2 Corinthians 12:3 (DBY)

Passage

And I know such a man, (whether in [the] body or out of the body I know not, God knows;)

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:1 Well, it is not of profit to me to boast, for I will come to visions and revelations of [the] Lord.

2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago, (whether in [the] body I know not, or out of the body I know not, God knows;) such [a one] caught up to [the] third heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:3 And I know such a man, (whether in [the] body or out of the body I know not, God knows;)

2 Corinthians 12:4 that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable things said which it is not allowed to man to utter.

2 Corinthians 12:5 Of such [a one] I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, unless in my weaknesses.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "I know a man in Christ fourteen..." into verse 4's "that he was caught up into paradise...", so "such" and "whether" 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 "such" and "whether" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.