The Revised Standard Version translation is rather literal and incomprehensible in English. This is a difficult verse to translate, but the general meaning is clear. Unlike the “false apostles” in Corinth who claim an authority in Corinth that they have no right to claim, Paul will not lay claim to any authority that is beyond the area which God has given him to work in. That area includes Corinth, where he himself founded the church. The point of verses 13-14 is that Paul is not going beyond what God commissioned him to do when he exercises his apostolic authority in the church at Corinth.

The words But we are emphatic in Greek. “As for us, however” (Good News Translation) or “by contrast we” (New Jerusalem Bible) better preserve the emphasis of the Greek than does the Revised Standard Version translation. Paul is contrasting himself and his co-workers with his opponents whom he has ridiculed in verse 12.

Will not boast beyond limit: Paul continues the theme of “boasting” (see 9.2, 3; 10.8). His words here have a double meaning: there is a limit to the amount of his talk or boasting and a limit to the geographic area of his authority. Paul’s boasting won’t go out of control, because God controls him and his work, which includes his work with the Corinthians.

To reach even to you: this is a rather cryptic way of saying that Paul’s work among the Corinthians is well within the bounds of what God had called him to do, even if the scope of his work is seen as limited.

The meaning of verse 13 is clearly expressed in Contemporary English Version: “We won’t brag about something we don’t have a right to brag about. We will only brag about the work that God has sent us to do, and you are part of that work.” New Century Version provides another possible model: “But we will not brag about things outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our bragging to the work that God gave us. And this work includes our work with you.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .