2 Corinthians 11:30
New International Version
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

New Living Translation
If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

English Standard Version
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Berean Standard Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Berean Literal Bible
If it behooves me to boast, I will boast in the things of my weakness.

King James Bible
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

New King James Version
If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

New American Standard Bible
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

NASB 1995
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

NASB 1977
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

Legacy Standard Bible
If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

Amplified Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness [the things by which I am made weak in the eyes of my opponents].

Christian Standard Bible
If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.

American Standard Version
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.

Contemporary English Version
If I have to brag, I will brag about how weak I am.

English Revised Version
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If I must brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am.

Good News Translation
If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am.

International Standard Version
If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show how weak I am.

Majority Standard Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

NET Bible
If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show my weakness.

New Heart English Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.

Webster's Bible Translation
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my infirmities.

Weymouth New Testament
If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness.

World English Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
If it is necessary to boast, I will boast of the things of my weakness;

Berean Literal Bible
If it behooves me to boast, I will boast in the things of my weakness.

Young's Literal Translation
if to boast it behoveth me, of the things of my infirmity I will boast;

Smith's Literal Translation
If I must boast, I will boast things of my weakness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my infirmity.

Catholic Public Domain Version
If it is necessary to glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weaknesses.

New American Bible
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

New Revised Standard Version
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If I must needs boast, I will boast of my sufferings.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
If it is fitting to boast, I shall boast in my sufferings.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
If I must boast, I will boast in my infirmities.

Godbey New Testament
But if it behooves me to glory, I will glory in those things appertaining to my infirmities.

Haweis New Testament
If I must glory, I will glory in the things which respect my infirmities.

Mace New Testament
If I must be compell'd to glory, I will glory on the account of my sufferings.

Weymouth New Testament
If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness.

Worrell New Testament
If I must glory, I will glory in the things that pertain to my weakness.

Worsley New Testament
If I must boast, I will boast of the things which relate to my infirmity.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Suffering and Service
29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying.…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. / That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 3:7-8
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. / More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Galatians 6:14
But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. / He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, / so that no one may boast in His presence. ...

Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; / perseverance, character; and character, hope. / And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

James 1:9-10
The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. / But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.

1 Peter 5:5-6
Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” / Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:13-14
But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ / I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Hebrews 11:34
quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.

Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. / But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. / Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. / But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Psalm 34:2
My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

Psalm 44:8
In God we have boasted all day long, and Your name we will praise forever. Selah

Psalm 105:4
Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.


Treasury of Scripture

If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my infirmities.

must.

2 Corinthians 11:16-18
I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little…

2 Corinthians 12:1,11
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord…

Proverbs 25:27
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

I will.

2 Corinthians 12:5-10
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities…

Colossians 1:24
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Jump to Previous
Behoveth Boast Concern Credit Display Feeble Glory Infirmities Infirmity Needful Needs Pertains Show Weakness
Jump to Next
Behoveth Boast Concern Credit Display Feeble Glory Infirmities Infirmity Needful Needs Pertains Show Weakness
2 Corinthians 11
1. Out of his jealousy over the Corinthians, he enters into a forced commendation of himself,
5. of his equality with the chief apostles,
7. of his preaching the gospel to them freely, and without any charge to them;
13. showing that he was not inferior to those deceitful workers in any legal prerogative;
23. and in the service of Christ, and in all kinds of sufferings for his ministry, far superior.














If I must boast
The phrase "If I must boast" indicates a reluctant necessity. The Greek word for "boast" is "kauchaomai," which can mean to glory or to take pride in something. In the context of 2 Corinthians, Paul is addressing the Corinthian church, which had been swayed by false apostles who boasted of their credentials and achievements. Paul, contrasting himself with these false apostles, acknowledges that boasting is not his preference, but he feels compelled to do so to defend his apostolic authority and the truth of the Gospel. This sets the stage for a paradoxical form of boasting, one that is not rooted in personal achievement but in something deeper and more profound.

I will boast
Here, Paul makes a deliberate choice, "I will boast," which is a decision to speak of his experiences. The emphasis is on the personal resolve to communicate something significant. In the Greco-Roman world, boasting was often associated with self-promotion and honor. However, Paul subverts this cultural norm by choosing to boast in a way that highlights his dependence on Christ rather than his own strength or accomplishments. This choice reflects a deep understanding of Christian humility and the countercultural values of the Kingdom of God.

of the things that show my weakness
The phrase "of the things that show my weakness" is central to Paul's message. The Greek word for "weakness" is "astheneia," which can refer to physical, emotional, or spiritual frailty. In the broader context of 2 Corinthians, Paul has been cataloging his sufferings, hardships, and trials as an apostle. By boasting in his weaknesses, Paul underscores the principle that God's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). This is a profound theological truth that challenges the worldly perspective of strength and success. It is through acknowledging our limitations and relying on God's grace that true strength is found. This perspective is deeply rooted in the Christian understanding of the cross, where apparent defeat becomes the means of ultimate victory. Paul's boasting in weakness is an invitation for believers to embrace their own vulnerabilities and to find their identity and strength in Christ alone.

(30) If I must needs glory . . .--The words form a transition to the narratives that follow. The question, "Who is weak and I am not weak?" has suggested the thought of the weakness and infirmity of various kinds with which his enemies reproached him. He will glory--here also with a touch of grave irony--in these and will leave his rivals to find what ground for boasting they can in what they call their strength. He is confident that his weak points are stronger than their strong ones.

Verse 30. - If I must needs. If boasting is forced on me as a moral necessity (δεῖ). The things which concern mine infirmities. After all, St. Paul cannot keep up even for a few verses anything which can be regarded as "boasting after the flesh" (ver. 18). Practically his boasting has been only of those afflictions which to others might sound like a record of disgraces, but which left on him the marks of the Lord Jesus. His hairbreadth escapes were to him, as Bossuet said of the wounds of the Prince of Conde, "marks of the protection of Heaven."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
If
Εἰ (Ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

I must
δεῖ (dei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163: Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.

boast,
καυχᾶσθαι (kauchasthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 2744: To boast; I glory (exult) proudly. From some base akin to that of aucheo and euchomai; to vaunt.

I will boast
καυχήσομαι (kauchēsomai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2744: To boast; I glory (exult) proudly. From some base akin to that of aucheo and euchomai; to vaunt.

[of] the things
τὰ (ta)
Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

[that show]
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

weakness.
ἀσθενείας (astheneias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 769: From asthenes; feebleness; by implication, malady; morally, frailty.


Links
2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV
2 Corinthians 11:30 NLT
2 Corinthians 11:30 ESV
2 Corinthians 11:30 NASB
2 Corinthians 11:30 KJV

2 Corinthians 11:30 BibleApps.com
2 Corinthians 11:30 Biblia Paralela
2 Corinthians 11:30 Chinese Bible
2 Corinthians 11:30 French Bible
2 Corinthians 11:30 Catholic Bible

NT Letters: 2 Corinthians 11:30 If I must boast I will boast (2 Cor. 2C iiC 2Cor ii cor iicor)
2 Corinthians 11:29
Top of Page
Top of Page