Another reason some people think Paul's thorn was
sickness is that the word "infirmities" is used twice in this
passage. Verses 9 and 10 say:
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in -weakness. Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I
take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's
sake:for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9,10
This word infirmity is used nearly universally nowadays
to refer to some type of a sickness. People say, "This
person has an infirmity." We even call the place where we
send sick people "the infirmary." Although it has an
almost exclusive connotation with sickness in its popular
use today, the meaning of this word infirmity wasn't
limited to sickness at the time that the King James Bible
was written. Take, for example, Romans 8:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
Notice the colon ) after the word "infirmities" and again
after the word "ought."This verse is saying that it is an
infirmity to not know what we should pray for as we
ought. If you were to look up the word infirmity in the
dictionary, you'd find that it not only means a sickness,
but it could also be any weakness or inadequacy. This is
how it was used in Romans 8:26. Not knowing how to pray
for something is a weakness, an inadequacy, an infirmity
—not a sickness or a disease.
sickness is that the word "infirmities" is used twice in this
passage. Verses 9 and 10 say:
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in -weakness. Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I
take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's
sake:for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9,10
This word infirmity is used nearly universally nowadays
to refer to some type of a sickness. People say, "This
person has an infirmity." We even call the place where we
send sick people "the infirmary." Although it has an
almost exclusive connotation with sickness in its popular
use today, the meaning of this word infirmity wasn't
limited to sickness at the time that the King James Bible
was written. Take, for example, Romans 8:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
Notice the colon ) after the word "infirmities" and again
after the word "ought."This verse is saying that it is an
infirmity to not know what we should pray for as we
ought. If you were to look up the word infirmity in the
dictionary, you'd find that it not only means a sickness,
but it could also be any weakness or inadequacy. This is
how it was used in Romans 8:26. Not knowing how to pray
for something is a weakness, an inadequacy, an infirmity
—not a sickness or a disease.