2 Corinthians 12

KJV · Chapter 12/13

¹It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

⁵Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

⁶For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

¹¹I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.

¹²Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

¹³For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.

¹⁴Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

¹⁵And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

¹⁶But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

¹⁷Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?

¹⁸I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?

¹⁹Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.

²⁰For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

²¹And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul reluctantly recounts an extraordinary vision in which he was caught up to paradise, but balances that experience with the account of a 'thorn in the flesh' that kept him humble. He reaffirms that he would rather boast in his weaknesses, for in them the power of Christ is made perfect.

Explanation

Paul recounts an extraordinary mystical experience in the third person, perhaps out of humility, showing his discomfort with boasting even about genuine revelations. The “thorn in the flesh,” whose exact nature remains uncertain (physical suffering, personal opposition, or some other difficulty), is presented as something God allowed to prevent excessive pride, even though Paul asked three times for it to be removed. The divine response, “my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (v.9), has become one of the most comforting verses in the Bible for people facing persistent physical or emotional limitations. Today's application teaches that weaknesses and limitations are not necessarily obstacles to God's work, but can become the very place where his power is most clearly displayed.

Fun facts

The reference to the 'third heaven' (v.2) reflects a cosmology common in first-century Judaism, which sometimes described multiple heavenly levels, the highest being the place of God's direct presence.
Scholars throughout history have proposed various theories about Paul's 'thorn in the flesh,' including eye problems, epilepsy, or chronic migraines, but the biblical text deliberately leaves it unspecified, allowing it to be applied to different kinds of personal suffering.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Corinthians 12:1He acknowledges that continuing to boast brings no benefit, but decides to tell about it anyway: an extraordinary spiritual experience, visions and revelations he received from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:2Paul speaks of himself in the third person, “a man in Christ,” describing a mystical experience of being caught up to “the third heaven,” a Jewish way of describing the highest place, God's presence. He himself isn't sure whether it happened in the body or out of it.
2 Corinthians 12:3He repeats, almost word for word, the uncertainty from the previous verse about whether the experience was physical or spiritual — Paul genuinely doesn't know, and states this twice.
2 Corinthians 12:4He describes the destination of this mystical experience as “paradise,” where he heard words he can't even repeat, because it isn't permitted for a human being to speak of them.
2 Corinthians 12:5He decides to boast about this extraordinary experience indirectly (speaking of “such an one” in the third person), but insists again that, of himself, he only wants to boast about his own weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:6He explains why he doesn't share more details of the vision: even though he has real grounds to boast without exaggerating, he'd rather be judged by what people see and hear from him in practice, not by spiritual experiences impossible to verify.
2 Corinthians 12:7The phrase “a thorn in the flesh” is one of the most debated expressions in the Bible. Paul never says exactly what it was — some suggest a physical ailment, others an opponent or temptation — only that it was painful enough for him to ask three times for God to remove it.
2 Corinthians 12:8He tells how he asked God three times for that “thorn in the flesh,” mentioned in the previous verse, to be removed from him.
2 Corinthians 12:9The answer Paul receives, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” becomes the summary of his whole defense in these chapters: he'd rather boast in his weaknesses because that's where it becomes clear that the power at work in him comes from God, not from himself.
2 Corinthians 12:10After receiving God's answer in the previous verse (“My grace is sufficient for thee”), Paul says he learned to take pleasure in weaknesses and persecutions, because it's in weakness that he feels most strengthened by Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:11He acknowledges that talking so much about himself made him “a fool” in boasting, but blames the Corinthians themselves for forcing this situation, since they should have defended Paul instead of leaving him to defend himself alone.
2 Corinthians 12:12He recalls that he already proved his apostleship through concrete signs, performed among the Corinthians with great patience — miracles and wonders that confirm his apostolic authority.
2 Corinthians 12:13He asks, with irony, in what way the Corinthians were treated worse than other churches — except that Paul didn't charge them for his support — and offers an “ironic” apology for this one “wrong.”
2 Corinthians 12:14Paul prepares for his third visit to Corinth and reinforces that he doesn't want their money, comparing himself to a parent who provides for children, not the other way around.
2 Corinthians 12:15He declares his complete readiness to spend himself, literally and emotionally, for the Corinthians, even while recognizing, with some sadness, that the more he loves them, the less he seems to be loved in return.
2 Corinthians 12:16He answers another possible accusation: that, even without charging directly, he had used some kind of cunning to take advantage of them in a disguised way.
2 Corinthians 12:17He challenges the Corinthians to point out any concrete case where he or anyone he sent took financial advantage of them.
2 Corinthians 12:18He calls on Titus himself as a witness: he asks whether Titus, whom he sent, took advantage of the Corinthians, and reminds them that the two always acted with the same spirit and method.
2 Corinthians 12:19He clarifies that everything he's said isn't a disguised self-defense, but a statement made before God, in Christ, with the sole purpose of building up the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 12:20He reveals his real fear before the visit: not finding the Corinthians as he would like, and being found by them in a way they wouldn't like — he fears quarrels, envy, wrath, gossip, and disorder in the church.
2 Corinthians 12:21He fears an even greater personal humiliation before God, upon finding Corinthians who sinned before and haven't repented of sexual immorality and dishonesty.

Chapters

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