2 Corinthians 12:6 (LSB)

Passage

For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

2 Corinthians 12:5 On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.

2 Corinthians 12:7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

2 Corinthians 12:8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wish", "boast", "foolish", "speaking", "truth", "refrain", "consider", and "beyond". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wish" and "boast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "On behalf of such a man I..." into verse 7's "Because of the surpassing greatness of the...", so "wish" 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 "wish" and "boast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.