2 Corinthians 12:6 (YLT)

Passage

for if I may wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for truth I will say; but I forebear, lest any one in regard to me may think anything above what he doth see me, or doth hear anything of me;

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:4 that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.

2 Corinthians 12:5 Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,

2 Corinthians 12:6 for if I may wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for truth I will say; but I forebear, lest any one in regard to me may think anything above what he doth see me, or doth hear anything of me;

2 Corinthians 12:7 and that by the exceeding greatness of the revelations I might not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of the Adversary, that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

2 Corinthians 12:8 Concerning this thing thrice the Lord did I call upon, that it might depart from me,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wish", "boast", "shall", "fool", "truth", "forebear", "lest", and "regard". 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 "Of such an one I will boast..." into verse 7's "and that by the exceeding greatness of...", 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.