2 Corinthians 11:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

NIV: I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.

NASB: For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

CSB: For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband--to present a pure virgin to Christ.

NLT: For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband — Christ.

KJV: For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

NKJV: For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

False apostles have made accusations against Paul, which he continues to refute. He has made clear that much more than his own reputation is at stake. The Corinthians are in danger of believing false teaching about God's grace and faith in Christ.

Paul's feelings of protectiveness are given a poetic turn here. As the one who founded the church in Corinth and led many of them to Christ, Paul sees himself as a spiritual father. He builds a metaphor to describe his role in their lives as that of a father betrothing his virgin daughter to be married. In their case, they are betrothed to Christ.

In the culture of Paul's day, the betrothal period was much more binding than the modern concept of an engagement. A father would betroth his daughter to a man to be married months or years in the future. The father's responsibility, in part, was to protect his daughter's virginity and well-being until she was safely married to her husband.

Using that background, Paul describes the Corinthians as betrothed to Christ. They belonged to Christ in the same way that a promised bride belonged to her betrothed husband in the ancient world. They were Christians, but they were not yet with Christ. Paul saw it as his duty to protect them from anyone attempting to steal them away from their true faith in Christ before they were safely with Him in eternity. The false apostles, in teaching a different gospel about a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4), were attempting to do exactly that.

Like a father protecting his beloved daughter, Paul felt divinely and appropriately jealous for the Corinthians on behalf of Christ. It was more than his duty to protect them from false teaching; it was personal for him.

Second Corinthians 11:1–15 includes Paul's unmasking of the false apostles in Corinth. They are like the serpent in the garden tempting Eve. Or, they resemble a man trying to seduce a betrothed woman away from her promised husband. They disguise themselves as servants of righteousness as Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Paul is a spiritual father who must protect the Corinthians from deceptions like a false Christ and a false spirit. Paul doubles down on his commitment not to take funds from the Corinthians for his own needs, simply to prove how he is different from the false apostles.

Second Corinthians 11 compares the believers in Corinth to a betrothed bride. It also pictures them as Eve facing temptation from the snake in the garden in Genesis 3. Paul's job as their spiritual father is to protect them from the lies of false apostles. These deceivers disguise themselves as servants of righteousness in the same way that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Paul is shocked the Corinthians put up with such harsh treatment from these men. He sarcastically pretends to brag about himself as the false teachers do about themselves. Instead, he boasts mostly about the ways he has endured suffering in his service to Christ.

Chapter 11 follows Paul's warning in the previous chapter. There, he vowed to be as bold as needed when he comes to see them in person. He describes himself as a protective spiritual father trying to save the Corinthians from the deceptions of the false apostles to teach a false gospel about a false Jesus. He is shocked the Corinthians put up with their harsh treatment and says he has decided to foolishly boast in order to compete with the false apostles. His boasting about his service to Christ, though, is mostly a long list of all the ways he has suffered for Christ. That theme continues into chapter 12, where Paul explains just how much his suffering has improved his walk with Christ.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.