2 Corinthians 12:17 (ASV)

Passage

Did I take advantage of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you?

Nearby Context

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?

2 Corinthians 12:16 But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

2 Corinthians 12:17 Did I take advantage of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you?

2 Corinthians 12:18 I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? walked we not in the same spirit? [walked we] not in the same steps?

2 Corinthians 12:19 Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, [are] for your edifying.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "advantage", and "sent". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "advantage", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "But be it so I did not..." into verse 18's "I exhorted Titus and I sent the...", so "take" and "advantage" 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 "take" and "advantage" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.