2 Corinthians 10:4

2 Corinthians 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
• New International Version (NIV)The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Context of 2 Corinthians 10:4

2I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh. 3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:4 word by word

τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντεςRead the interlinear

• ·γάρgar · forG1063
• Theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• weaponsὅπλονhoplon · weaponG3696
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• warfareστρατείαstrateia · warfareG4752
• notοὐou · noG3756
• of the fleshσαρκικόςsarkikos · fleshlyG4559
• Insteadἀλλάalla · butG235
• divineθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• powerδυνατόςdunatos · ableG1415
• toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• demolishκαθαίρεσιςkathairesis · destructionG2506
• strongholdsὀχύρωμαochurōma · strongholdG3794

Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 10:4

• 2 Corinthians 6:7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
• Romans 6:13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
• Romans 13:12The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• Ephesians 6:13Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
• 1 Timothy 1:18Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
• 2 Timothy 2:3Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
• 2 Corinthians 4:7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
• 2 Corinthians 13:3since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you.
• Judges 7:13And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
• Judges 15:14When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.
• 1 Samuel 17:45But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
• Psalms 110:2The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
• Isaiah 41:14Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
• Zechariah 4:6So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 10:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The weapons of our warfare - The apostle often uses the metaphor of a warfare to represent the life and trials of a Christian minister. See Ephesians 6:10-17; 1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 2:3-5. Are not carnal - Here he refers to the means used by the false apostle in order to secure his party; he calumniated St. Paul, traduced the truth, preached false and licentious doctrines, and supported these with sophistical reasonings. But mighty through God - Our…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4For the weapons of our warfare - The means by which we hope to achieve our victory. Are not carnal - Not those of the flesh. Not such as the people of the world use. They are not such as are employed by conquerors; nor are they such as people in general rely on to advance their cause. We do not depend on eloquence, or talent, or learning, or wealth, or beauty, or any of the external aids on which the people of this world rely. They are not such as derive…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5A military metaphor strengthens Paul's argument that Paul's weapons have divine power over spiritual strongholds (see 4:3–4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. A confutation of those who try to propagate their creed by force and persecution (compare Lu 9:54-56). weapons--for punishing offending members (2Co 10:6; 1Co 4:21; 5:5, 13); boldness of speech, ecclesiastical discipline (2Co 10:8; 2Co 13:10), the power of the word, and of the sacraments, the various extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. carnal--Translate, "fleshly," to preserve the allusion to 2Co 10:2, 3. mighty through God--Greek, "mighty to God," that…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Corinthians 10:4

• Armor
• Blessing
• Church
• Gospel
• War

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Approved
• Beseech
• Captivity
• Carnal
• Measure
• Walk
• Warfare
• Weapon

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 10

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings