Forty Stripes Save One 2 Corinthians 11:24

Paul the apostle asked and answer his own questions addressed to the church members in Corinth as he wrote, “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.”, and he continued, “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool ) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft”. In chapter eleven and verse twenty-four of Second Corinthians, Paul shared how he, “received” “forty stripes save one” where we read:

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one..

The verse begins, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes ...” Paul began with the words, “of the Jews” which means “from those belonging to the Jewish nation as respects to birth, origin and religion” “five times” or “on five different occasions” “received I” which means “Paul took, claimed and procured” “forty stripes” or “forty lashes”. Paul was whipped with “lashes” by the Jewish people.

The verse continues, “... save one” Paul added the words, “save one” which means “minus one lash”. Paul received thirty-nine lashes from the Jews.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how he not only had credentials nationally, in heritage, as a minister and in labors, stripes, prisons and deaths, but also in lashings from his fellow-nationalist. The punishment for criminals was limited to “thirty-nine” lashes or “forty save one”, and Paul received them on five different occasions. Jesus Christ did not exempt Paul from these “lashings”, and yet, God's “gospel” continued to spread. The cost for sharing the “good news” of God is high, and though people receive “thirty-nine” lashes for it, the eternal value of the “gospel” of Jesus was worth the price to Paul and everyone who receives them.

Next time Paul tells the church members how he was, “beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked” and “in the deep”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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