“For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you?”
The full verse · 2 Corinthians 12:13 · KJV
is ye were , it be to ? .
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church at Corinth, who had worked among them with "the signs of an apostle" (2 Corinthians 12:12)
Asked to
Corinthians: the church at Corinth, who ought to have commended Paul but had pushed him to defend himself (2 Corinthians 12:11)
The Scene
Paul says, "I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me," and reminds the Corinthians that "the signs of an apostle were wrought among you" (2 Corinthians 12:11-12).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPaul has just shown that the Corinthians received everything an apostle could give. So he asks, with irony, how they were worse off than any other church. The only difference he can find is that he never made them support him. Barnes sees irony and even sarcasm here: the Corinthians had been denied a privilege, for "It is a privilege to contribute to the support of the gospel." Gill notes that they had the same gospel, preached with the same power, as other churches. The question presses them to see that what they treated as a mark against Paul was really a gift to them.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPaul answers inside the question: they lacked nothing, "except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you." Then he adds, "forgive me this wrong." In the next breath he makes clear he will commit the same "wrong" again: "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" (2 Corinthians 12:14).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPaul had every right to be supported by the churches he served. He wrote to these same Corinthians, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). Barnes points back to that chapter here. Other churches had supported him; he says "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service" (2 Corinthians 11:8). Barnes reads "forgive me this wrong" as Paul's ironic way of saying, in effect, "I pray you to pardon me" for depriving them of a Christian privilege.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyPaul's irony is a tool of love. He is not trying to win a point. He wants the Corinthians to see clearly what he gave them. The next verse shows the heart behind it: "I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children" (2 Corinthians 12:14). Matthew Henry draws out the same thought: Paul wanted their souls, not their money.
The question also turns their complaint around. If his only "wrong" was refusing to be a burden, then the problem was not in Paul. It was in how they had come to see him (2 Corinthians 12:11).
Look Closer
What is the one way Paul says Corinth was "inferior" to other churches?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, what have I received so freely that I have stopped seeing it as a gift?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Paul used irony to help the Corinthians see what he had done for them. How do you respond when someone points out a kindness you overlooked?
- Tell about a gift you received that you only valued later.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
It is possible to receive something so freely that you stop seeing it as a gift, and even start to resent the giver. The Corinthians had every blessing an apostle could bring, and they still found fault. Take time to notice the people who have served you without asking anything back, and thank them.
This does not mean that supporting those who serve you is wrong. Barnes calls it a privilege, and Paul himself says the Lord ordained that those who preach the gospel should live of it (1 Corinthians 9:14). Paul's free service at Corinth was his choice, made out of love.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?”
“Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved”
“Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?”
“Wherefore? Because I love you not?”