2 Corinthians 12:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 12 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 Paul showeth that, though he had been favoured with visions and revelations, 2 Corinthians 12:5-10 yet for commendation of his apostleship he chose rather to glory in his infirmities, 2 Corinthians 12:11-13 blaming the Corinthians, who had seen in him all the signs of an apostle, for forcing him to such vain boasting. 2 Corinthians 12:14,15 He telleth them of his design of visiting them again with the same disinterestedness and fatherly affection as before. 2 Corinthians 12:16-19 He justifieth himself from any crafty extortion by his messengers, 2 Corinthians 12:20,21 and expresseth his fears, lest, both to his sorrow and theirs, he should find many notorious disorders still unredressed among them. It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory; it is neither comely, nor of any advantage to myself, to glory; nor would I do it but in this case of necessity, where glorying is necessary for the glory of God, and for your good, to vindicate myself to you from the imputations that some others lay upon me. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: do any of them boast of visions and revelations from God? I have something of that nature to glory in as well as they. Some make this difference between visions, and revelations; that visions signify apparitions, the meaning of which, those that see them do not understand; revelations signify the discoveries of the mind and will of God to persons immediately, either by dreams, or by some audible voice, which maybe without any object represented to the eye. Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar seem to have had such visions as they did not understand, till interpreted by Joseph and Daniel; but undoubtedly Paul's visions were not such. The difference therefore seems rather to be, that in all visions which good and holy men had, there was a revelation; but every revelation did not suppose a vision.