2 Corinthians 12:9

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ εἴρηκέν μοι, Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου: ἡ γὰρ δύναμις μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Ἥδιστα οὖν μᾶλλον καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Transliteration

And he eirēken to me, Arkei to you the charis of me: the for dynamis of me in astheneia teleoutai. Most gladly therefore rather kauchēsomai in the astheneiais of me, hina episkēnōsē upon me the dynamis of the Christou.

Grammar Details

• *eirēken*: perfect indicative, active, 3rd singular - he has said
• *Arkei*: present indicative, active, 3rd singular - is sufficient
• *charis*: nominative, feminine, singular - grace/favor
• *dynamis*: nominative, feminine, singular - power/strength
• *astheneia*: dative, feminine, singular - in weakness/infirmity
• *teleoutai*: present indicative, passive, 3rd singular - is perfected/completed
• *kauchēsomai*: future indicative, middle, 1st singular - I will boast/glory
• *astheneiais*: dative, feminine, plural - in weaknesses/infirmities
• *hina*: conjunction - so that/in order that
• *episkēnōsē*: aorist subjunctive, active, 3rd singular - might rest upon/dwell upon
• *Christou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of Christ

Word Meanings

• *eirēken*: he has said/he has spoken/he has told
• *Arkei*: is sufficient/is enough/satisfies
• *charis*: grace/favor/kindness
• *dynamis*: power/strength/might/ability
• *astheneia*: weakness/infirmity/frailty
• *teleoutai*: is perfected/is completed/is made perfect
• *kauchēsomai*: I will boast/I will glory/I will exult
• *episkēnōsē*: might rest upon/might dwell upon/might tabernacle upon

Referenced Verses

• 2 Cor 12:10 : 10 So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong.
• Phil 4:13 : 13 I am able to do all things through him who gives me strength.
• Eph 3:16 : 16 That in the wealth of his glory he would make you strong with power through his Spirit in your hearts;
• Isa 40:29-31 : 29 He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force. 30 Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength; 31 But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
• 1 Cor 10:13 : 13 You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it.
• Isa 43:2 : 2 When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not go over you: when you go through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flame will have no power over you.
• 2 Cor 12:5 : 5 On account of such a one I will have glory: for myself I will take no glory, but only in my feeble body.
• 1 Pet 4:13-14 : 13 But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy. 14 If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you.
• Heb 4:16 : 16 Then let us come near to the seat of grace without fear, so that mercy may be given to us, and we may get grace for our help in time of need.
• 2 Cor 3:5-6 : 5 Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God; 6 Who has made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life.
• Deut 33:25-27 : 25 Your shoes will be iron and brass; and as your days, so may your work be. 26 No other is like the God of Jeshurun, coming on the heavens to your help, and letting his glory be seen in the skies. 27 The God of your fathers is your safe resting-place, and under you are his eternal arms: driving out the forces of your haters from before you, he said, Let destruction overtake them.
• 1 Tim 1:14 : 14 And the grace of our Lord was very great, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
• Luke 21:15 : 15 For I will give you words and wisdom, so that not one of those who are against you will be able to get the better of you, or to put you in the wrong.
• Josh 1:9 : 9 Have I not given you your orders? Take heart and be strong; have no fear and do not be troubled; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go,
• Exod 4:10-15 : 10 And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not a man of words; I have never been so, and am not now, even after what you have said to your servant: for talking is hard for me, and I am slow of tongue. 11 And the Lord said to him, Who has made man's mouth? who takes away a man's voice or hearing, or makes him seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 So go now, and I will be with your mouth, teaching you what to say. 13 And he said, O Lord, send, if you will, by the hand of anyone whom it seems good to you to send. 14 And the Lord was angry with Moses, and said, Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? To my knowledge he is good at talking. And now he is coming out to you: and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. 15 Let him give ear to your voice, and you will put my words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his, teaching you what you have to do.
• Matt 5:11-12 : 11 Happy are you when men give you a bad name, and are cruel to you, and say all evil things against you falsely, because of me. 12 Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven: for so were the prophets attacked who were before you.
• Matt 10:19-20 : 19 But when you are given up into their hands, do not be troubled about what to say or how to say it: for in that hour what you are to say will be given to you; 20 Because it is not you who say the words, but the Spirit of your Father in you.
• Isa 35:3-4 : 3 Make strong the feeble hands, give support to the shaking knees. 4 Say to those who are full of fear, Be strong and take heart: see, your God will give punishment; the reward of God will come; he himself will come to be your saviour.
• Dan 10:16-19 : 16 Then one whose form was like the sons of men put his finger on my lips; and opening my mouth, I said to him who was before me, O my lord, because of the vision my pains have come on me, and I have no more strength. 17 For how may this servant of my lord have talk with my lord? for, as for me, straight away my strength went from me and there was no breath in my body. 18 Then again one having the form of a man put his hand on me and gave me strength. And he said to me, O man greatly loved, have no fear: peace be with you, be strong and let your heart be lifted up. And at his words I became strong, and said, Let my lord say on, for you have given me strength. 19 Then he said, It is clear to you why I have come to you. And now I will give you an account of what is recorded in the true writings:
• 1 Cor 15:10 : 10 But by the grace of God, I am what I am: and his grace which was given to me has not been for nothing; for I did more work than all of them; though not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
• Heb 11:34 : 34 Put out the power of fire, got safely away from the edge of the sword, were made strong when they had been feeble, became full of power in war, and put to flight the armies of the nations.
• Col 1:11 : 11 Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;
• Col 1:28-29 : 28 Whom we are preaching; guiding and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that every man may be complete in Christ; 29 And for this purpose I am working, using all my strength by the help of his power which is working in me strongly.
• 1 Cor 2:5 : 5 So that your faith might be based not on man's wisdom but on the power of God.
• Zeph 3:17 : 17 The Lord your God is among you, as a strong saviour: he will be glad over you with joy, he will make his love new again, he will make a song of joy over you as in the time of a holy feast.
• Matt 28:20 : 20 Teaching them to keep all the rules which I have given you: and see, I am ever with you, even to the end of the world.
• Jer 1:6-9 : 6 Then said I, O Lord God! see, I have no power of words, for I am a child. 7 But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am a child: for wherever I send you, you are to go, and whatever I give you orders to say, you are to say. 8 Have no fear because of them: for I am with you, to keep you safe, says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put out his hand, touching my mouth; and the Lord said to me, See, I have put my words in your mouth:
• Ps 8:2 : 2 You have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast, because of those who are against you; so that you may put to shame the cruel and violent man.
• Isa 4:5-6 : 5 And over every living-place on Mount Zion, all over all her meetings, the Lord will make a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for over all, the glory of the Lord will be a cover and a tent; 6 And a shade in the daytime from the heat, and a safe cover from storm and from rain.
• Isa 41:13-16 : 13 For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to you, Have no fear; I will be your helper. 14 Have no fear, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel. 15 See, I will make you like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains small, and making the hills like dry stems. 16 You will send the wind over them, and it will take them away; they will go in all directions before the storm-wind: you will have joy in the Lord, and be glad in the Holy One of Israel.
• Matt 28:18 : 18 And Jesus came to them and said, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
• 2 Cor 11:30 : 30 If I have to take credit to myself, I will do so in the things in which I am feeble.
• 2 Cor 12:15 : 15 And I will gladly give all I have for your souls. If I have the more love for you, am I to be loved the less?
• Isa 11:2 : 2 And the spirit of the Lord will be resting on him, the spirit of wisdom and good sense, the spirit of wise guiding and strength, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
• 2 Kgs 2:15 : 15 And when the sons of the prophets who were facing him at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha. And they came out to him, and went down on the earth before him.
• Exod 3:11-12 : 11 And Moses said to God, Who am I to go to Pharaoh and take the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Truly I will be with you; and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have taken the children of Israel out of Egypt, you will give worship to God on this mountain.