2 Corinthians 11:7

Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Have	ἢ ē	G2228	disjunctive · conjunction
committed	ἐποίησα epoiēsa	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
offence	ἁμαρτίαν hamartian	G266	a sin (properly abstract) · noun — accusative singular feminine
abasing	ταπεινῶν tapeinōn	G5013	to depress · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
myself	ἐμαυτοῦ emautoû	G1683	of myself so likewise the dative case
that	ἵνα ina	G2443	compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
ye	ὑμεῖς hymeîs	G5210	you (as subjective of verb)
exalted	ὑψωθῆτε, hupsōthēte	G5312	to elevate (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist passive subjunctive, 2nd person plural
because	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
preached	εὐηγγελισάμην euēngelisamēn	G2097	to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gos… · verb — aorist middle indicative, 1st person singular
you	ὑμῖν hymîn	G5213	to (with or by) you
gospel	εὐαγγέλιον euangelion	G2098	a good message · noun — accusative singular neuter
God	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
freely	δωρεὰν dōrean	G1432	gratuitously (literally or figuratively) · adverb

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
1 Corinthians 4:10-12 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
1 Corinthians 9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward y…
1 Thessalonians 2:9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preac…
Acts 18:1-3 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
Acts 20:34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
1 Corinthians 9:14-18 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 11:5-15

After the foregoing preface to what he was about to say, the apostle in these verses mentions, I. His equality with the other apostles - that he was not a whit behind the very chief of the apostles, Co2 11:5. This he expresses very modestly: I suppose so. He might have spoken very positively. The apostleship, as an office, was equal in all the apostles; but the apostles, like other Christians, differed one from another. These stars differed one from another in glory, and Paul was indeed of the first magnitude; yet he speaks modestly of himself, and humbly owns his personal infirmity, that he was rude in speech, had not such a graceful delivery as some others might have. Some think that he wa…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 11:7

Have I--literally, "OR have I?" Connected with Co2 11:6, "Or will any of you make it an objection that I have preached to you gratuitously?" He leaves their good feeling to give the answer, that this, so far from being an objection, was a decided superiority in him above the false apostles (Co1 9:6-15). abasing myself--in my mode of living, waiving my right of maintenance, and earning it by manual labor; perhaps with slaves as his fellow laborers (Act 18:3; Phi 4:12). ye . . . exalted--spiritually, by your admission to Gospel privileges. because--"in that." gospel of God--"of God" implies its divine glory to which they were admitted. freely--"without charge."

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 11:7

Have I committed an offense in abasing myself - Have I transgressed in labouring with my hands that I might not be chargeable to you? and getting my deficiencies supplied by contributions from other Churches, while I was employed in labouring for your salvation? Does your false apostle insinuate that I have disgraced the apostolic office by thus descending to servile labor for my support? Well; I have done this that you might be exalted - that you might receive the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and be exalted to the highest pitch of intellectual light and blessedness. And will you complain that I preached the Gospel gratis to you? Surely not. The whole passage is truly ironical.

The Church Fathers

Paul refused payment for two reasons. He would not resemble the false apostles who were preaching for their own advantage and not for the glory of God, nor would he allow the vigor of his message to become sluggish. For the person who accepts payment from sinners loses the authority to censor them.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

"Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted?" What he says is this; "I lived in straitness;" for this is the force of "abasing myself." "Can you then lay this to my charge? and do ye therefore lift up yourselves against me, because I abased myself by begging, by enduring straits, by suffering, by hungering, that ye might be exalted?" And how were they exalted by his being in straits? They were more edified and were not offended; which also might [well] be a very great accusation of them and a reproach of their weakness; that it was not possible in any other way to lead them on than by first abasing himself. "Do ye then lay it to my charge that I abased myself? But thereby ye were exalted." For since he said even above that they accused him, for that when present he was lowly, and when absent bold, in defending himself he here strikes them again, saying, "this too was for your sakes."
— John Chrysostom, Homily 23 on 2 Corinthians

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Basket — There are five different Hebrew words so rendered in the Authorized Version: (1.) A basket (Heb. sal, a twig or osier) for holding bread (Gen. 40:16; Ex. 29:3, 23; Lev. 8:2, 26, 31; Num. 6:15, 17,…
Philippians, Epistle to — Was written by Paul during the two years when he was “in bonds” in Rome (Phil. 1:7-13), probably early in the year A.D. 62 or in the end of 61. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, their messenger,…

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Corinthians 11:7

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 11:5-15

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 11:7

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 11:7

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

2 Corinthians 11:7

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 11:5-15

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 11:7

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 11:7

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 2 Corinthians 11:7

John Calvin on 2 Corinthians 11:7-12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Corinthians 11:7