In
Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes desiring to arrest me. Through a window I was let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.
2 Corinthians 11:32-33
2 Corinthians 11 [25.] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep. I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers; in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.
2 Corinthians 11 [28.] Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes desiring to arrest me. Through a window I was let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.
2 Corinthians 12 [1.] It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven. I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows), how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Meaning:
In 2 Corinthians 10–13 Paul answers rivals who had impressed the Corinthians with their credentials and claimed to be greater apostles. Unwillingly, and calling it foolishness, Paul “boasts” in return. But instead of listing successes, he lists beatings, shipwrecks, dangers and sleepless nights. He ends the list with this short story from the very start of his ministry.
- “In Damascus the governor under King Aretas”
Aretas IV was king of the Nabataeans, whose capital was Petra and whose kingdom stretched along the desert east and south of Damascus, the region Paul calls Arabia. He reigned until about AD 40, so the event happened before then. Scholars debate whether his “governor” controlled Damascus itself or led the Nabataean community there, but either way he had the power to watch the city.
- “guarded the city of the Damascenes desiring to arrest me”
Acts tells the same story from another side: “the Jews conspired together to kill him … They watched the gates both day and night that they might kill him” (Acts 9:23-24). The king’s official and Paul’s Jewish opponents may have acted together. Paul had spent time in Arabia after his conversion (Galatians 1:17), and his preaching may already have made him enemies in Aretas’ realm.
- “Through a window I was let down in a basket by the wall”
This was hardly a heroic moment. The persecutor who had come with official letters left Damascus in a basket. Some scholars note that Roman soldiers were decorated for being the first to climb over an enemy wall; Paul could only boast of being lowered down one in flight. Luke records that “his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall” (Acts 9:25).
- “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness”
Just before this story Paul explains why he tells it (2 Corinthians 11:30). He even adds a solemn oath that he does not lie. His point is that his apostleship rests not on impressive power but on Christ. The following chapter brings the lesson to its climax with the Lord’s words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), and Paul’s conclusion, “when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
The Significance of 2 Corinthians 11:32-33
- Boasting in weakness
Paul shows that Christian leadership is not measured by success or reputation. As he wrote earlier, “he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17). Honesty about our weaknesses leaves room for Christ’s strength.
- God’s rescue in humble ways
Paul’s escape came through a basket, a rope and faithful friends. God often works through ordinary and even humbling means.
Cross-References:
Acts 9:25: “His disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.” Luke’s account of the escape.
Galatians 1:17: “I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.” Paul’s movements after his conversion.
2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The lesson Paul learned.
Conclusion: Paul ends his list of sufferings with his escape from Damascus, where the governor under King Aretas guarded the city to arrest him and he was lowered through a window in a basket. He tells the story to boast in his weakness rather than his strength. It shows that Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible