Ambrosiaster — Commentary on Scripture

2 Corinthians 11:28

This happened because Paul adopted the habit of teaching the people entrusted to him on a daily basis. He worked during the day and taught at night, for he did not hesitate to put himself out for their sakes..

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 11:29

Paul is saying that he suffers in sympathy with everybody and that he shares their pain in order to provide medicine for the wound. He presses the point in order to show how carefully he is guarding and ruling the church entrusted to him. In this way he shows that he should not be considered inferior to the other apostles, seeing that he labored more than all of them.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 11:30

Paul is saying this because if a Christian must boast, he should boast in humility, from which comes growth in God’s sight.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 11:31

Paul calls God as his witness in order that what he says may be readily believed.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 11:32

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..

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 11:33

Some people say that this action was not worthy of Paul, because he was not set free by the help of God. But what need was there for that when he could be delivered by the help of men? The time when God’s help is necessary is when human help fails.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:1

Paul is now going to describe how he has been raised up in order that the Corinthians might understand how great and how wonderful the things said to him were and that they might realize that he is not inferior in any way to the other apostles.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:2

Paul mentions both things because either is possible. It may seem to someone that it is nothing much to be caught up into the third heaven, since that is where the moon is, but that is not right. What this means is that he was caught up beyond all the stars of the universe into the heaven which is third in the hierarchy of spiritual heavens.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:3

Paul says that he was caught up twice—first into the third heaven and then into paradise, which is where the Lord said that the thief on the cross would be with him..

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:6

Paul says this because if someone proclaims his own worth in God’s sight he is not unwise, for what he says is true. So if anyone talks about the things which have been revealed to him, he is not foolish, though if he keeps quiet about them he is wise.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:7

Paul is testifying that God makes provision for those who have done well, while at the same time he allows them to be cast down by various trials. This is both so that they shall not be deprived of the fruits of their labors and that they may be enriched by their trials so that they may have even greater eternal rewards.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:8

Although he asked three times, his request was not granted. It is not that he was disregarded but that he was making a plea which was against his own best interests.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:9

Paul is clearly teaching that the time for boasting is when one is being humiliated by unjust injuries. Christ gives us the power to endure these so that what previously appeared to be painful and loathsome may be accepted with gladness.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:11

Paul is saying that he has been forced to disclose the truth of the matter. He is certainly not foolish, having spoken the truth about himself, but is abasing himself in this way in order to make it clear that he is not putting his own merits on display voluntarily.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:12

Paul humbles himself only to rise to his true height. He talks about his patience because for a long time he put up with them as if they were sick people. His intention was to cure them of their errors by using the medicine of signs and wonders.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:13

Paul is telling the Corinthians that they were better off than other churches. Corinth was the only place where he preached the gospel without being paid for it.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:14

Paul’s desire was to gain the Corinthians themselves and not their money. Once they understood that, they would have more affection for him.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:15

Now Paul is openly expressing the love and affection which he had for them, since he is prepared not only to spend lavishly on their behalf but even to die for the salvation of their souls.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:16

Paul makes explicit all the charges which an opponent might make against him in order to clear himself on all counts. For he did not deal deviously with the Corinthians but straightforwardly. On the one hand he wanted to make provision for them in the sight of God and on the other he did not want their wealth in this life. He might have been suspected of despising them because the sums which they offered him were too small, but this was not the case.

COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES

2 Corinthians 12:17

Paul is saying that the people whom he sent to them did not suggest that if they wanted the apostle to be welldisposed toward them they should offer him more money. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.