What was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?
Written July 2024
This article is a spin-off from our Introduction to 2nd Corinthians. In the twelfth chapter and seventh verse of that wonderful epistle, Paul speaks of a “thorn in the flesh”, but doesn’t reveal the exact nature of that “thorn”. Was it a physical, emotional, spiritual or other condition? Many Bible scholars have struggled over this questions throughout the centuries, but a definitive answer has, and will likely continue to allude us. So the short honest answer to the question is “only God knows for sure”. Yet, by examining the subject verse in its context, and in the context of other Scripture, we can offer some informed opinions along with some related info. We begin by examining the immediate context of our subject verse, with Paul speaking:
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Cor 12:1-10)
The opening sentence of Paul’s statement that “I must go on boasting” may appear arrogant, until will add the context from the ending of the previous chapter, where he states “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying“ (2Cor 11:30-31). One evidence of his humility is that, he is most likely the man that was caught up to the third heaven, which is the very dwelling place of God. Yet in his humility, he refers to himself in the third person. This is consistent throughout his writings in which he never boasts about himself, but of the Lord.
The Reason for the Thorn
Paul revealed the reason for the thorn in the scripture above, namely to
keep him from becoming conceited, or to keep himself humble (12:7) and so that
he would continue to rely on the sufficiency of God’s grace (12:9).
Examining the Original Text
In verse 7 of chapter 12, Paul refers to the thorn in the flesh as “a messenger of Satan to torment me”. The Greek word that Paul uses for “thorn” is skolops. This rarely used term can denote a “pointed stake” such as one used for impaling or being bound for torture or execution, or a painful “splinter” lodged in a person’s finger, foot or other body part. Additionally, the Old Testament (OT) authors often referred to various enemies of Israel as “thorns”. Based on additional evidence that we will be presenting, the word thorn is almost certainly used allegorically.
The Greek word translated as “messenger” is “angelos”, which is often translated into English as “angel”. Of the almost 200 occurrences of the Greek word angellos in the NT, over ninety percent refer to angels. This might suggest that the thorn was a demon instead of a physical illness. Yet a demon, even one sent by Satan, cannot inhabit a true believer, so if this interpretation is correct, the thorn might refer to a demon-possessed opponent of Paul in the church. Recall that many false Christians within the Corinthian church were attacking both Paul’s character and his credentials as a true apostle. Paul addresses these false apostles in chapters 10-13 in his second epistle to the Corinthians. Perhaps, the leader of these false prophets might have been the “thorn”.
We should also note the obvious parallels with the Satanic attach on God’s servant Job, as recorded in the OT book by that name. Although Paul’s affliction may have been originated by Satan, as in the case of Job, God Himself allowed it to happen to accomplish His greater purpose, that of insuring Paul would remain humble. In addition, both the cases of Paul and Job illustrate that not all suffering in the life of a believer is due to sinful acts or a lack of faith, but for the ultimate spiritual benefit of the believer.
Although the immediate text appears to suggest a demon-possessed opponent may be the “thorn”, other possibilities are suggested as possible in other Bible texts, so we should examine them as well.
A Recurring Physical Temptation?
In Romans 7, Paul writes: So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? (Rm 7:21-24), We believe Paul certainly had temptations, but he consistently overcame them, since he further writes: Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Rm 7:25).
Paul’s Offences prior to his Conversion?
Some have suggested the thorn to be Paul’s remembrance of his past. Prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus, where Saul was traveling to capture and imprison Christians (Act 9:1-18), he often participated in the martyring of Christians, including minding the cloaks in approval of those who were stoning Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Ac 7:54-8:1). As a side note, Saul became known as Paul beginning in Acts 13:9 (“Paul” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name “Saul”). We find Paul lamenting his prior acts in Galatians 1:13-14 and Philippians 3:1-11. Note that the latter passages also speak of Paul’s humility.
Yet with all of Paul’s faith, he was most likely haunted by his past, maybe even suffering from recurring depressions. Many of us, who have also repented of our sins, still have regrets and would dearly love a do-over for some episodes in our lives. Yet, Paul often wrote of the joy he found in Christ, even with his approaching death by execution upon orders from the Roman emperor Nero. Therefore, if the thorn was not a demon-possessed opponent, we believe that some type of recurring physical ailment would certainly be a possibility.
A Physical Ailment or Disease?
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes: As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me (Gal 4:13-15). These passages have lead many scholars to suggest that Paul suffered from a recurring eye ailment or disease. Some of the most popular suggestions have been malaria, epilepsy, convulsions, chronic eye disease, or some other ailment that affected his eyesight.
Those that hold to the “poor eyesight” theory point to the final portion of the letter in which Paul writes: See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! (Gal 6;11). Some believe that Paul dictated the letter to a scribe, and wrote this final portion with his own hand, and that he used large letters due to his poor eyesight. Others believe however, that Paul wrote the entire letter in his own hand and used the larger letters at the end for emphasis, such as we would use bolded text for emphasis today. If Paul did dictate most of the letter to a scribe, he could have still used large letters to set this portion apart.
Why Didn’t Paul Reveal the Identity of the Thorn?
Paul did not specifically reveal the exact nature of his “thorn”. I believe the most obvious reason for the ambiguity surrounding the identity of the thorn was to make the passage more applicable to a maximum number of readers. We often encounter the technique of purposeful ambiguity in the scriptures, particularly in the OT Wisdom books. For example, certain historical details were often left out of the Psalms of David, so that they would apply to a larger group of readers.
God, in His infinite wisdom as the divine Author of Scripture knew that all of us have our personal thorn or thorns, but if ours were different from Paul’s, we likely would not so easily identify with him. By introducing the vagueness of the thorn, we can substitute our own thorn or thorns into the narrative, whether it be physical or spiritual. We can also know, like the Apostle Paul, that our thorn or thorns serve a greater purpose, that God’s grace is sufficient for us, and that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2Cor 12:9).