Authors evaluate significant textual problems, historical issues, scholarly literature, and explore theological themes. The most highly technical elements are generally dealt with in footnotes, excurses, or appendices maximizing scholarly interaction without exhausting non-academic readers. An accessible, authoritative guide to the biblical text for all Bible students.
Please see our Help Page for system requirements for this format. It goes deep in the scriptures without being so complicated to make it unreadable. When I saw the price, I had to have it. Very easy to use in E-Sword. And the price is a lot less compared to the hardcopy versions or even other software versions. I purchased both the OT and NT set. Good scholarship and laid out very nicely in E-Sword. Easy to navigate and text is laid out well. Footnotes are present in a lighter shade as compared to the body text which is more bold.
If you are studying a verse in the NT section of Bible and want to look it up quickly in the commentary, you can see the notes pertaining to that verse in the NICNT section immediately since the notes are linked to the individual verses. Instead of the paper copy of these commentaries which are bulky to carry around, this electronic resource is so useful. I highly recommend you purchase both of these resources along with other reference items that E-Sword provides.
Their cost is very nominal. E-Sword has been a great resource that I have used for several years. I thank God for this and pray that the Lord would continue to use it to glorify himself. This concordance, being exhaustive for the New Testament gives another facet for the 'Gem' of John Gill, Mathew Henry and so many others. A good discussion of the rich Treasures of the New Testament, to be sure!
As a recent college graduate, I was introduced to E-Sword then, but have only recently realized its full potential. The scholarship is incredible, and the depth of study is obvious at every turn. I reference it when possible in my sermons for children's church, and am using both the commentary, and the bibliography of those books, in the study and writing of my very own commentary. The price, and integration with so many other resources, both free and paid, make E-sword the obvious option for my study.
Thank you for the blessing of this software, and all that it means to myself and my ministry. But it has some truth. You are studying a passage in the New Testament and you click on the NICNT tab and it opens at the book and page of the book relevant to the passage. You couldn't be quicker if you tried. No carrying heavy books around. And 18 volumes for that price!
You couldn't buy 4 volumes in the hardbook version for the price of What do you need to decide? But buying them one by one will cost you so much more. Even the kindle versions are nearly as expensive as the hardback. The thrust of 2 Corinthians Paul's humbling description of his thorn in the flesh naturally follows a reference to his vision as he explains how God keeps him humble in the midst of these experiences so that divine grace and power can continue to work in Paul's life and ministry. We read in 2 Corinthians Word Books, , ; H. Eerdmans, , For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ"s sake: Finally, there is the question of interpreting the meaning of the thorn in the flesh.
For example, Hughes believes that Paul is describing himself in 2 Corinthians Martin notes that this translation would better support the idea that the Apostle had accepted this problem so that the power of God could continually rest upon him. Harper and Row, , According to Robertson, it can be translated either "in the flesh" locative case or "for the flesh" dative of advantage.
Broadman Press, , Elgin; The Calvin Translation Society ed. The Meaning of "Thorn in the Flesh". The two most popular views in modern times are to interpret Paul's "thorn in the flesh" as a physical ailment or as persecutions that Paul's opponents inflicted upon him during his ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Two additional views are often mentioned by commentators, which are the suggestion that Paul suffered spiritual temptation towards immorality, or that he suffered from severe emotional stress for a number of reasons. However, these two views share far less popularity among scholars today than the idea of an illness or persecutions. Spiritual Torment- The idea that Paul suffered from spiritual torment first came to light in the Middle Ages, during a period when monasticism and celibacy held strong traditions within the Roman Catholic church. Its scholars suggested the thorn to be the torment of sexual temptations that Paul suffered with.
A somewhat more modified and rather recent version of this view defines Paul's thorn more generally as spiritual weakness towards the temptation to sin. However, Plummer finds evidence to contradict the view that Apostle struggled with such impure temptations by referring to Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 7: Emotional Stress and Anxiety- Another relatively recent view of what Paul's thorn may have been can be described as emotional stress and anxiety.
Menoud suggests that Paul's thorn in the flesh was not physical at all, but rather, the great sorrow and pain that he carried because of the unbelief of his fellow Jewish countrymen Romans 9: One objection to Menoud's view says it requires a very specialized interpretation of Romans 9: Plummer suggests that this view does not fit well at all with Paul's infirmity in the flesh referred to in Galatians 4: Nowhere in his writings does he hint at such emotional problems.
Plummer believes that Paul would certainly not have been told by God to cease to pray against such stress and unbelief. Physical Ailment- Perhaps the more popular of the two views held by scholars today is to interpret Paul's thorn in the flesh as a physical ailment. We find the earliest reference to Paul's thorn in the flesh in the writings of Tertullian A. D to , who says that it was being interpreted in his day as an earache or a headache.
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For example, Thayer paraphrases these words in 2 Corinthians See also Against Marcion Thus, Tertullian is not necessarily agreeing with this view, but rather noting how this phrase was being interpreted during his day. Goodspeed, The New Testament: An American Translation Chicago: University of Chicago Press, , House, , s. Wilber Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker [ BDAG ], 3 rd ed. University of Chicago Press, , s. Broadman Press, in P. Biblesoft Inc, , s. The strongest single argument in supporting the view that Paul's thorn is a malady lies in the attempt to associate this proposed sickness in 2 Corinthians Lightfoot says, " These passages so closely resemble each other that it is not unnatural to suppose the allusion to be the same in both.
Lightfoot and Furnish offer a second argument for the view of an illness by evaluating the context of the passage in which Paul mentions his thorn. They argue that a careful analysis of the passage in 2 Corinthians A third argument is mentioned by Bruce, who uses the example of Job to show that God allows illness to come upon His servants.
Furnish offers a fourth argument by referring to the widespread ancient belief that illness was caused by demons, and especially Satan.
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Doubleday and Co, , Because this view of an infirmity is one of the most popular views among scholars today, much speculation has been offered to identify the particular illness that afflicted Paul. Plummer describes it as an acute malady that hindered the work of the Apostle and was sent by God to keep him from spiritual pride. Thus, he believes that some possible diseases which fit the descriptions in Galatians 4: Bruce also gives a list of views that best fit what we know of Paul's life and ministry: Klausner , convulsive attacks M. Dibelius , ophthalmia J. Brown, in Horae Subsecivae ] , malaria W.
Allo , as well as attacks of depression after periods of exaltation H. Barrett cautions that these ailments are guesses and nothing more. Barrett tells us that an impediment of speech allows for the fact that Paul made a very bad impression to the Galatians Galatians 4: In objection to this possible disease, Barrett says that an argument can be made that in Acts However, he explains how this thorn in the flesh may have been given to Paul on a specific occasion after his visit to Lystra where he played the role of chief speaker.
Another theory favored by J. Lightfoot is that Paul suffered from some form of epilepsy as other famous men of history did, such as Julius Caesar, the first Napoleon, Mohammad, King Alfred, and Peter the Great. His reason is that the description of Paul's malady closely parallels that of King Alfred. As Denny wisely notes, after fourteen years his mental faculties would not have been the same as in the beginning. Nicoll and Oscar L. Ages Software, Inc, , chapter William Ramsay argues at length that Paul suffered from a form of recurrent malarial fever known in the Eastern Mediterranean as Malta fever.
He bases his argument upon the belief that the symptoms of this particular ailment fit all of the New Testament descriptions of Paul's infirmities. He explains how "malarial fever tends to recur in very distressing and prostrating paroxysms, whenever one"s energies are taxed for a great effort. Online Bible Foundation, , 52 [the thorn in the flesh]. Perhaps the strongest and most popular argument to identify a particular ailment that Paul may have suffered with is the suggestion that he had a disease of the eyes called ophthalmia.
In defense of this view scholars note where Paul, having just mentioned his infirmity of the flesh Galatians 4: Another supporting argument commonly made by scholars notes that in Paul's closing statement to the Galatians , he wrote in large letters, which suggests poor eyesight Galatians 6: Supporters of this view also note how in Acts Custance goes to lengthy detail to support his view that Luke the physician was summoned to Paul's side the three times that this eye disease became overbearing.
In objection to this view of an eye disease, Hughes suggests that Paul was speaking metaphorically in Galatians 4: Wommack and others also object by suggesting that the comment in Galatians 6: Philip Schaff tells us the oldest extant picture of Paul is found on "a large bronze medallion" unearthed in the cemetery of Domitilla, a member of the Flavian family, and dated back to the late first century or early second century.
He says this artifact portrays Paul "with apparently diseased eyes, open mouth, bald head and short thick beard, but thoughtful, solemn, and dignified. Eerdmans Publishing Company, , The ancient New Testament apocryphal writing called The Acts of Paul and Thecla also gives us a description of Paul's appearance, "And he saw Paul coming, a man small in size, bald-headed, bandy-legged, well-built, with eyebrows meeting, rather long-nosed, full of grace. For sometimes he seemed like a Prayer of Manasseh , and sometimes he had the countenance of an angel.
With a genial expression of countenance, he was sensible, earnest, easily accessible, sweet, and inspired with the Holy Spirit. His face was pale, his aspect winning. He was bald-headed, and his eyes were bright. His nose was prominent and aquiline, his beard thick and tolerably long, and both this and his head were sprinkled with white hairs. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Dutton and Company, , In opposition to the popular view that Paul's thorn in the flesh was a physical ailment, Mullins and McCant use the Greek text to argue that there is a difference between the descriptions of the illness of Galatians 4: Mullins, "Paul's Thorn in the Flesh.
A second argument against the view that Paul suffered from an illness is based upon the appositional phrase "a messenger of Satan to buffet me. However, he says that the context of this passage in 2Corinthians points in another direction. Sufferings from Persecutions- A commonly held view since the time of the early Church fathers is to say that Paul's thorn in the flesh refers to the hardships and sufferings caused by his adversaries.
Chrysostom rejected the ancient view that Paul's thorn was an earache or a headache. The suggestion that this phrase refers to persecutions had the support of Augustine, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, Photius, and Theophylact. However, an evaluation of Augustine's frequent references to this phrase allows for a broader interpretation, meaning that he understood it to include any demonic affliction, whether persecution or physical illness, that Isaiah , any difficulty imposed upon mortal men.
When Augustine does refer to Paul's thorn, he always does so with a literal interpretation of the appositional phrase "the messengers of Satan," which he believes were actual demonic spirits sent to buffet Paul's body. In his defensive argument that the thorn was an illness, Plummer notes how Jerome refers to Paul's thorn within the context of a physical illness see Letters of St.
Plummer makes an overall observation about this early period of church history by saying that various Greek fathers and one or two Latin fathers supported the idea of persecutions. Plummer attempts to explain the popularity of this view by the early Church by saying that this interpretation was fostered by the climate of intense persecutions that came upon the Church during its early years.
This verse describes of one of Paul's most despairing times in his ministry and places him in Asia where Alexander the coppersmith and other serious adversaries lived. Thus, we should not count Chrysostom's comments as farfetched or out of context. He clearly equates it to persecutions at times and an illness at other times. Paul to the Corinthians, The view that Paul's thorn refers to his persecutions has been held by scholars since the time of the early Church, but was reemphasized during the Reformation. During the years of the Reformation we see scholars such as Luther, Calvin, and others strongly objecting to the Roman Catholic view mentioned above that Paul was tempted by lust.
Luther discarded this long-held view, suggesting that the Vulgate's rendering "spur [or goad] of the flesh" stimulus carnis may have given rise to this Catholic tradition. Calvin also rejects the traditional Catholic view by stating, "Those act a ridiculous part, who think that Paul was tempted to lust," and he took the broad view of Augustine that Paul's thorn in the flesh "comprehended every kind of temptation, with which Paul was exercised.
Elgin, The Calvin Translation Society ed. The view that Paul's thorn refers to persecutions from his adversaries continues to be upheld today in some scholarly circles with solid arguments. While the strength of the argument that Paul's thorn was an infirmity lies in its association with passages outside the epistle of 2Corinthians, the strength of the argument that the thorn refers to persecutions lies primarily within the context of the epistle of 2Corinthians.
Scholars who interpret Paul's thorn as an illness rely primarily upon Galatians 4: In contrast, Martin and Mullins list four reasons to support the view that the thorn refers to Paul's persecutors. Martin argues that this Greek word is used in the LXX as an idiom for personal enemies of God's people rather than things. One example is when the Lord told Moses that "the inhabitants of the land. Joshua told the elders of Israel how ".. Also, David's last words indicated that "the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away " 2 Samuel Bosworth, Christ the Healer.
Chosen Books, , The importance of this phrase is that it stands in apposition to the thorn in the flesh for the purpose of further describing its character. In objection to this literal view, some argue that Satan is also often identified with the infliction of illness Job , Luke This story comes across as a bit of a stretch of the imagination, especially since he has to ignore the evidence of biblical context and rely upon extra-biblical writings to prove his point, and since there is no scholarly support for such a view.
This Greek verb literally means "to beat or to strike with the fist," or "to give one a blow with the fist," and it carries the figurative and wider meaning, "to maltreat, treat with violence and contumely. In its four other uses it clearly refers to people who were persecuting the people of God. If this was an illness, it would mean that Paul was continually suffering from many different diseases or from the same disease on many occasions.
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When we admit that Paul's life of ministry required much physical exertion, Barrett finds such an extreme view of chronic illness unlikely, and many would say physically impossible. Furnish, II Corinthians , A fifth and perhaps the strongest argument is made by Martin and Mullins, who evaluate the overall context of 2Corinthians If we interpret 2 Corinthians Thus, the context of this epistle supports the idea of persecutions by opponents much better than a physical illness. Kent Hughes highlights how the "strength in weakness" motif is woven throughout this epistle. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" 2 Corinthians 1: This weakness in his flesh was caused by the trouble that beset him in Asia 2 Corinthians 1: Hughes notes how Paul used this weakness motif again in 2 Corinthians 4: He again identifies this theme of "power in weakness" in 2 Corinthians 6: Power in Weakness , Preaching the Word, [on-line]: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: Hughes believes that this motif of strength in weakness reaches its peak in 2 Corinthians He goes on to explain the meaning of weakness as a reflection of crucifixion with Christ so that Paul was able to experience the ongoing resurrection power of Christ.
No one can argue against the possibility of Paul getting an occasional illness, since the life of a missionary puts much stress upon the physical body. This would be a more appropriate interpretation for Paul's reference to an infirmity in Galatians 4: However, not one single time does Paul mention physical sickness within the epistle of 2Corinthians as one of his hardships that he endured. Thus, Paul's sufferings can best be defined within this Epistle as the "sufferings of Christ," taken from Paul's opening statement in 2 Corinthians 1: We also know that the sufferings that Christ endured in the Gospels never involved physical illness, but rather persecutions.
The opening statement in 2Corinthians reflects the underlying theme of the epistle, which is that our willingness to suffer and make sacrifices for Christ are indicative of the mature level of sanctification that Paul the apostle achieved in order to stand in the office as an apostle to the Gentiles with the power of Christ manifesting itself in him, and in particular, over the church of Corinth. Within this context of the theme of power in weakness as a part of our Christian maturity we can refer to the story of Paul's conversion when the Lord said to Ananias, "For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name"s sake" Acts 9: One of the challenges to interpreting 2 Corinthians Perhaps the closest comparison to this theme of strength in weakness can be found in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
When Paul tells us that he prayed three times for this thorn to depart from him 2 Corinthians In this prayer of consecration our Savior found it necessary to drink of this bitter cup for the sake of man's redemption, as it says in Hebrews 5: In the same way that it was necessary for Paul's predecessors to sacrifice their lives in order to establish God's redemptive plan upon earth, so too did God call Paul the apostle to a life of greater sacrifice and hardship than the average Christian so that the foundation of the church could be laid, and so that we could enjoy the blessings of being a part of this establishment.
Therefore, as with our Lord and Savior, I understand Paul's thorn to be interpreted as a similar hardship that Jesus had to face. To say Paul's thorn was an illness would be to take Paul's statement out of context from its passage. Augustine's broader description that includes all hardships and illnesses that are inflicted upon God's people would be much closer to Paul's intended statement in 2 Corinthians Paul's suffering from a thorn in the flesh had a redemptive purpose in God's divine plan for his life. I do not think that every believer is afflicted with a personal thorn in the flesh, in contrast to Kendall who states, "If you are a Christian worth your salt, you probably have a thorn in the flesh.
Charisma House, , 9. One objection to the view of persecutions comes from Russell, who refers to the temporal phrase "fourteen years ago" 2 Corinthians However, it is impossible to place Paul's "revelation" experience and "thorn" experience into such a narrow time frame without the commentator placing his own temporal limits upon these events; for, when Paul explains that this thorn was given to him "through the abundance of the revelations" 2 Corinthians In other words, Paul is saying that there were many other revelations that preceded this thorn coming into his life.
Kendall, The Thorn in the Flesh , 5. Another objection comes from Plummer, who disagrees with the view that Paul's thorn refers to persecutions on the basis that many other Christians throughout the ages have suffered from such persecutions, and he believes, rather, that "the thorn was something uniquely bestowed upon Paul by God for his personal benefit to counteract temptations that might be provoked by the special revelations. He believes that this interpretation of the thorn being persecutions may have been fostered by the early Church fathers because they lived during the Diocletian persecutions.
He supports this statement by noting that the popular medieval view understood Paul's thorn to be immoral temptations, which was fostered during a time when monasticism accentuated the danger of fleshly desires. Thus, he understands that the events of a particular Christian era tend to shape one's interpretation of Paul's thorn. Plummer's insight is perhaps at the heart of the argument that has transpired throughout the centuries. I believe he is right in his observation.
If Paul's were referring to a life of persecutions, he would have used an Old Testament metaphor such as "thorns in his sides" Numbers Instead, Paul uses the singular "thorn in the flesh". If his preceding testimony of being caught up into the third heaven is being contrasted with his testimony of a thorn in the flesh, then logically both testimonies would refer to individual events. In light of Plummer's observation, it is my suggestion that Paul was referring to one particular hardship, which could have been the series of persecutions caused to him by Alexander the coppersmith.
The fact that Paul was writing from the city of Ephesus where this opponent lived adds strength to this possibility. This was Chrysostom's conclusion also, and an extensive evaluation tends to support his view. However, Paul added that this "messenger of Satan" continually buffeted him, meaning that it was a particular issue that continually happened in his life. This would lead scholars to suggest the characteristics of an infirmity, but I believe it could describe the many times when Alexander the coppersmith opposed and persecuted Paul. Conclusion- When we evaluate the weight of evidence supporting these two leading interpretations we have to be careful not to be misled by the volume of argument, but rather rely upon the strengths of these arguments.
Furnish concludes that the weight of the testimonies favors the view that Paul's thorn was an illness, but I disagree because this view is based largely upon the association of 2 Corinthians However, if these two passages are not associated with one another, then all of the other supporting arguments for this popular view carry very little weight.
In contrast, the arguments supporting the view of persecutions are largely based upon the immediate context of 2Corinthians, unlike the view of an illness, which leans upon distant passages of Scripture for support. Thus, despite the large amount of discussion regarding an illness, I conclude that interpreting Paul's thorn in the flesh as his persecutors has a stronger argument because they are based upon the immediately context of the passage, and because each supporting testimony can stand upon its own separately, and is not dependent upon the other.
Barrett takes the view that Paul's thorn refers to persecutions, but concludes that "the precise meaning of the thorn and angel are anyone's guess. If the church could identify the thorn as a particular ailment, then subsequent generations of Christians would be inclined to dismiss the Apostle's problem as remote from their own experience. Lest he be exalted by men, he will only boast in what the Corinthians physically know of him.
Thus, he will tell them in 2 Corinthians What that weakness is has been a matter of speculation for centuries. However, we do know that it involved much physical discomfort. Comments- Interestingly, the phrase "lest I should be exalted above measure" in 2 Corinthians In the KJV it is brought to the front in order to smooth out the English translation. In this statement Paul is giving the Corinthians the reason why he has no place for boasting, so that he would not be placed on a pedestal by anyone. This same clause repeats itself in this verse for emphasis.
Some scholars and translations omit this second clause as a scribal error, an example being found in the NIV. Comments 1 - The word "revelations" literally means, "to uncover or unveil. We read in Acts Clark, Ltd, c , , Comments 2 - The Greek text places the phrase "and through the abundance of the revelations" at the beginning of 2 Corinthians Scholars have long disputed over how to punctuate this phrase, mostly due to a variant reading. They divide themselves into at least four views.
Martin, 2 Corinthians , in Word Biblical Commentary: Hubbard and Glenn W. Libronix Corp, , comments on 2Corinthians. He does not specify the source of this affliction, but he does realize that it was a spiritual battle. Regarding the agent behind the giving, scholars note that it is either God or Satan. Because this thorn in the flesh wrought good out of something bad, it humbled Paul by inflicting suffering , Murray Harris suggests that God was behind the giving, and call this verb a "theological passive," with God as the implied agent.
In other words, if I could paraphrase Job 5: Eerdmans, , comments on 2Corinthians. Most scholars agree that "thorn" fits the context better, as most modern translations testify. The word "stake" is a popular classical Greek translation and has a military concept. Stakes were commonly used for building fences to slow down the enemy. They were also used for execution, hence, a synonym for a "cross.
Alfred Plummer suggests that in all four passages the word "thorn" or "splinter" fits best. The word "thorn" has been personified in this context, as it is modified by the phrase "a messenger of Satan. Word Study on "in the flesh" - The phrase "in the flesh" can be rendered two ways. The locative case uses the word to refer to the physical body, being translated "in the flesh.
An unlikely option is to translate it "to my flesh," modifying the phrase "to me. Comments- Since this is the only time in the New Testament the phrase "thorn in the flesh" is used, we look in the Old Testament for a similar phrase to help us interpret this verse. In his book Christ the Healer F. Bosworth takes a chapter to explain that in all instances that a similar phrase using the word "thorn" is used in the Old Testament, it is personified as those people who were troubling and persecuting Israel.
Chosen, c , , Thus, we see Moses personifying the phrase to refer to the Canaanites who would constantly trouble the children of Israel. A few years later, Joshua , the servant of Moses, uses a similar phrase "thorns in your eyes" to refer to the same group of Canaanites who would trouble the Israelites as long as they were in the land.
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Plummer tells us that it is not impossible that Numbers Illustration- During the first week of September I put a thorn into my rights thumb while working as a carpenter. This thorn stayed in my thumb for the next six months making my thumb irritated and sore. Many times I dug down in this wound to try and get out this thorn, but to no avail. Finally, on March 5, it worked its way to the surface enough so that I would pull it out.
Complete healing came to my flesh afterwards. Comments- If Paul's thorn in the flesh were a sickness, then he would have used the phrase "into captivity" Job Instead, he uses the word "buffet" to imply physical abuse.
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Song of Solomon , note where Paul describes his experiences of being buffeted, and not bound, in the preceding passage of 2 Corinthians Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;". Comments- The phrase "a messenger of Satan to buffet me" stands in apposition to "a thorn in the flesh. The present tense of the verb implies that this was a continual process in Paul"s life, and not just a single event. In addition, some scholars place Satan as the author and source of his thorn in the flesh.
Others reject this view because Paul usually uses the verb "there was given" in speaking of God"s bestowing divine favor upon a person. These scholars thus regard Satan as an instrument for affecting the divine purpose of God, an example of "passivum divinum. Here, Paul continues to personify the noun. The aorist tense of this Greek verb means that Paul has ceased praying for this request. While some call "three" a figurative expression referring to many prayers, others take it literally.
It could possibly refer to the Jewish practice of praying three times a day. Most likely, it denotes the earnest with which Paul prayed for deliverance from this affliction. We cannot help but reminisce upon the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He also prayed to the Father thrice that His cup of suffering might be avoided, but also being given a similar answer that Paul was given.
Thus, we can understand that Paul's prayer was a prayer of consecration to God rather than a prayer of faith in a promise from God. We may find a hint in 2 Corinthians 1: He tells us that because of his troubles in Asia he and his co-workers were "pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. It may refer primarily to his adversaries, namely Alexander the coppersmith and Hymenaeus Acts And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. The aorist in verse 8 and the perfect tense here imply that after Paul had ceased his petition, God"s words were still very meaningful in his life.
This why it is associated with a passage on divine revelations from heaven. When our sufferings intensify, the presence of God becomes much more real in our lives, as it did in the life of Paul. With afflictions comes divine revelations. The greatest place to live in order to walk in God"s miracle-working power is to partake of Christ"s sufferings.
The question is raised as to the focus of grace. Is this only referring to a special grace given to Paul for his ministry, or is this the kind of grace made available to all believers. We see this divine grace and strength manifested when Paul was delivered out of each of his trials and sufferings.
When he was stoned, God raised him up. When he was imprisoned, God brought him out. Every time he needed God, He was faithful to work supernaturally and deliver him. Paul learned to trust in this grace. Hughes calls this phrase in 2 Corinthians Furnish notes that Paul does not try to transcend his weakness nor does he try to claim self-sufficiency. Eerdmans Publishing Co, , comments on 2Corinthians. Albright and David N.
Freeman Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co, Inc, , The word "sufficient" carries with it the idea of "being enough. As one acknowledges his human frailty and yields to the Holy Spirit, God"s grace will always be there to sustain him. The word "strength" refers to the power of Christ. This fullness of God"s power comes not through visions and Revelation , but a yielding of one"s self to God"s will. In Christ"s suffering, God"s power was made complete in him through the resurrection. Having been assured that this thorn will not overcome his ministry, Paul chooses to rejoice in God"s grace.
He now realizes that this grace is evidence to his apostolic ministry. Bultmann sees the truth that total surrender and not struggles is the way to live the Christian life.
Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
If it is from within, then in weakness God"s power becomes, not more real, but more evident. If it comes from without, then Paul"s weakness is a precondition for Christ"s power to enter him. It is a metaphor from the Old Testament concept of the presence of God abiding in the tabernacle. It literally means "to take up residence," or, "to dwell. Paul glories in his infirmities as a result of his buffeting 2 Corinthians He is made weak so that he may be strong in the Lord with the power of Christ resting upon him 2 Corinthians Note in Acts 9: Paul has learned not to regret his trials, but to use them.
Our greatest forms of worship and our greatest expressions of faith come in the midst of our greatest trials. Note how Paul describes the outcome of these difficult experiences: As a result of his trial with a thorn in the flesh, he chose to rejoice in God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Job made a similar decision to rejoice in the Lord, saying "And said, Naked came I out of my mother"s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The word "reproaches" means "insults" and is a reference to those who oppose him at Corinth.
The word not only implies verbal abuse, but also includes the idea of physical mistreatment and injuries. The word "necessities" literally means "times of stress". It implies hardships of which there is no avoiding. The "persecutions" refer to religious persecution. The word "distresses" is akin to a root word meaning "a narrow place where there is no way out. This view of apostolic life has constantly been repeated throughout this epistle 2 Corinthians 8: Paul shows that his concern is for the ministry, and not for the thorn.
In this climax to the passage, Paul offers the Corinthians a proof to his the apostolic ministry, a proof which his opponents cannot deny. Paul's Final Plea - In 2 Corinthians He summarizes the qualifications of the office on an apostle of Jesus Christ by saying, "the signs of an apostle were wrought through Paul among the Corinthians in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds," 2 Corinthians Having evaluated his recent statements, he concludes that he has most certainly become a fool because of his boastings.