2 Korintus 11:21

11:21 (To my disgrace ¹  I must say that we were too weak for that!) ²  But whatever anyone else dares to boast about ³  (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing. ⁴ 

2 Korintus 3:3-4

3:3 revealing ⁵  that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, ⁶  written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets ⁷  but on tablets of human hearts.

3:4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ.

[11:21]  ¹ tn Or “my shame.”

[11:21]  ² sn It seems best, in context, to see the statement we were too weak for that as a parenthetical and ironic comment by Paul on his physical condition (weakness or sickness) while he was with the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor 12:7-10; Gal 4:15).

[11:21]  ³ tn The words “to boast about” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb.

[11:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “I also dare”; the words “to boast about the same thing” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb.

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Or “making plain.”

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “cared for by us,” an expression that could refer either to the writing or the delivery of the letter (BDAG 229 s.v. διακονέω 1). Since the following phrase refers to the writing of the letter, and since the previous verse speaks of this “letter” being “written on our [Paul’s and his companions’] hearts” it is more probable that the phrase “cared for by us” refers to the delivery of the letter (in the person of Paul and his companions).

[3:3]  ⁷ sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.