Third Millennium Study Bible
Notes on 2 Corinthians 1:8

Hardships we suffered in the province of Asia - 2 Corinthians 1:8

Our troubles and tribulations are part of a Christian's witness and ministry. They are a regular part of the normal Christian life.

As to the context of 2 Corinthians 1:8, Pratt says, "Whatever they had heard, Paul had actually been in great hardship while ministering in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey)." Kistemaker makes some interesting observations here:

Concerning the affliction we endured in the province of Asia." This particular part of the verse fails to convey the facts that we need to gain insight into the perils Paul endured. Because we lack further information, we can only suggest possible situations. A number of these have been proposed, such as incidents that occurred in Ephesus, the province of Asia's capital:

1. The riot instigated by Demetrius (Acts 19:23-41). But Luke writes that Paul was kept away from the theater and was relatively safe at that time.

2. Fighting wild beasts (1 Cor. 15:32). Because Paul was a Roman citizen, he would not have been thrown to the lions. We conclude that the words wild beasts should be interpreted not literally but figuratively.

3. Imprisonment by Roman authorities (2 Cor. 11:23). We have no certainty whether Paul was incarcerated in Ephesus, yet he writes that he had been in prison frequently. During his nearly three-year teaching ministry in that city (Acts 19:8, 10; 20:31) he probably spent time in prison.

4. A physical malady (2 Cor. 12:7-10). The exact nature of this malady is not known, and Paul does not indicate that the "thorn in [his] flesh" was endangering his life.

All these suggestions are interesting, but they fail to explain the immediate context of 2 Cor. 1: 8. Paul writes, "[God] delivered us from such mortal danger and will rescue us. In him we put our hope. He will rescue us again" (2 Cor. 1:10). Indeed, Paul still faced the same danger from which he had been set free (2 Cor. 1:10).

It is not unthinkable that Paul had been dragged into various local synagogues to stand trial before Jewish courts. The punishments he received were the prescribed thirty-nine lashes. He reveals, "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one" (2 Cor. 11:24). These floggings could be perilous when administered harshly, especially if they were repeated in close succession. In addition, Roman authorities three times beat Paul with rods (2 Cor. 11:25). Luke records only the beating Paul and Silas received in Philippi (Acts 16:22) and refrains from recording the other two incidents. The question must be raised, "How much punishment is a human body able to endure?"

If Paul was exposed to this recurring mortal danger, it is possible that the threat originated because of his directive to Jewish and Gentile Christians to gather a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. The period for collecting the money was prolonged for more than one year (2 Cor. 8:10) and was a cause of friction to Pauls antagonists. Jewish leaders in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece may have misunderstood Paul's motive. They judged that he was interfering with the collection of the temple tax that all Jews everywhere had to pay annually. These Jewish leaders resisted the spread of Christianity with its challenge to Judaism. Thus they frequently attacked Paul as one of the chief proponents of Christianity. The fierce opposition that Paul had to endure from Jewish adversaries continued to be a persistent threat to his life (compare Acts 20:3, 19; 21:27-32).

"Because we were burdened exceedingly beyond our strength so that we despaired even of life." The danger Paul incurred was so great that he describes it as an extremely heavy load that he was unable to bear physically. More than that, spiritually he lacked the necessary strength and entered into a state of despair (contrast 2 Cor. 4:8). He expected the end of his earthly life unless God himself intervened and, as it were, brought him back from the dead.

In this epistle Paul says "we suffered," but the "we" sometimes refers to Paul alone, though more frequently it refers to Paul and his coworkers (e.g., Timothy, Silas).

Related Resources

• Overview of the Book of 2 Corinthians