Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:10

"As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia." — 2 Corinthians 11:10 (ASV)

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, equivalent to an oath. .

(Compare to 1 Timothy 2:7).

No man shall stop me of this boasting. The marginal reading is, this boasting shall not be stopped in me. .

The idea here is that Paul was solemnly determined that this practice should continue. He had not been burdensome to anyone, and he was resolved that he would not be. Rather than be burdensome, he had labored with his own hands, and he intended to continue doing so. 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 can still feel that he is not burdensome to others.

If he is gentle and grateful, if he does not cause unnecessary trouble, and especially if he provides an example of patience and piety and seeks the blessing of God on his benefactors, he provides them what they will usually consider an ample equivalent. No man needs to 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 manuscripts here (see Mill on this passage), but regarding 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. .