2 Corinthians 11:25
What does 2 Corinthians 11:25 mean?
A plain-English look at 2 Corinthians 11:25 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 2 Corinthians 11:25 means
Three times Paul was beaten with rods—a Roman punishment signifying public humiliation. Once he was stoned, a mob’s attempt to kill him. Three times he suffered shipwreck, and he spent a night and a day adrift on the sea. These vivid hardships reveal a life poured out for Christ across dangerous travels. None of this aligns with triumphalist boasting; it speaks of vulnerability and perseverance. Paul’s point is not drama for its own sake, but the authenticity of a ministry repeatedly tested and sustained by God. Such trials did not deter him, showing that his aim was faithfulness to Christ, not comfort or acclaim.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Three times I was whipped with rods, once I was stoned, three times the ship I was in came to destruction at sea, a night and a day I have been in the water;
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Thrice was I beaten with rods: once I was stoned: thrice I suffered shipwreck: a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Thrice have I been scourged, once I have been stoned, three times I have suffered shipwreck, a night and day I passed in the deep:
Context
Continuing the specifics, v.25 adds Roman beatings, stoning, and maritime disasters to the Jewish lashings of v.24. The accumulation underscores the breadth of Paul’s sufferings. Next (v.26) he will list varied perils—natural, criminal, ethnic, and ecclesial. Then (v.27) he will describe ongoing hardships like sleeplessness, hunger, and exposure. These testimonies pave the way for his mention of internal pastoral pressure (v.28) and empathetic solidarity (v.29), culminating in his resolve to boast in weakness (v.30).
v.24Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
v.25This passage
v.26in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 21:35
And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
- Acts 14:5
And when there was made an onset both of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers, to treat them shamefully and to stone them,
- Acts 16:33
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately.
- Acts 16:22
And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods.
- Acts 14:19
But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
- Hebrews 11:37
they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword: they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
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