2 Corinthians 12:13 (ASV)

Passage

For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except [it be] that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:11 I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.

2 Corinthians 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.

2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except [it be] that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong.

2 Corinthians 12:14 Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

2 Corinthians 12:15 And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherein", "inferior", "rest", "churches", "except", "myself", "burden", and "forgive". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherein" and "inferior", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Truly the signs of an apostle were..." into verse 14's "Behold this is the third time I...", so "wherein" and "inferior" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "wherein" and "inferior" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.