2 Corinthians 11:20 describes how some people in the Corinthian church had been putting up with leaders who used them, controlled them, and treated them harshly. Paul is pointing out, with deliberate irony, that the Corinthians were tolerating exactly the kind of abuse that false teachers were handing out. The verse is written by the apostle Paul to the believers in Corinth, a church he had founded and cared for deeply.
For you bear with a man, if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, if he strikes you on the face.
2 Corinthians 11:20 (WEB)
What 2 Corinthians 11:20 Means
The verse is built as a list of “if” statements, and each one names a way a leader can abuse a congregation. To “bring you into bondage” means to enslave you, to put you under a control that takes away your freedom. To “devour” you means to consume your resources or your strength, often through greed. To “take you captive” points to manipulation, a leader who gets hold of your thinking and loyalty. To “exalt himself” describes pride, a leader who puts his own status above the good of the people he serves. To “strike you on the face” is an image of humiliation or open insult.
Paul is not teaching that believers should accept mistreatment. He is describing, sharply and sarcastically, the behavior the Corinthians had been enduring from those who claimed spiritual authority. The verse does not promise that every leader will act this way, and it does not tell you to submit to abuse. It shows how easily a community can drift into tolerating what it should resist.
The Context of 2 Corinthians 11:20
Second Corinthians is one of Paul’s most personal letters. In it he defends his apostolic ministry against rival teachers who had gained influence in Corinth and who criticized him for being weak, unimpressive, and not especially wealthy or polished. In the verses just before 11:20, Paul says he is speaking “in foolishness,” which means he is reluctantly boasting in order to make a point. He notes that the Corinthians gladly put up with fools while considering themselves wise, and verse 20 is the sharpest example of that attitude.
The verses that follow show Paul’s own record: his Hebrew heritage, his labors, his imprisonments, and his suffering for the gospel. Read this way, 11:20 is not a stand-alone complaint. It sets up a contrast between the self-exalting, controlling leaders the Corinthians were following and the servant-hearted ministry Paul actually practiced.
Key Phrases in 2 Corinthians 11:20
Matthew 20:26
It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
(WEB)
Jesus teaches that greatness among his followers looks like service rather than domination. This connects directly with 11:20, because the leaders Paul criticizes reverse the pattern Jesus set and seek to be served instead of serving.
1 Peter 5:2-3
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly; 3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
(WEB)
Peter urges church leaders to shepherd willingly and to avoid lording it over those in their care. This passage echoes Paul’s concern about domination and exploitation, and it describes the servant character that should mark real leadership.
A Short Prayer From 2 Corinthians 11:20
Lord, you know how easily we can be pressed into patterns that drain our freedom and dull our faith. Give us wisdom to recognize when leaders serve themselves instead of you, and courage to speak truth when we are being used or controlled. Keep our hearts anchored in Christ alone, so that we follow only where he leads. Protect those who lead with humility, and grant us discernment to walk in the freedom you have given us. Amen.
