2 Corinthians 12:4 BSB

2 Corinthians 12:4

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

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

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

KJV

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

⋯

Commentary

3 voices

Irenaeus

Against Heresies Book V (202)

Wherefore also the elders who were disciples of the apostles tell us that those who were translated were transferred to that place (for paradise has been prepared for righteous men, such as have the Spirit; in which place also Paul the apostle, when he was caught up, heard words which are unspeakable as regards us in our present condition), and that there shall they who have been translated remain until the consummation [of all things], as a prelude to immortality.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

He was caught up into paradise - The seat of happy spirits in their separate state, between death and the resurrection. Things which it is not possible for man to utter - Human language being incapable of expressing them. Here he anticipated the joyous rest of the righteous that die in the Lord.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Caught up into paradise - The Jewish writers have no less than four paradises, as they have seven heavens; but it is needless to wade through their fables. On the word paradise see the note on Gen 2:8. The Mohammedans call it jennet alferdoos, the garden of paradise, and say that God created it out of light, and that it is the habitation of the prophets and wise men. Among Christian writers it generally means the place of the blessed, or the state of separate spirits.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ὅτι	hoti	that	G3754 →
ἡρπάγη	hērpagē	he was caught up	G726 →
εἰς	eis	into	G1519 →
τὸν	ton	<the>	G3588 →
παράδεισον	paradeison	Paradise	G3857 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἤκουσεν	ēkousen	he heard	G191 →
ἄρρητα	arrēta	inexpressible	G731 →
ῥήματα	rhēmata	declaration	G4487 →
ἃ	ha	which	G3739 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἐξὸν	exon	being permitted	G1832 →
ἀνθρώπῳ	anthrōpō	to man	G444 →
λαλῆσαι.	lalēsai	to speak.	G2980 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

G2980lalesaito speak.294×

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Luke 23:43
And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
leads to
- Revelation 2:7
  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…
- Psalms 50:15
  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- 1 Timothy 1:15–16
  This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
- Luke 19:10
  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Through
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…
leads to
- Revelation 2:17
  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone…
- Revelation 2:11
  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
- Matthew 11:15
  He who has ears, let him hear.
- Matthew 13:43
  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Featured studies on this passage

The Ecstasy of Saint Paul — Nicolas Poussin

On 2 Corinthians 12:4

Power Made Perfect in Weakness — 2 Corinthians 12:7–10

Open the study →

Walks through 2 Corinthians 12

2 Corinthians: the Study Guide

Open the study →

About 2 Corinthians

The Crown of Thorns — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

2 Corinthians: the study guide →Read chapter 12 →The featured study →

Continue: 2 Corinthians 12 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 2 Corinthians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 2 Corinthians