Verse 13
13. Boast… without measure Omitting the italic our, interpolated by the translators. The apostle disclaims boasting about τα αμετρα , the unmeasured, the indefinite, the aimless, which formed, in fact, the boast of the purposeless Christines. He had a well-defined mission from Christ himself, as he will next declare. Paul now has changed the figure of measure, from a measurement of the tallness of the man, to a measurement of the length and breadth of the territory covered by his divine commission. By personal measurement he is tall as the tallest apostle; by territorial measurement he stretches to Corinth and beyond, as said in 2 Corinthians 10:16.
Measure… rule Rule, κανον , canon, here signifies a rod, staff, measuring rod. Paul’s image is, that God has, as it were with a measuring rod, marked out the measure of his missionary ground. His master has drawn his map for him.
Distributed Rather, apportioned. The thought, then, is: I, Paul, boast not, (like these Christines,) of an unmeasured vagrant field, but a mission apportioned according to the measure of God’s own measuring rod. Paul’s apostolic office was universal; but the space he could corporeally occupy was, of course, limited, and, as he affirms, divinely measured off. Yet how wide is now the controlling power of this man’s apostolate!
Reach… you Here is a keen point. The divine measuring rod brought Corinth within his territory, and he was promptly on the spot in due season.
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