2 Corinthians 12:11 (GNV)

Passage

I was a foole to boast my selfe: yee haue compelled mee: for I ought to haue bene commended of you: for in nothing was I inferiour vnto the very chiefe Apostles, though I bee nothing.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said vnto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect through weakenesse. Very gladly therefore will I reioyce rather in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproches, in necessities, in persecutions, in anguish for Christes sake: for when I am weake, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12:11 I was a foole to boast my selfe: yee haue compelled mee: for I ought to haue bene commended of you: for in nothing was I inferiour vnto the very chiefe Apostles, though I bee nothing.

2 Corinthians 12:12 The signes of an Apostle were wrought among you with all patience, with signes, and wonders, and great workes.

2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is it, wherein yee were inferiours vnto other Churches, except that I haue not bene slouthfull to your hinderance? forgiue me this wrong.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "foole", "boast", "selfe", "haue", "compelled", "ought", and "bene". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "foole" and "boast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in..." into verse 12's "The signes of an Apostle were wrought...", so "foole" and "boast" 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 "foole" and "boast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.