But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

But we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you.

But we will not glory beyond our measure; but according to the measure of the rule, which God hath measured to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

Now we will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also.

and we in regard to the unmeasured things will not boast ourselves, but after the measure of the line that the God of measure did appoint to us, to reach even unto you;

But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God has distributed to us, a measure to reach even to you.

We, however, will not exceed due limits in our boasting, but will keep within the limits of the sphere which God has assigned to us as a limit, which reaches even to you.

We will not give glory to ourselves in over-great measure, but after the measure of the rule which God has given us, a measure which comes even to you.

Thus, we will not glory beyond our measure, but rather according to the measure of the limit which God has measured out to us, a measure which extends even to you.

We, however, will not give way to unlimited boasting, but will confine ourselves to the limits of the sphere to which God limited us, when he permitted us to come as far as Corinth.

But we will not boast beyond our measure He now contrasts his own moderation with the folly of the false Apostles, [1] and, at the same time, he shows what is the true measure of glorying -- when we keep within the limits that have been marked out for us by the Lord. "Has the Lord given me such a thing? I shall be satisfied with this measure. I shall not either desire or claim to myself any thing more." This he calls the measure of his rule. [2] For every one's rule, according to which he ought to regulate himself is this -- God's gift and calling. At the same time, it is not lawful for us to glow in God's gift and calling on our own account, but merely in so far as it is expedient for the glory of him, who is so liberal to us with this view -- that we may acknowledge ourselves indebted to him for everything. [3] A measure to reach. By this clause he intimates, that he stands in no need of commendations expressed in words among the Corinthians, who were a portion of his glow, as he says elsewhere, (Philippians 4:1,) ye are my crown. He carries out, however, the form of expression, which he had previously entered upon. "I have," says he, "a most ample field for glorying, so as not to go beyond my own limits, and you are one department of that field." He modestly reproves, however, their ingratitude, [4] in overlooking, in a manner, his apostleship, which ought to have been especially in estimation among them, on the ground of God's commendation of it. In each clause, too, we must understand as implied, a contrast between him and the false Apostles, who had no such approbation to show.

Footnotes

1 - "Il oppose maintenant sa modestie a la sotte outrecuidance des faux apostres;" -- "He now contrasts his modesty with the foolish presumption of the false Apostles."

2 - "Within the measured and determinate limits of the stadium, the athletae were bound to contend for the prize, which they forfeited without hope of recovery, if they deviated even a little from the appointed course. In allusion to this inviolable arrangement, the Apostle tells the Corinthians: We will not boast of things without our measure, etc. It may help very much to understand this and the following verses, if, with Hammond, we consider the terms used in them as agonistical. In this view of them, the measure of the rule' (to metron tou kanonos) alludes to the path marked out, and bounded by a white line, for racers in the Isthmian games, celebrated among the Corinthians; and so the Apostle represents his work in preaching the gospel as his spiritual race, and the province to which he was appointed as the compass or stage of ground, which God had distributed or measured out (emerisen auto) for him to run in. Accordingly, to boast without his measure,' (2-Corinthians 10:13, eis ta ametra) and to stretch himself beyond his measure,' (huperekteinesthai) refer to one that ran beyond or out of his line. We are come as far as to you' (2-Corinthians 10:14, achri humon ephthasamen) alludes to him that came foremost to the goal; and in another man's line' (2-Corinthians 10:16, en allotrio kanoni) signifies -- 'in the province that was marked out for somebody else,' in allusion to the line by which the race was bounded, each of the racers having the path which he ought to run chalked out to him, and if one stepped over into the other's path he extended himself over his line." -- Paxton's Illustrations ("Manners and Customs," volume 2.) -- Ed.

3 - "Afin que nons luy facions hommage de tout ce que nons avons, confessans le tenir de luy;" -- "That we may make acknowledgment to him as to every thing that we have, confessing that we hold it from him."

4 - "Or en parlant ainsi, il taxe (modestement toutesfois) leur ingratitude;" -- "But by speaking thus he reproves, (modestly, however,) their ingratitude."

But we will not boast of things without our measure - Tyndale renders this:" But we will not rejoice above measure." There is great obscurity in the language here, arising from its brevity. But the general idea seems to be plain. Paul says that he had not boldness as they had to boast of things wholly beyond his proper rule and his actual attainments and influence: and, especially, that he was not disposed to enter into other people's labors; or to boast of things that had been done by the mere influence of his name, and beyond the proper limits of his personal exertions. He made no boast of having done anything where he had not been himself on the ground and labored assiduously to secure the object. They, it is not improbable, had boasted of what had been done in Corinth as though it were really their work though it had been done by the apostle himself. Nay more, it is probable that they boasted of what had been done by the mere influence of their name. Occupying a central position, they supposed that their reputation had gone abroad, and that the mere influence of their reputation had had an important effect. Not, so with Paul. He made no boast of anything but what God had enabled him to do by his evangelical labors, and by personal exertions. He entered into no one else's labors and claimed nothing that others had done as his own. He was not bold enough for that.
But according to the measure of the rule - Margin, Or, "line." The word rendered "rule" (Greek, κανὼν kanōn, whence our English word canon) means properly a reed, rod, or staff employed to keep anything stiff, erect, asunder (Hom. ii. 8. 103): then a measuring rod or line; then any standard or rule - its usual meaning in the New Testament, as, for example, of life and doctrine, Galatians 6:16; Philippians 3:16 - Robinson's Lexicon. Here it means the limit, boundary line, or sphere of action assigned to anyone. Paul means to say that God had appropriated a certain line or boundary as the proper limit of his sphere of action; that his appropriate sphere extended to them; that in going to them, though they were far distant from the field of his early labors, he had confined himself within the proper limits assigned him by God; and that in boasting of his labors among them he was not boasting of anything which did not properly fall within the sphere of labor assigned to him. The meaning is, that Paul was especially careful not to boast of anything beyond his proper bounds.
Which God hath distributed to us - Which in assigning our respective fields of labor God has assigned unto me and my fellow-laborers. The Greek word rendered here as "distributed" (ἐμερίσεν emerisen) means properly to measure; and the sense is, that God had measured out or apportioned their respective fields of labor; that by his providence he had assigned to each one his proper sphere, and that in the distribution Corinth had fallen to the lot of Paul. In going there he had kept within the proper limits; in boasting of his labors and success there he did not boast of what did not belong to him.
A measure to reach even unto you - The sense is, "the limits assigned me include you, and I may therefore justly boast of what I have done among you as within my proper field of labor." Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles Acts 26:17-18; and the whole country of Greece therefore he regarded as falling within the limits assigned to him. No one therefore could blame him for going there as if he was an intruder; no one assert that he had gone beyond the proper bounds.

Things without our measure - There is a great deal of difficulty in this and the three following verses, and there is a great diversity among the MSS.; and which is the true reading can scarcely be determined. Our version is perhaps the plainest that can be made of the text. By the measure mentioned here, it seems as if the apostle meant the commission he received from God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles; a measure or district that extended through all Asia Minor and Greece, down to Achaia, where Corinth was situated, a measure to reach even unto you. But the expressions in these verses are all agonistical, and taken from the stadium or race course in the Olympic and Isthmian games. The μετρον, or measure, was the length of the δρομος, or course; and the κανων, rule or line, 2-Corinthians 10:15, 2-Corinthians 10:16, was probably the same with the γραμμα, or white line, which marked out the boundaries of the stadium; and the verbs reach unto, stretch out, etc., are all references to the exertions made to win the race. As this subject is so frequently alluded to in these epistles, I have thought it of importance to consider it particularly in the different places where it occurs.

But we will not boast of things without [our] (l) measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
(l) Of those things which God has not measured to me.

But we will not boast of things without our measure,.... Or things unmeasurable; meaning not doctrines, the knowledge of which they had not attained to, and which were not to be measured by reason or revelation, such as the Gnostics boasted of; but the sense is, that they would not glory in, and boast of actions, that were never done by them, within the compass of their ministration, as the false apostles did; who pretended that they had been everywhere, and had preached the Gospel, and had made converts in all parts of the world; but the apostle and his fellow labourer, desired only to speak of those things which were done of them, and of their successful labours:
according to the measure of the rule; not the measure of the gift of Christ, or of faith bestowed upon them; nor the measuring rule and canon of the Scriptures, though both are truths; but the places or parts of the world, which God in his secret purpose had fixed, and in his providence directed them to preach in: or as he says,
which God hath distributed to us; parted and divided to them; assigning such and such places to some, and such and such to others, as he himself pleased, to discharge their ministerial office in; drawing as it were a line, or setting a bound, by which and how far each should go, and no further:
a measure to reach even unto you; the line of their ministration was drawn, or the bounds of their preaching were carried from Judea, and through all the intermediate places to Corinth, so that the Corinthians were properly under the jurisdiction of the apostles, and in their district; wherefore the false apostles had really no right nor claim to be among them; nay, their measure reached to the ends of the world, according to Psalm 19:4 "their line" "is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world".

not boast . . . without . . . measure--Greek, "to unmeasured bounds." There is no limit to a man's high opinion of himself, so long as he measures himself by himself (2-Corinthians 10:13) and his fellows, and does not compare himself with his superiors. It marks the personal character of this Epistle that the word "boast" occurs twenty-nine times in it, and only twenty-six times in all the other Epistles put together. Undeterred by the charge of vanity, he felt he must vindicate his apostolic authority by facts [CONYBEARE and HOWSON]. It would be to "boast of things without our measure," were we to boast of conversions made by "other men's labors" (2-Corinthians 10:15).
distributed--apportioned [ALFORD].
a measure--as a measure [ALFORD].
to reach--"that we should reach as far as even to you": not that he meant to go no further (2-Corinthians 10:16; Romans 15:20-24). Paul's "measure" is the apportionment of his sphere of Gospel labors ruled for him by God. A "rule" among the so-called "apostolic canons" subsequently was, that no bishop should appoint ministers beyond his own limits. At Corinth no minister ought to have been received without Paul's sanction, as Corinth was apportioned to him by God as his apostolic sphere. The Epistle here incidentally, and therefore undesignedly, confirms the independent history, the Acts, which represents Corinth as the extreme limit as yet of his preaching, at which he had stopped, after he had from Philippi passed southward successively through Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens [PALEY, HorÃ&brvbr; PaulinÃ&brvbr;].

But we will not, like them, boastingly extend ourselves beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God hath allotted us - To me, in particular, as the apostle of the gentiles. A measure which reaches even unto you - God allotted to each apostle his province, and the measure or bounds thereof.