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NASB | 2 Corinthians 12:7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Corinthians 12:7 Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me--to keep me from exalting myself! [Job 2:6] |
Bible Question:
I would like to hear some opinions about the thorn Paul was given, in his flesh. thanks, JKW |
Bible Answer: Greetings JKW! Let's look at the entire passage: 2 Cor. 12:7 - "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." As I first read this, I was tempted to think of a literal messenger of Satan (i.e. a demon). However, the 'it' in v. 8 is neuter, while both 'angel' and 'thorn' are masculine. In Greek, pronouns must agree in both gender and number with their antecedents. Thus, is doesn't seem possible to view the 'angel' as being literal. Many have speculated that Paul had some sort of physical ailment. However, Scripture never says that this was the case. The speculation concerning what this ailment might have been has ranged from headaches, to eye problems, to ear aches, ect.... The best solution, at least to me, is to view all of the hardships Paul endured as his 'thorn'. This would make sense in context with v. 10. Thus, I would say that it is the persecutions, the weakness, the insults, the hardships, and the difficulties that he had to constantly endure which are his 'thorn in the flesh'. However, Scripture doesn't clearly identify the 'thorn in the flesh'. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |