2 Corinthians 11:20 is Paul’s sharp, ironic rebuke of the Corinthian church for tolerating leaders who abuse, exploit and humiliate them. Paul is saying that the believers have put up with a great deal from false teachers, and he wants them to see how far they have let themselves be mistreated. The words are spoken by the apostle Paul, writing to the church he founded in Corinth.
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 five escalating conditions, each beginning with “if.” Paul names the ways a self-appointed leader might treat a congregation: enslaving them, consuming their resources, taking them prisoner, lifting himself up above them, and finally striking them in the face. The pattern moves from control, to financial exploitation, to captivity, to pride, to physical insult. Paul’s point is that the Corinthians have been willing to accept all of this as though it were normal leadership.
The phrase “you bear with” carries the sting of the verse. To bear with someone means to put up with them patiently, often against your better judgment. Paul is not saying that God approves of such leaders or that the Corinthians should have endured them quietly. He is holding up their tolerance as something strange and unwise, especially when he himself, a true apostle, has been gentle with them.
The verse does not promise that every leader will behave this way, and it does not describe a rule for church life. It is a piece of pointed speech in a letter where Paul is defending his own integrity against rivals who boasted of their status. Reading it as a general principle about authority in the church misses the specific rebuke that gives it its force.
The Context of 2 Corinthians 11:20
Second Corinthians was written by Paul, traditionally dated to around the mid-50s of the first century, to a church in Corinth that had been planted by him and was now troubled by rival teachers. These outsiders, whom Paul calls “super-apostles” in the verses just before this passage, had arrived with impressive credentials and were questioning his authority. Paul’s audience is the whole congregation, and much of the letter is an effort to win them back to trust in him and in the gospel he preached.
Verses 17 through 23 are a passage in which Paul reluctantly boasts, which he admits is foolish. Just before verse 20, he says the Corinthians “bear with the foolish gladly, being wise,” and so he uses irony to expose their double standard. Immediately after, in verses 21 through 23, Paul lists his own credentials and sufferings, contrasting them with the self-promotion of his rivals. Read in this setting, verse 20 is the hinge between mockery and self-defense, and it shows why the Corinthians need to think again about whom they follow.
Key Phrases in 2 Corinthians 11:20
1 Corinthians 4:14
I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
(WEB)
In this verse Paul says he writes not to shame the Corinthians but to warn them as his beloved children. It shows the same pastoral heart behind his sharp words in chapter 11, and it helps you read his irony as an expression of care rather than anger.
Matthew 20:25-28
25 But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 27 Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(WEB)
Jesus contrasts the rulers of the Gentiles, who lord it over others, with the greatness of service in his kingdom. This passage gives the broader teaching behind Paul’s warning, that authority among Christ’s followers must look like service and not domination.
A Short Prayer From 2 Corinthians 11:20
Lord, you see the places in my life where I have tolerated what does not reflect your love. Give me wisdom to recognize when a leader or a relationship is taking more than it gives, and courage to speak the truth with humility. Help me to be a person who serves rather than dominates, and who protects others from harm. Keep my heart anchored in your gentleness, and let my patience be for what is good and not for what diminishes your people. Amen.
