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15 So it is not strange that his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Paul’s Boast: His Labors. 16 [a]I repeat, no one should consider me foolish;[b] but if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.[c] 17 What I am saying I am not saying according to the Lord but as in foolishness, in this boastful state.

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Footnotes

  1. 11:16–12:10 Paul now accepts the challenge of his opponents and indulges in boasting similar to theirs, but with differences that he has already signaled in 2 Cor 10:12–18 and that become clearer as he proceeds. He defines the nature of his project and unmistakably labels it as folly at the beginning and the end (2 Cor 11:16–23; 12:11). Yet his boast does not spring from ignorance (2 Cor 11:21; 12:6) nor is it concerned merely with human distinctions (2 Cor 11:18). Paul boasts “in moderation” (2 Cor 10:13, 15) and “in the Lord” (2 Cor 10:17).
  2. 11:16–29 The first part of Paul’s boast focuses on labors and afflictions, in which authentic service of Christ consists.
  3. 11:16–21 These verses recapitulate remarks already made about the foolishness of boasting and the excessive toleration of the Corinthians. They form a prelude to the boast proper.