II Corinthians 12:7

exalted above measure--Greek, "overmuch uplifted." How dangerous must self-exaltation be, when even the apostle required so much restraint! [BENGEL]. abundance--Greek, "the excess"; exceeding greatness. given . . . me--namely, by God (Job 5:6; Phi 1:29). thorn in the flesh-- (Num 33:55; Eze 28:24). ALFORD thinks it to be the same bodily affliction as in Gal 4:13-14. It certainly was something personal, affecting him individually, and not as an apostle: causing at once acute pain (as "thorn" implies) and shame ("buffet": as slaves are buffeted, Pe1 2:20). messenger of Satan--who is permitted by God to afflict His saints, as Job (Job 2:7; Luk 13:16). to buffet me--In Greek, present: to buffet me even now continuously. After experiencing the state of the blissful angels, he is now exposed to the influence of an evil angel. The chastisement from hell follows soon upon the revelation from heaven. As his sight and hearing had been ravished with heavenly "revelations," so his touch is pained with the "thorn in the flesh."

In this chapter the apostle proceeds in maintaining the honour of his apostleship. He magnified his office when there were those who vilified it. What he says in his own praise was only in his own justification and the necessary defence of the honour of his ministry, the preservation of which was necessary to its success. First, He makes mention of the favour God had shown him, the honour done him, the methods God took to keep him humble, and the use he made of this dispensation (Co2 12:1-10). Then he addresses himself to the Corinthians, blaming them for what was faulty among them, and giving a large account of his behaviour and kind intentions towards them (Co2 12:11 to the end).

12:7b-10 We do not know what the thorn in Paul’s flesh was (cp. Num 33:55; Ezek 28:24; Hos 2:6); we only know that its purpose was to keep him from becoming proud, to prick the bubble of pride. • It was a messenger from Satan—that is, something or someone evil—so Paul prayed to the Lord to take it away. The Lord answered each petition the same way: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Paul’s human weakness was an opportunity for the power of Christ to work through him by God’s grace. Paul accepted his suffering because Christ’s strength showed itself through his weakness.