they carried a real danger of inflating his ego. To guard against that pride, he says, something was given to him: a "thorn in the flesh," which he further identifies as "a messenger of Satan" sent to torment him. Notice that Paul repeats the phrase "that I should not be exalted excessively" twice, emphasizing that the purpose of this suffering was to keep him humble.
The context matters a great deal here. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, a congregation he had founded but which was now being influenced by rival teachers—often called "super-apostles"—who boasted about their spiritual credentials, eloquence, and visionary experiences. To defend his own apostolic authority, Paul reluctantly engages in what he calls "foolish" boasting (2 Corinthians 11-12), recounting his sufferings for Christ and even a remarkable vision of being caught up into the "third heaven" (12:1-4). Yet immediately after describing this vision, he pivots to talk about weakness rather than strength. This verse functions as the hinge in that argument: Paul insists that whatever spiritual heights he experienced, God balanced them with humbling weakness so that boasting in visions alone would be impossible.
Theologically, this verse teaches that God sometimes
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