📖WEB · 2 Corinthians 12:8
What does 2 Corinthians 12:8 mean?
"Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me."
— 2 Corinthians 12:8 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
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.
Explanation
Second Corinthians 12:8 comes in the middle of Paul's discussion of what he calls a "thorn in the flesh," mentioned in the verse just before it. In plain language, Paul is saying that he pleaded with the Lord on three separate occasions asking that this painful affliction be taken away from him. The verse itself is simple and personal — it is a confession of prayer, persistence, and human weakness, showing that Paul, despite his authority as an apostle, brought his suffering directly to God and asked for relief, not once but repeatedly.
To understand the context, we need to look at the surrounding verses (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). Paul had been defending his apostleship against rivals in Corinth who boasted of visions, spiritual experiences, and impressive credentials. Paul reluctantly shares that he too received extraordinary revelations — being caught up into paradise — but he immediately balances this by describing a "thorn in the flesh... a messenger of Satan" given to torment him, so that he would not become arrogant because of these revelations. The exact nature of this "thorn" is not specified in the text; scholars have speculated about physical illness, persecution, or some other hardship, but Paul himself does not identify it. What matters for the passage is not the specific ailment but Paul's response to it: earnest, repeated prayer for its removal.
Theologically, this verse highlights the reality that even a faithful, Spirit-filled apostle experienced suffering that was not immediately removed despite fervent prayer. This challenges any simplistic ass
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