2 Corinthians 12:4
New International Version
was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

New Living Translation
that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

English Standard Version
and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.

Berean Standard Bible
was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell.

Berean Literal Bible
that he was caught up into Paradise, and he heard inexpressible words, not being permitted to man to speak.

King James Bible
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

New King James Version
how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

New American Standard Bible
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

NASB 1995
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

NASB 1977
was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Legacy Standard Bible
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Amplified Bible
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words which man is not permitted to speak [words too sacred to tell].

Christian Standard Bible
was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a human being is not allowed to speak.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak.

American Standard Version
how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who was snatched up to Paradise and heard words that are unspeakable, because it is not authorized for a man to speak them.

Contemporary English Version
But he was taken up into paradise, where he heard things too wonderful to tell.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That he was caught up into paradise, and heard secret words, which it is not granted to man to utter.

English Revised Version
how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
was snatched away to paradise where he heard things that can't be expressed in words, things that humans cannot put into words. I don't know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.

International Standard Version
was snatched away to Paradise and heard things that cannot be expressed in words, things that no human being has a right even to mention.

Literal Standard Version
that he was snatched up to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.

Majority Standard Bible
was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell.

New American Bible
was caught up into Paradise and heard ineffable things, which no one may utter.

NET Bible
was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak.

New Revised Standard Version
was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.

New Heart English Bible
how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a human to utter.

Webster's Bible Translation
That he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Weymouth New Testament
God knows--was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable things which no human being is permitted to repeat.

World English Bible
how he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Young's Literal Translation
that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Revelation
3And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.…

Cross References
Ezekiel 8:3
He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.

Luke 23:43
And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Acts 8:39
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 Corinthians 12:2
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows.

1 Thessalonians 4:17
After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

Revelation 12:5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.


Treasury of Scripture

How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

paradise.

Ezekiel 31:9
I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

Luke 23:43
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

lawful.

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Able Allowed Caught Ears Heard Human Inexpressible Lawful Paradise Permitted Possible Repeat Sayings Speak Unspeakable Unutterable Utter Words
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Able Allowed Caught Ears Heard Human Inexpressible Lawful Paradise Permitted Possible Repeat Sayings Speak Unspeakable Unutterable Utter Words
2 Corinthians 12
1. For commending of his apostleship, though he might glory of his wonderful revelations,
9. yet he rather chooses to glory of his infirmities;
11. blaming the Corinthians for forcing him to this vain boasting.
14. He promises to come to them again; but yet altogether in the affection of a father;
20. although he fears he shall to his grief find many offenders, and public disorders there.














(4)That he was caught up into paradise.--The stress laid on this second vision hinders us from thinking of it as identical with the former, either in time or in object-matter. Paradise (see Note on Luke 23:43) was emphatically the dwelling-place of the souls of the righteous, the reproduction in the unseen world of the lost beauty of the Garden of Eden--the "paradise of joy," as the LXX. in Genesis 2:15 translates the name. There, flowing about the throne of God, was the fountain of the water of life, and the tree of life growing on its banks (Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:1-2). Speculations on the question whether St. Paul thought of it as nearer or farther from earth than the third heaven are obviously idle and profitless. The nearest approach which we can make to an adequate distinction between the two visions is that the first revealed to his gaze the glory of the Throne of God, with angels and archangels round it, and seraphim and cherubim,--a vision like that of Moses (Exodus 24:10), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-3), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-28), and St. John (Revelation 4:2-11)--thoughts like those of Hooker's death-bed (Walton's Life)--while the latter brought before his spirit the peace and rest ineffable, even in their intermediate and therefore imperfect state, of the souls who had fallen asleep in Christ and were waiting for their resurrection. . . . Verse 4. - Into Paradise. Here, again, we encounter long speculations as to whether Paradise is the same as the third heaven; whether St.,Paul is referring to two visions or two parts of one vision. Such questions are clearly insoluble, and I leave them where I find them. We shall never understand this passage otherwise than in the dim and vague outline in which St. Paul has purposely left it. All that we can know from the New Testament about Paradise must be learnt from this verse and Luke 23:43 and Revelation 2:7, and it is extremely little. Unspeakable words. A figure of speech called an oxymoron. Utterances (or "things") incapable of utterance. Not lawful for a man to utter. How futile, then, must be the attempt to guess what they were, or on what subject!

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
was caught up
ἡρπάγη (hērpagē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 726: To seize, snatch, obtain by robbery. From a derivative of haireomai; to seize.

into
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Paradise.
Παράδεισον (Paradeison)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3857: Paradise. Of Oriental origin; a park, i.e., an Eden.

[The things] he heard
ἤκουσεν (ēkousen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

[were] too sacred
ἄρρητα (arrēta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 731: Not to be uttered (because too sacred), secret, unspeakable, unspoken. Unsaid, i.e. inexpressible.

for words,
ῥήματα (rhēmata)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4487: From rheo; an utterance, ; by implication, a matter or topic; with a negative naught whatever.

things that
(ha)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

man
ἀνθρώπῳ (anthrōpō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

is not permitted
ἐξὸν (exon)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1832: It is permitted, lawful, possible.

to tell.
λαλῆσαι (lalēsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.


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NT Letters: 2 Corinthians 12:4 How he was caught up into Paradise (2 Cor. 2C iiC 2Cor ii cor iicor)
2 Corinthians 12:3
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