Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:24

"Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one." — 2 Corinthians 11:24 (ASV)

When Paul turns from the matter of his nationality to that of achievement (vv.23–29), he lays claim to superiority over his rivals and begins to speak as a madman (v.23). Although he compares himself with both the “super-apostles” and the “false apostles,” in the former case the comparison is negative (“I am not in the least inferior,” 11:5; 12:11); in the latter case it is positive (“more,” “much harder,” “more frequently,” “more severely,” v.23).

In the light of v.13, it might seem unlikely for Paul to call his opponents “servants of Christ.” But the question “Are they...?” means “Do they claim to be...?” He concedes his opponents’ estimate of themselves only for the sake of the comparison that follows. As he begins his list of “accomplishments,” he does not list triumphs but apparent defeats and refers not to strengths but “weaknesses” (cf. 11:30; 12:5, 9–10). This accords with his view that lowliness and weakness as seen in Christian service provide the only incontestable vindication of apostleship.

If we compare this list of Paul’s sufferings (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:9–13; 2 Corinthians 4:8–12; 2 Corinthians 6:4–5) with the account of his experiences given in Acts, it immediately becomes clear how incomplete Luke’s record is. Since Paul wrote this letter during his stay in Macedonia at Ac 20:2a, only the events recorded before this verse relate to the comparison. To be sure, Luke gives ample proof of Paul’s hard work (v.23) and records his stoning at Lystra (v.25; Acts 14:19). But he mentions only one imprisonment (cf. v.23) before Ac 20—that at Philippi (Acts 16:23–40)—and only one of his three beatings with rods (v.25), also at Philippi (Acts 16:22–23). The other imprisonments and Gentile beatings, the Jewish whippings, the shipwrecks, are not recorded in Acts. Paul’s life was even more colorful than Acts would lead the reader to believe!