In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.
Parallel translations
- WEB That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
- KJV That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
- NKJV What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
- NASB What I am saying, I am not saying as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
- NLT Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul acknowledges that this boasting is not in keeping with the Lord's manner but is spoken in the role of foolishness. He distances such self-praise from Christ's example.
Overview
Paul candidly notes that boasting in oneself does not reflect the Lord's character of humility. He speaks this way only because the circumstances compel it, adopting the 'foolishness' his rivals practice. This honest qualification keeps his self-defense from being mistaken for ordinary pride.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Cor 7:12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
- Phil 3:3–6For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
- 2 Cor 9:4Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.
- 1 Cor 7:25Now about virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
- 1 Cor 7:6I say this as a concession, not as a command.
- 2 Cor 11:18–27Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In Christ all God's promises are 'Yes and Amen'; though rich, he became poor to make us rich, and in him God reconciles the world, making us new creations.
How 2 Corinthians 11:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.