ESV Reformation Study Bible – 2 Cor 5:13
Resources chevron-right ESV Reformation Study Bible chevron-right 2 Corinthians chevron-right 2 Cor 5:13
2 Cor 5:13

5:13 beside ourselves. This probably refers to times of worship and prayer when Paul was caught up in intense awareness of the presence of God. Paul’s language does not imply complete loss of awareness of one’s surroundings, for the same Greek word is used of people who were “amazed” at Christ’s miracles (Mark 5:42; cf. 6:51). The apostle’s point is that whether engaged in private worship or in public ministry, he lives for God and for others, not for himself (v. 15). His opponents cannot make this claim.