John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 11:24
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. We have no account in the Acts of the Apostles, or elsewhere, of any one of these five scourgings, which the apostle underwent from the Jews; but there is no doubt to be made of them. The number of stripes he received at each time agrees with the traditions and customs of the Jews. The original law for scourging a delinquent is in Deuteronomy 25:2 where it is said, "forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed"; according to the... read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 11:23
Are they ministers of Christ ?.... The apostle could have answered to this question that they were not, being neither sent by Christ, nor preachers of him, and who sought their own things and not his, being false apostles, and deceitful workers; but he chose not to litigate this point with them, and by a rhetorical concession allows it; and replies, I speak as a fool ; that is, he might be thought to speak as such an one, for what he afterwards says; and if he was, he must be content, he... read more