This verse, 2 Corinthians 11:19, is Paul being heavily ironic and sarcastic towards the Corinthian church. To understand it, you need to understand the context of the passage.
Here's a breakdown of the meaning:
"For you bear with the foolish gladly...": This is the core of the sarcasm. Paul is accusing the Corinthians of willingly tolerating fools. He believes they are readily accepting false apostles who are boasting about themselves and exploiting the Corinthians.
"...being wise.": This is the sarcastic punchline. Paul isn't complimenting the Corinthians; he's mocking them. He's saying, in effect, "You are so wise that you're happy to put up with people who are obviously foolish and take advantage of you!"
The wider context is crucial:
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul is defending his own apostleship against these rival teachers who have infiltrated the Corinthian church. These false apostles were likely impressive speakers, boasting about their qualifications, status, and achievements. The Corinthians, impressed by this superficial display, were seemingly accepting them more readily than they were accepting Paul, who was more focused on humble service and preaching the Gospel.
Paul, however, had deliberately refused to "burden" the Corinthians financially (by taking their money for his support), and he hadn't engaged in the same kind of self-promotion as these other teachers. This humility seems to have been interpreted as a weakness by some in the Corinthian church, who were drawn to the more outwardly impressive false apostles.
In essence, Paul is saying:
"You Corinthians, with all your supposedly superior wisdom, are so foolish that you're gladly putting up with charlatans who are exploiting you! You value outward show and self-promotion over genuine humility and faithful service."
Key takeaways:
The verse is highly ironic and sarcastic.
Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their naiveté in accepting false teachers.
He is contrasting their willingness to tolerate foolish boastfulness with their relative lack of appreciation for his own humble service.
The verse highlights the danger of valuing outward appearances over genuine character and faithfulness.
This verse, 2 Corinthians 11:19, is Paul being heavily ironic and sarcastic towards the Corinthian church. To understand it, you need to understand the context of the passage.
Here's a breakdown of the meaning:
"For you bear with the foolish gladly...": This is the core of the sarcasm. Paul is accusing the Corinthians of willingly tolerating fools. He believes they are readily accepting false apostles who are boasting about themselves and exploiting the Corinthians.
"...being wise.": This is the sarcastic punchline. Paul isn't complimenting the Corinthians; he's mocking them. He's saying, in effect, "You are so wise that you're happy to put up with people who are obviously foolish and take advantage of you!"
The wider context is crucial:
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul is defending his own apostleship against these rival teachers who have infiltrated the Corinthian church. These false apostles were likely impressive speakers, boasting about their qualifications, status, and achievements. The Corinthians, impressed by this superficial display, were seemingly accepting them more readily than they were accepting Paul, who was more focused on humble service and preaching the Gospel.
Paul, however, had deliberately refused to "burden" the Corinthians financially (by taking their money for his support), and he hadn't engaged in the same kind of self-promotion as these other teachers. This humility seems to have been interpreted as a weakness by some in the Corinthian church, who were drawn to the more outwardly impressive false apostles.
In essence, Paul is saying:
"You Corinthians, with all your supposedly superior wisdom, are so foolish that you're gladly putting up with charlatans who are exploiting you! You value outward show and self-promotion over genuine humility and faithful service."
Key takeaways:
The verse is highly ironic and sarcastic.
Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their naiveté in accepting false teachers.
He is contrasting their willingness to tolerate foolish boastfulness with their relative lack of appreciation for his own humble service.
The verse highlights the danger of valuing outward appearances over genuine character and faithfulness.