9 and He said to me, `Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;' most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me:
wherefore I am well pleased in infirmities, in damages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses -- for Christ; for whenever I am infirm, then I am powerful;
For all things I have strength, in Christ's strengthening me;
He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might. Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble, But those expecting Jehovah pass `to' power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!
No temptation hath taken you -- except human; and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able, but He will make, with the temptation, also the outlet, for your being able to bear `it'.
Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,
but, according as ye have fellowship with the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice ye, that also in the revelation of his glory ye may rejoice -- exulting; if ye be reproached in the name of Christ -- happy `are ye', because the Spirit of glory and of God upon you doth rest; in regard, indeed, to them, he is evil-spoken of, and in regard to you, he is glorified;
Iron and brass `are' thy shoes, And as thy days -- thy strength. There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Riding the heavens in thy help, And in His excellency the skies. A habitation `is' the eternal God, And beneath `are' arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, `Destroy!'
not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency `is' of God, who also made us sufficient `to be' ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive.
we may come near, then, with freedom, to the throne of the grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace -- for seasonable help.
for I will give to you a mouth and wisdom that all your opposers shall not be able to refute or resist.
`Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake -- rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward `is' great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.
And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `O, my Lord, I `am' not a man of words, either yesterday, or before, or since Thy speaking unto Thy servant, for I `am' slow of mouth, and slow of tongue.' And Jehovah saith unto him, `Who appointed a mouth for man? or who appointeth the dumb, or deaf, or open, or blind? is it not I, Jehovah? and now, go, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and have directed thee that which thou speakest;' and he saith, `O, my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand Thou dost send.' And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Moses, and He saith, `Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I have known that he speaketh well, and also, lo, he is coming out to meet thee; when he hath seen thee, then he hath rejoiced in his heart, and thou hast spoken unto him, and hast set the words in his mouth, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and have directed you that which ye do;
quenched the power of fire, escaped the mouth of the sword, were made powerful out of infirmities, became strong in battle, caused to give way camps of the aliens.
Strengthen ye the feeble hands, Yea, the stumbling knees strengthen. Say to the hastened of heart, `Be strong, Fear not, lo, your God; vengeance cometh, The recompence of God, He Himself doth come and save you.'
and lo, as the manner of the sons of men, he is striking against my lips, and I open my mouth, and I speak, and say unto him who is standing over-against me: My lord, by the appearance turned have been my pangs against me, and I have retained no power. And how is the servant of this my lord able to speak with this my lord? as for me, henceforth there remaineth in me no power, yea, breath hath not been left in me. `And he addeth, and striketh against me, as the appearance of a man, and strengtheneth me, and he saith: Do not fear, O man greatly desired, peace to thee, be strong, yea, be strong; and when he speaketh with me, I have strengthened myself, and I say, Let my lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.
Jehovah thy God `is' in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'
teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days -- till the full end of the age.'
in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy.
whom we proclaim, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, for which also I labour, striving according to his working that is working in me in power.
And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah! lo, I have not known -- to speak, for I `am' a youth.' And Jehovah saith unto me, `Do not say, I `am' a youth, for to all to whom I send thee thou goest, and all that I command thee thou speakest. Be not afraid of their faces, for with thee `am' I to deliver thee, -- an affirmation of Jehovah.' And Jehovah putteth forth His hand, and striketh against my mouth, and Jehovah saith unto me, `Lo, I have put my words in thy mouth.
And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, `Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth;
Then hath Jehovah prepared Over every fixed place of Mount Zion, And over her convocations, A cloud by day, and smoke, And the shining of a flaming fire by night, That, over all honour a safe-guard, And a covering may be, For a shadow by day from drought, And for a refuge, and for a hiding place, From inundation and from rain!
and I most gladly will spend and be entirely spent for your souls, even if, more abundantly loving you, less I am loved.
if to boast it behoveth `me', of the things of my infirmity I will boast;
For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, `Fear not, I have helped thee.' Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest. Thou winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou -- thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.
Rested on him hath the Spirit of Jehovah, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and fear of Jehovah.
And they see him -- the sons of the prophets who `are' in Jericho -- over-against, and they say, `Rested hath the spirit of Elijah on Elisha;' and they come to meet him, and bow themselves to him to the earth,
And Moses saith unto God, `Who `am' I, that I go unto Pharaoh, and that I bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?' and He saith, `Because I am with thee, and this `is' to thee the sign that I have sent thee: in thy bringing out the people from Egypt -- ye do serve God on this mount.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Corinthians 12
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
In this chapter the apostle proceeds in maintaining the honour of his apostleship. He magnified his office when there were those who vilified it. What he says in his own praise was only in his own justification and the necessary defence of the honour of his ministry, the preservation of which was necessary to its success. First, He makes mention of the favour God had shown him, the honour done him, the methods God took to keep him humble, and the use he made of this dispensation (v. 1-10). Then he addresses himself to the Corinthians, blaming them for what was faulty among them, and giving a large account of his behaviour and kind intentions towards them (v. 11-21).
2Cr 12:1-10
Here we may observe,
2Cr 12:11-21
In these verses the apostle addresses himself to the Corinthians two ways:-