This verse must be seen in the overall context of Paul’s irony. But the logic may still be difficult to follow. Paul says first that he does not want to be taken for a fool and then speaks of actually being taken as a fool. His intention seems to be that, although he does not want to be considered a fool, on second thought to be accepted as a fool would have the advantage of allowing him to act in a foolish way and boast to a certain degree.

I repeat looks back to 11.1. In some languages the verb repeat will be out of place because of so much discourse between the first statement and this one. In such cases one may say “As I said earlier…” or “I have already said it, but I will say it again.”

If you do: that is, if you do think I am foolish. Paul is asking that the Corinthians give him a hearing even if they do think he is being foolish. The idea here is “even if you see me as a fool, accept me…” or “at least treat me as you would a fool and tolerate my boasting.”

Foolish … fool: see comments on 2 Cor. 11.1.

The implication of the words I too … are that Paul’s opponents in Corinth, the false apostles, were boasting. Good News Translation fails to preserve this aspect of meaning. Revised English Bible says “and let me have my little boast like others” (see 11.18). In those languages that require some kind of object for the verb boast, it may be necessary to say “boast of myself” or something similar.

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 .