American Standard Version
2 Corinthians 4:7
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;
2 Corinthians 4:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
- New International Version (NIV)But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Context of 2 Corinthians 4:7
5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves; 8we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; 9pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed;
Read all of 2 Corinthians 42 Corinthians 4:7 word by word
Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν,Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 4:7
- 2 Corinthians 4:1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:
- 2 Corinthians 6:10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
- Matthew 13:44The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
- Ephesians 3:8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
- Colossians 1:27to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
- Colossians 2:3in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.
- 2 Corinthians 10:10For, His letters, they say, are weighty and strong; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.
- Judges 7:13And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto his fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.
- Lamentations 4:2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
- 1 Corinthians 1:28and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:
- 1 Corinthians 4:9For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.
- Galatians 4:13but ye know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time:
- 2 Timothy 2:20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
- 2 Corinthians 12:7And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 4:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels - The original, , signifies, more literally, vessels made of shells, which are very brittle; and as the shell is the outward part of a fish, it is very fit, as Dr. Hammond observes, to resemble our bodies in which our souls dwell. The Platonists make two bodies of a man: the one they call , the chariot of the soul; the other, that which we see and touch; and this they call which is the same to us as the shell…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7But we have this treasure - The treasure of the gospel; the rich and invaluable truths which they were called to preach to others. The word “treasure” is applied to those truths on account of their inestimable worth. Paul in the previous verses had spoken of the gospel, the knowledge of Jesus Christ, as full of glory, and infinitely precious. This rich blessing had been committed to him and his fellow-laborers, to dispense it to others, and to diffuse it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The message of good news about Jesus is like a great treasure, but it is kept in fragile clay jars (our weak bodies). This understanding gives purpose to suffering (4:8–5:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. "Lest any should say, How then is it that we continue to enjoy such unspeakable glory in a mortal body? Paul replies, this very fact is one of the most marvellous proofs of God's power, that an earthen vessel could bear such splendor and keep such a treasure" [Chrysostom, Homilies, 8.496, A]. The treasure or "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God." The fragile "earthen vessel" is the body, the "outward man" (2Co 4:16; compare 2Co 4:10), liable…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Corinthians 4:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries