TRV
Translation
King James Version
In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
Complete Jewish Bible
When I was in Dalmanuta, the governor under King Aretas had the city of Dalmanuta guarded in order to arrest me;
Berean Standard Bible
In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.
American Standard Version
In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me:
World English Bible Messianic
In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes desiring to arrest me.
Geneva Bible (1599)
In Damascus the gouernour of the people vnder King Aretas, layde watch in the citie of the Damascens, and would haue caught me.
Young's Literal Translation
In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king was watching the city of the Damascenes, wishing to seize me,
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In the KJVVerse 29,022 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 11 verses 22–33
22 ¶ Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Here the apostle gives a large account of his own qualifications, labours, and sufferings (not out of pride or vain-glory, but to the honour of God, who had enabled him to do and suffer so much for the cause of Christ), and wherein he excelled the false apostles, who would lessen his character and usefulness among the Corinthians. Observe,
I. He mentions the privileges of his birth (Co2 11:22), which were equal to any they could pretend to. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews; of a family among the Jews that never intermarried with the Gentiles. He was also an Israelite, and could boast of his being descended from the beloved Jacob as well as they, and was also of the seed of Abraham, and not of the proselytes. It should seem from this that the false apostles were of the Jewish race, who gave disturbance to the Gentile converts.
II. He makes mention also of his apostleship, that he was more than an ordinary minister of Christ, Co2 11:23. God had counted him faithful, and had put him into the ministry. He had been a useful minister of Christ unto them; they had found full proofs of his ministry: Are they ministers of Christ? I am more so.
III. He chiefly insists upon this, that he had been an extraordinary sufferer for Christ; and this was what he gloried in, or rather he gloried in the grace of God that had enabled him to be more abundant in labours, and to endure very great sufferings, such as stripes above measure, frequent imprisonments, and often the dangers of death, Co2 11:23. Note, When the apostle would prove himself an extraordinary minister, he proves that he had been an extraordinary sufferer. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, and for that reason was hated of the Jews. They did all they could against him; and among the Gentiles also he met with hard usage. Bonds and imprisonments were familiar to him; never was the most notorious malefactor more frequently in the hands of public justice than Paul was for righteousness' sake. The jail and the whipping-post, and all other hard usages of those who are accounted the worst of men, were what he was accustomed to. As to the Jews, whenever he fell into their hands, they never spared him. Five times he fell under their lash, and received forty stripes save one, Co2 11:24. Forty stripes was the utmost their law allowed (Deu 25:3), but it was usual with them, that they might not exceed, to abate one at least of that number. And to have the abatement of one only was all the favour that ever Paul received from them. The Gentiles were not tied up to that moderation, and among them he was thrice beaten with rods, of which we may suppose once was at Philippi, Act 16:22. Once he was stoned in a popular tumult, and was taken up for dead, Act 14:19. He says that thrice he suffered shipwreck; and we may believe him, though the sacred history gives a relation but of one. A night and a day he had been in the deep (Co2 11:25), in some deep dungeon or other, shut up as a prisoner. Thus he was all his days a constant confessor; perhaps scarcely a year of his life, after his conversion, passed without suffering some hardship or other for his religion; yet this was not all, for, wherever he went, he went in perils; he was exposed to perils of all sorts. If he journeyed by land, or voyaged by sea, he was in perils of robbers, or enemies of some sort; the Jews, his own countrymen, sought to kill him, or do him a mischief; the heathen, to whom he was sent, were not more kind to him, for among them he was in peril. If he was in the city, or in the wilderness, still he was in peril. He was in peril not only among avowed enemies, but among those also who called themselves brethren, but were false brethren, Co2 11:26. Besides all this, he had great weariness and painfulness in his ministerial labours, and these are things that will come into account shortly, and people will be reckoned with for all the care and pains of their ministers concerning them. Paul was a stranger to wealth and plenty, power and pleasure, preferment and ease; he was in watchings often, and exposed to hunger and thirst; in fastings often, it may be out of necessity; and endured cold and nakedness, Co2 11:27. Thus was he, who was one of the greatest blessings of the age, used as if he had been the burden of the earth, and the plague of his generation. And yet this is not all; for, as an apostle, the care of all the churches lay on him, Co2 11:28. He mentions this last, as if this lay the heaviest upon him, and as if he could better bear all the persecutions of his enemies than the scandals that were to be found in the churches he had the oversight of. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not? Co2 11:29. There was not a weak Christian with whom he did not sympathize, nor any one scandalized, but he was affected therewith. See what little reason we have to be in love with the pomp and plenty of this world, when this blessed apostle, one of the best of men that ever lived, excepting Jesus Christ, felt so much hardship in it. Nor was he ashamed of all this, but, on the contrary, it was what he accounted his honour; and therefore, much against the grain as it was with him to glory, yet, says he, if I must needs glory, if my adversaries will oblige me to it in my own necessary vindication, I will glory in these my infirmities, Co2 11:30. Note, Sufferings for righteousness' sake will, the most of any thing, redound to our honour.
In the last two verses, he mentions one particular part of his sufferings out of its place, as if he had forgotten it before, or because the deliverance God wrought for him was most remarkable; namely, the danger he was in at Damascus, soon after he was converted, and not settled in Christianity, at least in the ministry and apostleship. This is recorded, Act 9:24, Act 9:25. This was his first great danger and difficulty, and the rest of his life was a piece with this. And it is observable that, lest it should be thought he spoke more than was true, the apostle confirms this narrative with a solemn oath, or appeal to the omniscience of God, Co2 11:31. It is a great comfort to a good man that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is an omniscient God, knows the truth of all he says, and knows all he does and all he suffers for his sake.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 22–33. Public domain.
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Peter of AlexandriaAD 311
Peter of Alexandria Canonical Epistle
Likewise also, the renowned Paul having been oftentimes delivered up and brought in peril of death, having endured many evils, and making his boast in his numerous persecutions and afflictions, in the same city was also himself beheaded; who, in the things in which he gloried, in these also ended his life; and at Damascus he was let down by night in a basket by the wall, and escaped the hands
AmbrosiasterAD 384
COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES
The governor of Damascus, seeing that the Jews had set a trap for the apostle, wanted to bring this wicked scheme to pass by a wrongful use of his power. He intended to capture Paul both in order to keep the Jews happy and to demonstrate that he was doing his job properly. This occurred at the very beginning of Paul’s ministry..
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily 25 on 2 Corinthians
"The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knoweth that I lie not. The Governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes, desiring to apprehend me." What can be the reason that he here strongly confirms and gives assurance of [his truth], seeing he did not so in respect to any of the former things? Because, perhaps, this was of older date and not so well known; whilst of those other facts, his care for the churches, and all the rest, they were themselves cognisant. See then how great the war [against him] was, since on his account the city was "guarded." And when I say this of the war, I say it of the zeal of Paul; for except this had breathed intensely, it had not kindled the governor to so great madness. These things are the part of an apostolic soul, to suffer so great things and yet in nothing to veer about, but to bear nobly whatever befalls; yet not to go out to meet dangers, nor to rush upon them.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
In 2 Corinthians 11:32, the Apostle Paul recounts a specific, perilous event from his early ministry in Damascus, where the ethnarch, acting on behalf of King Aretas, meticulously guarded the city with a garrison, intent on capturing him. This detailed historical anecdote serves as a crucial piece of evidence in Paul's defense of his apostolic authenticity, which he reluctantly offers in response to the boasts and criticisms of false teachers, demonstrating that true spiritual authority is often marked not by worldly prestige or eloquent speech, but by profound suffering and God's miraculous deliverance.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Paul employs Autobiographical Detail to lend credibility and weight to his arguments, presenting a specific, verifiable incident from his past to demonstrate the genuine nature of his sufferings for Christ. The vivid description of the governor, the king, the city, and the garrison creates Vivid Imagery, allowing the readers to grasp the severity of the situation and the extent of the threat. There is also an element of Understatement or Irony in Paul's "boasting" about such a humiliating escape (being lowered in a basket), as it directly contrasts with the "super-apostles'" boasts of strength and success, subtly highlighting that true divine power is often manifested in human weakness and vulnerability.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Paul's escape from Damascus, recounted here, is a profound testament to God's providential care and sovereign protection over His servants. It underscores the theological principle that even when facing overwhelming human opposition and seemingly insurmountable odds, God is able to deliver His chosen instruments for His purposes. This incident serves as a powerful counter-narrative to the worldly understanding of power and success, asserting that true apostolic authority is validated not by human strength or impressive displays, but by enduring hardship and relying on divine intervention. It demonstrates that God's plan for the spread of the Gospel cannot be thwarted by earthly rulers or their armies.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Paul's harrowing escape from Damascus offers profound lessons for believers today. It reminds us that faithfulness to Christ may not always lead to ease or comfort, but often to opposition and hardship, even from powerful societal structures. Yet, in these moments of vulnerability, God's power and faithfulness are most clearly displayed. We are encouraged to trust implicitly in God's sovereign hand, knowing that He is able to deliver us from any threat, not always by removing the danger, but by sustaining us through it or providing an unexpected way of escape, as He did for Paul. This passage calls us to embrace our weaknesses, for it is often through our fragility that God's strength is made perfect, enabling us to persevere in our witness and ministry despite the odds.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Aretas and why was he involved in apprehending Paul?
Answer: Aretas IV Philopatris was the Nabataean king, ruling from approximately 9 BC to AD 40. His kingdom was centered in Petra, but at various times, it controlled significant territories, including Damascus. Historical evidence suggests that during the period Paul was in Damascus (likely around AD 37-40), the city was under Nabataean authority, possibly granted by Emperor Caligula or through military occupation. Aretas's involvement stemmed from the significant disruption Paul's fervent preaching of Christ caused among the Jewish community in Damascus, who then sought to have him apprehended. The governor (ethnarch) acted on behalf of King Aretas, indicating a coordinated effort by the established political and religious authorities to silence Paul. This historical detail is corroborated by Acts 9:23-25.
Why does Paul choose to recount this specific, seemingly humiliating escape in his defense?
Answer: Paul recounts this specific escape in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 as part of his "fool's speech," where he reluctantly boasts about his sufferings and weaknesses to counter the false apostles who boasted of their own strengths and impressive credentials. For Paul, this humiliating escape – being lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall – was not a sign of weakness but a powerful demonstration of God's protective power working through his vulnerability. It served as authentic proof of the genuine hardships he endured for the Gospel, contrasting sharply with the self-serving boasts of his detractors. By highlighting his reliance on God's miraculous intervention, Paul validates his true apostleship, showing that God's power is made perfect in weakness, as he later articulates in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Paul's escape from Damascus, a moment of profound vulnerability and divine deliverance, resonates deeply with the Christ-centered narrative of salvation. Just as Paul was pursued by earthly powers intent on his apprehension, so too was Christ continually sought by those who wished to seize and silence Him, as seen in instances like the attempt to throw Him off a cliff in Luke 4:28-30. Yet, Jesus, like Paul, was often supernaturally delivered until His appointed time. Ultimately, Christ did not escape His apprehension; instead, He willingly submitted to it, becoming the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Paul's experience, therefore, serves as a poignant echo of Christ's own journey: a life lived in constant peril for the sake of God's kingdom, culminating in a demonstration of divine power through apparent weakness. Paul's deliverance, while miraculous, foreshadows the greater deliverance offered through Christ's death and resurrection, where the ultimate "apprehension" (the cross) led to the ultimate victory over sin and death, fulfilling God's redemptive plan for humanity (as detailed in Philippians 2:8-11). Thus, Paul's suffering and escape are not merely historical anecdotes but participate in the larger pattern of God's power perfected in weakness, supremely manifested in Christ.