II Corinthians 11:20 · Bible study
2 Corinthians 11:20 Commentary: When Patience Becomes a Vice
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul uses biting irony to expose the Corinthians' tolerance of false apostles' exploitation, contrasting their 'wisdom' with spiritual bondage.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul ironically accuses the Corinthians of tolerating oppressive treatment from false teachers, exposing their lack of discernment.
- Key words: καταδουλοῖ (enslaves), κατεσθίει (devours), λαμβάνει (seizes), ἐπαίρεται (exalts himself), δέρει (strikes). Each verb present tense, actual ongoing abuses.
- Main debate: Whether Paul is rebuking (irony) or simply asking for tolerance of his own boasting. The majority view (Calvin, Chrysostom, Augustine) reads it as rebuke of their spiritual servility.
- Theological theme: Christian freedom vs. spiritual bondage. True apostolic authority serves and frees; false authority controls and exploits.
- Best use: Warning against spiritual abuse and teaching discernment in church leadership.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.
KJV King James Version 1769
For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for ye bear, if any one is bringing you under bondage, if any one doth devour, if any one doth take away, if any one doth exalt himself, if any one on the face doth smite you;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For ye bear if any one bring you into bondage, if any one devour [you], if any one get [your money], if any one exalt himself, if any one beat you on the face.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For you suffer if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take from you, if a man be lifted up, if a man strike you on the face.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque toleráis si alguno os pone en servidumbre, si alguno os devora, si alguno toma, si alguno se ensalza, si alguno os hiere en la cara.
Pois vós tolerais se alguém vos põe como escravos, se alguém vos explora, se alguém se aproveita de vós , se alguém age com arrogância, se alguém vos fere no rosto.
Si quelqu’ un vous asservit, si quelqu’ un vous dévore, si quelqu’ un s’empare de vous, si quelqu’ un est arrogant, si quelqu’ un vous frappe au visage, vous le supportez.
Ihr vertraget, so euch jemand zu Knechten macht, so euch jemand schindet, so euch jemand gefangennimmt, so jemand euch trotzt, so euch jemand ins Angesicht streicht.
Want gij verdraagt het, zo u iemand dienstbaar maakt, zo u iemand opeet, zo iemand van u neemt, zo zich iemand verheft, zo u iemand in het aangezicht slaat.
Che se uno vi riduce in schiavitù, se uno vi divora, se uno vi prende il vostro, se uno s’innalza sopra voi, se uno vi percuote in faccia, voi lo sopportate.
Bo znosicie, choć was kto zniewala, choć kto pożera, choć kto bierze, choć się kto wynosi, choć was kto policzkuje.
вы терпите, когда кто вас порабощает, когда кто объедает, когда кто обирает, когда кто превозносится, когда кто бьет вас в лицо.
假若有人 強你們 作奴僕，或 侵吞你們，或 擄掠你們，或 侮慢你們，或 打 你們 的臉，你們都能忍耐他。
You put up with a man if he makes servants of you, if he makes profit out of you, if he makes you prisoners, if he puts himself in a high place, if he gives you blows on the face.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Corinthians 11:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree this verse is Paul's ironic rebuke. The Corinthians pride themselves on being wise (v.19), yet they tolerate treatment from false teachers that no wise person should accept. Calvin notes three possible readings; the one preferred by Chrysostom, Ambrose and Augustine, and by Calvin himself, is that Paul charges them with disgraceful indolence. They have submitted to a kind of slavery. Barnes calls the language "exceedingly sarcastic" and points out the verb καταδουλοῖ (bring you into bondage), used elsewhere only in Galatians 2:4, where it refers to being enslaved to the law. Clarke identifies the false teachers as Judaizers who imposed Jewish rites. Gill adds that the Corinthians passively bore even physical insult. The five verbs climb: enslavement, consumption of property, seizure of goods, arrogant self-exaltation, and a blow to the face, the last being, Vincent says, "the climax of insult." So the consensus is clear: Paul is not describing hypothetical possibilities. He is cataloguing what has actually happened in Corinth, and his point is that their supposed wisdom has left them defenseless against spiritual predators.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul is criticizing the Corinthians for tolerating abusive treatment from false teachers, using irony to expose their lack of discernment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Paul's tone in verse 20 | The verse is a critique of the Corinthians' behavior toward false teachers. | Some interpret it as direct rebuke (the majority), while Calvin notes a third possibility, that Paul is defending himself against a slander that he claimed tyrannical authority over them. Most traditions hold the rebuke reading. |
| The identity of the false apostles | They were Jewish Christian teachers who boasted in their heritage and imposed regulations. | Clarke specifically identifies them as Judaizers (like those in Galatians). Others (Barnes) focus on their rapacious character without specifying ethnicity. Both views acknowledge their domineering behavior. |
| Application for church discipline | Christians should not tolerate exploitative leadership; the verse serves as a warning. | Catholic tradition may emphasize hierarchical authority while still condemning abuse. Protestant traditions often use this to affirm congregational discernment and the right to resist abusive clergy. All agree the verse calls for reform. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes this section of 2 Corinthians from Macedonia, probably Philippi, after the turmoil at Ephesus. The church in Corinth has been infiltrated by teachers Paul calls "false apostles" (11:13). Their identity is debated, but they appear to be Jewish Christians who boast in their heritage (11:22) and impose rules, perhaps including circumcision and dietary laws. Clarke and others see them as Judaizers, like those Paul confronted in Galatia.
Corinth was a Roman colony, a city of status-conscious people. Paul had founded the church there on a principle of freedom, he refused to be a burden financially (11:7, 10) and would not dominate their faith (1:24). The false teachers took the opposite approach. They demanded money, asserted authority, and treated the Corinthians with contempt. The verb καταδουλοῖ (enslave) echoes Paul's warning in Galatians 5:1: "Don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Κατεσθίει (devours) recalls Jesus' charge against the scribes who devoured widows' houses (Matthew 23:14). To be struck on the face was the ultimate public humiliation, like a master slapping a slave. Paul himself had been beaten (1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:24), but he never inflicted such treatment on others. The irony is sharp: these Corinthians, who claim to be wise, accept abuse from impostors while questioning the apostle who brought them the gospel.
The literary context is Paul's "foolish" boast (11:1, 33). He has been forced to defend his credentials. In v.19 he sets up the punchline: "For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise." Then v.20 lands: they bear with men who actually enslave, devour, seize, exalt themselves, and strike. Paul is not asking them to be naive; he is asking them to use the wisdom they claim to have.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. All major manuscripts agree on the sequence of five verbs and the structure of the sentence. One minor variation involves the presence or absence of ὑμᾶς (you) after some verbs, but it does not affect meaning.
Reception History
Early church fathers Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Augustine, as cited by Calvin, took this verse as a reproof of the Corinthians' sluggishness. The Council of Braga (AD 675), noted by Dean Stanley and Vincent, used the verb "strike" in a canon forbidding bishops from beating their clergy, showing the verse shaped early church discipline. During the Reformation, Protestant commentators like Calvin and the Geneva Bible read it as a critique of false teachers who lord it over consciences, a parallel they drew with Rome. In modern use, the verse has been cited in discussions of spiritual abuse, pastoral ethics, and the necessity of healthy congregational boundaries. Its fivefold list remains a diagnostic tool for identifying unhealthy leadership patterns.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The irony of their patience. They think themselves wise, yet they tolerate treatment that exposes them as gullible. Paul flips their self-image.
- The specific abuses they accept. Each verb targets a different form of exploitation: loss of freedom, loss of property, loss of dignity, loss of respect, loss of personal safety. Together they paint a picture of spiritual slavery.
- The contrast with Paul. He refuses to be a burden, refuses to control their faith, and yet they resist him. The false teachers do the opposite, and they are welcomed.
Five-point outline
- Bondage (καταδουλοῖ): They let the false teachers control their consciences, imposing rules and traditions that Christ ended.
- Devoured (κατεσθίει): They let them consume their resources, whether through demands for money or through the pretense of religious obligations.
- Seized (λαμβάνει): They let them take what belongs to them, as if they had no right to their own goods.
- Exalted (ἐπαίρεται): They let them speak proudly over them, claiming status that Paul refuses to claim.
- Struck on the face (δέρει): They let them humiliate them publicly, accepting abuse that should never be accepted from anyone, least of all a Christian leader.
Illustration hooks
- A church member who tolerates a pastor's controlling demands because he "seems so spiritual", even when those demands drain the family budget and ignore their own needs.
- An employee who puts up with a boss who takes credit for their work, belittles them in meetings, and piles on extra work without pay, all because the boss is "successful" and the employee wants to keep the job.
- A person in a friendship or small group where one person always takes center stage, makes decisions for everyone, and criticizes anyone who disagrees, yet the group calls it "community" and never speaks up.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I tell the difference between a leader who is firm and a leader who is abusive?
- Does the Bible ever call me to put up with mistreatment from other believers?
- If Paul confronted this church so sharply, how should we handle similar patterns in our church today?
Leading a Discussion
In this passage Paul uses a sharp, ironic tone. He has just said the Corinthians gladly bear with fools because they are so wise (v.19). Then he lists exactly what they bear: enslavement, exploitation, theft, arrogance, and physical insult. The irony is intended to wake them up. This passage invites us to examine our own willingness to tolerate harmful patterns in our spiritual communities, especially when we think we are being gracious.
Discussion questions
- What five things does Paul say the Corinthians are tolerating? Read each verb carefully.
- Why does Paul call this "bearing with" rather than "confronting" or "resisting"? What does the word ἀνέχεσθε (you bear) suggest about their attitude?
- Verse 19 says they are "wise." How does that claim make verse 20 more stinging?
- If the false teachers were known to be imposing rules and taking money, why do you think the Corinthians accepted it?
- How does Paul's own example of leadership (1:24; 11:7, 10) differ from what these teachers were doing?
- Can there be a healthy kind of patience that refuses to tolerate abuse? How do we distinguish it from the Corinthians' patience?
- What steps can our group or church take to ensure we do not become like the Corinthians, tolerant of what should be rejected?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 50:6 | I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting. |
| Lamentations 3:30 | Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach. |
| Luke 6:29 | To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also. |
| Romans 16:17 | Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. |
| Romans 16:18 | For those who are such don’t serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent. |
| I Corinthians 4:11 | Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. |
| II Corinthians 1:24 | We don’t control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith. |
| Galatians 2:4 | This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees the behaviors listed here as evidence that the false apostle was a Judaizing teacher. Each abusive action corresponds to a Jewish practice: bondage to Jewish rites, devouring like the Pharisees who consumed widows' property, exalting oneself as Abraham's seed, and treating Gentiles with indignity as Jews treated dogs.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sardonically argues that if the Corinthians can patiently endure false teachers who enslave, consume, and even strike them, they can surely bear with Paul's honest self-commendation. Genuine religion frees, while false religion always makes slaves of those it claims to guide.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin weighs three possible readings of this verse and accepts the common view that Paul rebukes the Corinthians for indolent submission to false apostles. The point is that they patiently endure oppression from others, yet refuse to bear with Paul, who is not weak but has been richly endowed by God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary highlights Paul's ironic reproach: the Corinthians tolerate enslavement, exploitation, and even physical abuse from false apostles, yet resist Paul's legitimate authority. Their proud claim to discernment crumbles when they submit to worthless pretenders while rejecting the one who deserves their trust.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes highlight the Corinthians' willingness to tolerate severe mistreatment from false teachers, who bring them into bondage, consume their resources, exalt themselves, and even strike them physically. The emphasis falls on the irony that these believers patiently endure such abuse, yet show resistance to Paul's genuine apostolic authority.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the Corinthians' absurd double standard: they patiently endured being enslaved, robbed, insulted, and physically struck by false apostles, yet they refused to bear with Paul's mild boasting. Their willing submission to such harsh treatment made their complaint against him utterly unreasonable.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists the verbs in this verse describe real, ongoing actions from the false apostles, not hypothetical cases. The Corinthians were actually being enslaved, exploited, and struck, and Paul's present-tense wording exposes their servile endurance of such insolence. The Greek for "take" means "take away from," emphasizing active plunder.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry explains that Paul boasts only reluctantly, recognizing that self-praise normally marks a proud and foolish spirit. The apostle carefully distinguishes his speech from a command of the Lord, presenting it as a lawful exception for self-defense when opponents force him to defend his authority.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent traces a deliberate escalation in five verbs: enslaving, devouring property, taking plunder, self-exaltation, and physical insult. He notes that the final phrase, smiting on the face, marks the climax of contempt, and connects it to Paul's instruction that a bishop must not be a striker.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that the Corinthians tolerated not merely the false apostles' errors but their outright abuses: enslaving, devouring, taking by violence, self-exaltation, and even physical assault under a show of religious zeal. The list exposes how far their patient suffering had gone.