Bible Strands
2 Corinthians 12:3
And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation while recounting a visionary experience (2 Corinthians 12:2). He pauses mid-narrative to clarify that the physical circumstances of that event remain unknown to him.
The words — οἶδα (oida) translates literally as "I know," establishing the speaker's personal certainty. σῶματι (sōmati) means "body," with the locative sense derived entirely from the separate preposition ἐν (en).
The thread — The verse continues the account of a man caught up to a transcendent realm (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4) while marking the boundary of human knowledge regarding that event. The tension between divine omniscience and human limitation frames the broader discussion of apostolic weakness and divine power in the surrounding chapter.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to accept that spiritual encounters may lack full physical explanation. It asks for submission to divine certainty where human observation reaches its limit.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)