2 Corinthians 12:9 (DRB)

Passage

And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me.

2 Corinthians 12:8 For which thing, thrice I besought the Lord that it might depart from me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 For which cause I please myself in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ. For when I am weak, then am I powerful.

2 Corinthians 12:11 I am become foolish. You have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended by you. For I have no way come short of them that are above measure apostles, although I be nothing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "infirmities", "grace", "said", "sufficient", "thee", "power", "perfect", and "infirmity". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "infirmities" and "grace", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "For which thing thrice I besought the..." into verse 10's "For which cause I please myself in...", so "infirmities" and "grace" 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 "infirmities" and "grace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.