2 Corinthians 12:3 (GNV)

Passage

And I knowe such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I can not tell: God knoweth)

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:1 It is not expedient for me no doubt to reioyce: for I will come to visions and reuelations of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ aboue fourteene yeeres agone, (whether he were in the body, I can not tell, or out of the body, I can not tell: God knoweth) which was taken vp into the thirde heauen.

2 Corinthians 12:3 And I knowe such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I can not tell: God knoweth)

2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he was taken vp into Paradise, and heard words which cannot be spoken, which are not possible for man to vtter.

2 Corinthians 12:5 Of such a man will I reioyce: of my selfe will I not reioyce, except it bee of mine infirmities.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knowe", "such", "whether", "body", "tell", and "knoweth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knowe" and "such", 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 aboue..." into verse 4's "How that he was taken vp into...", so "knowe" and "such" 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 "knowe" and "such" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.