2 Corinthians 11:10

As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) As the truth of Christ is in me . .—The formula is almost, though not quite, of the nature of an oath. He speaks here, as in Romans 9:1, in the consciousness that the truth of Christ (the objective sense of the truth revealed in Christ seems almost merged in the subjective sense of the truthfulness that was of the essence of His nature) dwells in him, and that therefore he cannot but speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

No man shall stop me of this boasting.—Literally, This boast shall not be stopped for me. The verb for “stop” means primarily to “hedge round,” or “fence.” In the New Testament, as in Romans 3:19, it is always used of “stopping the mouth.” Here, with something like a personification, he says that his boast shall not have its mouth thus sealed.

In the region of Achaia.—The word (klima) is peculiar to St. Paul among the writers of the New Testament (Romans 15:23; Galatians 1:21). Like our word “climate,” which is derived from it, it was originally a term of science, and had passed gradually into colloquial usage. He names the province and not the city—probably to include Cenchreæ. There is no evidence of his having preached in any other locality south of the Isthmus of Corinth.

Benson Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:10-12. As the truth of Christ is in me — As sure as I am a true Christian, and an apostle. The expression has the nature of an oath. See on Romans 9:1. No man shall stop me of this boasting — For I will receive nothing from you. Wherefore — For what reason have I resolved on this? Is it, as my enemies tell you, because I do not love you, and will not be obliged to you? God knoweth that is not the case. But what I do, &c. — As if he had said, The true reason why I do so, and resolve to continue the same course, is this; that I may cut off occasion, namely, of reproaching me, or boasting of themselves, from them which desire occasion for so doing; that wherein they glory — Namely, of their preaching freely, at least sometimes, or some of them, or pretending to do so; they may be found even as we — To have no advantage over me in this respect. It would seem that the false teachers at Corinth, in imitation of the apostle, pretended to take nothing for their preaching, and boasted of their disinterestedness. Nevertheless, on other pretences they received presents from their disciples in private, nay, extorted them. See 2 Corinthians 11:20. Wherefore, to put these impostors to shame, and to oblige them really to imitate him, the apostle declared that he never had taken any thing, nor ever would take any thing from the Corinthians, whether in public or in private, on any account whatever.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:5-15 It is far better to be plain in speech, yet walking openly and consistently with the gospel, than to be admired by thousands, and be lifted up in pride, so as to disgrace the gospel by evil tempers and unholy lives. The apostle would not give room for any to accuse him of worldly designs in preaching the gospel, that others who opposed him at Corinth, might not in this respect gain advantage against him. Hypocrisy may be looked for, especially when we consider the great power which Satan, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, has upon the minds of many. And as there are temptations to evil conduct, so there is equal danger on the other side. It serves Satan's purposes as well, to set up good works against the atonement of Christ, and salvation by faith and grace. But the end will discover those who are deceitful workers; their work will end in ruin. Satan will allow his ministers to preach either the law or the gospel separately; but the law as established by faith in Christ's righteousness and atonement, and the partaking of his Spirit, is the test of every false system.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As the truth of Christ is in me - That is, I solemnly declare this as in the presence of Christ. As I am a Christian man; as I feel bound to declare the truth, and as I must answer to Christ. It is a solemn form of asseveration, equal to an oath; see the note on Romans 9:1; compare 1 Timothy 2:7.

No man shall stop me ... - Margin, "This boasting shall not be stopped in me;" see the note on 1 Corinthians 9:15. The idea here is, that Paul was solemnly determined that the same thing should continue. He had not been burdensome to any, and he was resolved that he would not be. Rather than be burdensome he had labored with his own hands, and he meant to do it still. No man in all Achaia should ever have reason to say that he had been an idler, and had been supported by the churches when he was doing nothing. It was the fixed and settled purpose of his life never to be burdensome to any man. What a noble resolution! How fixed were the principles of his life! And what an instance of magnanimous self-denial and of elevated purpose! Every man, minister or otherwise, should adopt a similar resolution. He should resolve to receive nothing for which he has not rendered a fair equivalent, and resolve if he has health never to be a burden to his friends or to the church of God. And even if sick he may yet feel that he is not burdensome to others. If he is gentle and grateful; if he makes no unnecessary care; and especially if he furnishes an example of patience and piety, and seeks the blessing of God on his benefactors, he furnishes them what they will usually esteem an ample equivalent. No man need be burdensome to his friends; and all should resolve that by the grace of God they never will be. There is considerable variety in the mss. here (see Mill on the place), but in regard to the general sense there can be no doubt. Nothing should ever hinder this boasting; nothing should deprive him of the privilege of saying that he had not been a burden.

In the regions of Achaia - Achaia was that part of Greece of which Corinth was the capital; see the note on Acts 18:12.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. Greek, "There is (the) truth of Christ in me that," &c. (Ro 9:1).

no man shall stop me of—The oldest manuscripts read, "This boasting shall not be shut (that is, stopped) as regards me." "Boasting is as it were personified … shall not have its mouth stopped as regards me" [Alford].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The apostle often repeateth this, glorying much in it, that in this region of Achaia he had preached the gospel without charge to the hearers: he did so also at Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 2:5,6,9; but concerning them, he saith, what he no where saith of the Corinthians, that they received the word in much affliction; which might, probably, be the cause. It is most likely that he either discerned this people to be more covetous, and too much lovers of their money: or that there was a generation among them, who, if he had taken wages for his labours, would have reproached him as one that was a hireling, and who did all that he did for money. And, indeed, himself seemeth in the next verses to give this as a reason.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

As the truth of Christ is in me,.... To show the firmness of his resolution, and how determined he was to abide by it, he joins an oath to it; for these words are the form of an oath; and it is as if he should say, as sure as Christ is truth, who is in me; or as that the truth of grace, or the truth of the Gospel of Christ is in my heart and mouth, so sure will I constantly persevere in this determination; or let the truth of Christ never be thought to be in me, if I do not:

no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia; or this boasting shall not be stopped in me; of preaching the Gospel freely at Corinth, and that he had not been chargeable and burdensome to them; nor would he be for time to come, neither there, nor in any part of Achaia, of which Corinth was the metropolis; See Gill on 2 Corinthians 9:2. No man should stop his mouth from boasting of this, by putting anything into his hands, for he was determined not to receive anything from any person in these climates; not but that he reserved a liberty in himself to receive from other persons and churches, for his comfortable subsistence, and so much the limitation of his resolution to these parts implies; for if he had not intended to have received a supply from any persons whatever, the restriction to the regions of Achaia would have been unnecessary; and he should rather have said, that no man should stop him of this boasting in any part of the world. The Vulgate Latin version reads, "this boasting shall not be broken"; and to the same sense the Syriac version, "this boasting shall not be abolished".

Geneva Study Bible

As the {g} truth of Christ is in me, no man shall {h} stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

(g) This is a form of an oath, as if he said, Let me not be thought to have any truth in me.

(h) Will be always open to me.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:10. Not in form an oath, but a very solemn assurance of the καὶ τηρήσω: there is truth of Christ in me, that, etc. That is to say: By the indwelling truth of Christ in me I assure you that, etc. The apostle is certain that as generally Christ lives in him (Galatians 2:20), Christ’s mind is in him (see on 1 Corinthians 2:16), Christ’s heart beats in him (Php 1:8), Christ speaks in him (2 Corinthians 13:3), all, namely, through the Spirit of Christ, which dwells in him (Romans 8:9 ff.); so, in particular, also truth of Christ is in him, and therefore all untruthfulness, lying, hypocrisy, etc., must be as foreign to him as to Christ Himself, who bears sway in him. The ὅτι is the simple that, dependent on the idea of assurance, which lies at the bottom of the clause ἔστιν ἀλήθ. Χ. ἐν ἐμοί, and has its specific expression in this clause. Comp. ζῶ ἐγὼ, ὅτι, Romans 14:11. See Fritzsche, ad Rom. II. p. 242 f. Rückert’s view is more far-fetched: that ὅτι κ.τ.λ. is the subject, of which Paul asserts that it is ἀλήθεια Χριστοῦ in him, i.e. what he says is a proposition, which just as certainly contains truth, as if Christ Himself said it. Olshausen attenuates the sense at variance with its literal tenor into: “as true as I am a Christian.” The thought is really the same in substance as that in Romans 9:1 : ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι, but the form of the conception is differen.

ἡ καύχησις αὕτη οὐ φραγ. εἰς ἐμέ] this self-boasting will not be stopped in reference to me. The gloriatio spoken of, namely as to preaching gratuitously, is personified; its mouth is not, as to what concerns the apostle, to be stopped, so that it must keep silence. Hofmann, not appreciating this personification, takes offence at the fact that the καύχησις is supposed to have a mouth, while Rückert resorts to an odd artificial interpretation of φραγ. εἰς ἐμέ (will not be cooped up in me). Just because the καυχᾶσθαι is an action of the mouth, the personified καύχησις has a mouth, which can be stopped. Comp. Theodore.

φραγήσεται] Comp. Romans 3:19; Hebrews 11:33; LXX. Psalm 106:42; Job 5:16; 2Ma 14:36; Wetstein, ad Rom. l.c.; Jacobs, ad Anthol. XII. p. 297. It cannot surprise us that τὸ στόμα is not expressly subjoined, since this is obvious of itself, seeing that the καύχησις is conceived as speaking. There is nothing in the context to justify the derivation of the expression from the damming up of running water, as Chrysostom and Theophylact, also Luther (see his gloss), and again Hofmann take it. There is just as little ground for de Wette’s suggestion, that φραγήσεται is meant of hedging in a way (Hosea 2:6).

εἰς ἐμέ] For, if Paul should so conduct himself that he could no longer boast of preaching gratuitously, the mouth of this καύχησις would, in reference to him, be stopped. In this εἰς ἐμέ, as concerns me, there is implied a tacit comparison with others, who conducted themselves differently, and in regard to whom, therefore, the mouth of καύχησις αὕτη would be stoppe.

ἐν τοῖς κλίμασι τῆς Ἀχ.] is more weighty, and at the same time more tenderly forbearing, than the direct ἐν ὑμῖν, which would be πληκτικώτερον (Chrysostom).

Expositor's Greek Testament

2 Corinthians 11:10. ἔστιν ἀλήθ. Χρ. κ.τ.λ.: as the Truth of Christ (we have ἡ ἀλήθ. τ. Θεοῦ, Romans 1:25; Romans 3:7; Romans 15:8; cf. John 14:6, Ephesians 4:21) is in me (for the form of the asseveration see on 2 Corinthians 1:18; Romans 9:1 is not a true parallel to the constr. here), this glorying, sc., in my independence, shall not be stopped, as far as I am concerned, in the regions of Achaia (see on 2 Corinthians 1:1); cf. 2 Corinthians 7:14. The true reading is φραγήσεται; φράσσειν is “to fence,” but in N.T. (Romans 3:19, Hebrews 11:33; cf. also Daniel 6:22) is used with στόμα in the sense of “to stop” the mouth.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. As the truth of Christ is in me] Rather, the truthe of Crist is in me (Wiclif, whom the Geneva and Rheims versions follow here) or if the truth (Tyndale and Cranmer). “There is no oath” (Dean Alford, who refers to Romans 9:1). “The mind of Christ is in him (1 Corinthians 2:16), the heart of Christ beats in him (Php 1:8), Christ speaks in him (ch. 2 Corinthians 13:3), and all this through the Spirit of Christ which dwells in him.” Meyer.

stop me] This boasting shall not be stopped in me, margin. The Greek word signifies to wall or fence round. Bp Wordsworth thinks that an allusion is here made to the Isthmian Wall, and refers to several passages in ancient history which speak of the value of such a fortification in the defence of the Peloponnesus. But it is possible that no such allusion was intended. The word is used in the N. T. (as in Romans 3:19; Hebrews 11:33) of stopping the mouth.

Bengel's Gnomen

2 Corinthians 11:10. Ἒστιν ἀλήθεια, there is truth) The verb is emphatically put first; it stands [fast as the (a) truth of Christ]. The expression refers to a special truth,[79] comp. Romans 9:1, note.—Οὐ, not) a metonymy or substitution of the consequent for the antecedent: my boasting will not be stopped, i.e., I will be in no way more burdensome to you hereafter than heretofore.

[79] Not to the truth in general: therefore the article is omitted.—ED.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - As the truth of Christ is in me. The strength of St. Paul's feelings on the subject has already been expressed in 1 Corinthians 9:15. We have a similar appeal in Romans 9:1. The "as" is not in the original, but evidently the words are meant for a solemn asseveration - "The truth of Christ is in me, that," etc. No man shall stop me of this boasting; literally, this shall not be stopped as concerns me. The verb means literally, "shall be fenced," and with that tendency to over elaboration which is frequent in commentators, some suppose that St. Paul referred to the projected wall across the isthmus of Corinth, etc. But the same word is used for simply stopping the mouth in Romans 3:19; Hebrews 11:33. In the regions of Achaia. He would not apply the rule to Corinth only, but seems to have felt the need for the utmost circumspection, and for cutting off every handle for suspicion or slander among these subtle, loquacious, intellectual Greeks. He could act more freely among the more frank and generous Macedonians. 2 Corinthians 11:10

Vincent's Word Studies

No man shall stop me of this boasting (ἡ καύχησις αὕτη οὐ φραγήσεται εἰς ἐμὲ)

Lit., this boasting shall not be blocked up as regards me. The boasting is that of preaching gratuitously. For the verb, compare Romans 3:19; Hebrews 11:33.