2 Corinthians 12:16 (WEB)

Passage

But be it so, I did not myself burden you. But, being crafty, I caught you with deception.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:14 Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I seek not your possessions, but you. For the children ought not to save up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

2 Corinthians 12:15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?

2 Corinthians 12:16 But be it so, I did not myself burden you. But, being crafty, I caught you with deception.

2 Corinthians 12:17 Did I take advantage of you by anyone of them whom I have sent to you?

2 Corinthians 12:18 I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit? Didn’t we walk in the same steps?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "myself", "burden", "crafty", "caught", and "deception". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "myself" and "burden", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "I will most gladly spend and be..." into verse 17's "Did I take advantage of you by...", so "myself" and "burden" 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 "myself" and "burden" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.