2 Corinthians 11:28-31 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Besides those things that are without These external troubles which I have mentioned; that which cometh upon me daily Greek, η επισυστασις μου η καθ ' ημεραν, that which rusheth upon me daily, or that which is my daily pressure. The expression denotes a crowd of people surrounding and pressing upon a person, in order to bear him down, and trample upon him; an idea which is elegantly applied to his cares respecting the churches; crowding in upon his mind, and ready to overwhelm it. And this is very properly mentioned here among his sufferings, being certainly not one of the least of them, as may be easily inferred from the account which he has given in this and in his former epistle, of the exceeding grief which the errors and irregularities of the single church of Corinth caused him. In saying, the care of all the churches, he signified he was deeply concerned for the prosperity, even of those which he had not seen in the flesh. St. Peter himself could not have said this in so strong a sense. Who is weak Namely, in grace, and therefore oppressed with a variety of doubts and fears, and cast down; and I am not weak By sympathy, as well as by condescension, manifested in complying with their weakness. Who is offended Hindered in or turned out of the good way; and I burn not With zeal and desire to restore him: or am not pained, as though I had fire in my bosom? So that he had not only the care of the churches, but every person therein. If I must needs glory And I am heartily sorry that any such necessity is laid upon me; I will glory of the things that concern my infirmities In my sufferings for Christ, of various kinds, such as I have specified, (see 2 Corinthians 12:10,) sufferings which show my weakness, and his strength, and therefore humble me, and exalt him. And in what I have said, I have only spoken the exact truth, without reigning or aggravating any one circumstance; for God knoweth that I lie not Even that eternal Majesty of heaven and earth; who is blessed for evermore. This clause is added to increase the solemnity of his appeal to God for the truth of what he had said, and was going further to say; and that not only concerning his deliverance at Damascus, but concerning the visions and revelations of the Lord, to be mentioned in the next chapter.