2 Corinthians 3:6

2 Corinthians 3:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
• New International Version (NIV)He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
• New King James Version (NKJV)who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Context of 2 Corinthians 3:6

4Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

2 Corinthians 3:6 word by word

ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης, οὐ γράμματος ἀλλὰ πνεύματος· τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέννει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• hath madeἱκανόωhikanoō · to qualifyG2427
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• able ministersδιάκονοςdiakonos · servantG1249
• of the newκαινόςkainos · newG2537
• testamentδιαθήκηdiathēkē · covenantG1242
• notοὐou · noG3756
• of the letterγράμμαgramma · something writtenG1121
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• of the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• killethἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
• butδέde · thenG1161
• giveth lifeζωοποιέωzōopoieō · to make aliveG2227

Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 3:6

• 2 Corinthians 5:18Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
• Matthew 13:52“Therefore,” he said to them, “every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”
• Romans 1:5Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,
• 1 Corinthians 3:5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.
• 1 Corinthians 12:28And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues.
• Ephesians 3:7I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
• Ephesians 4:11And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
• Colossians 1:25I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
• 1 Timothy 1:11that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.
• 1 Timothy 4:6If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed.
• 2 Timothy 1:11For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher,
• 2 Corinthians 3:14but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.
• Jeremiah 31:31“Look, the days are coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
• Matthew 26:28For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
• Mark 14:24He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
• Luke 22:20In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 3:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Who hath made us able ministers - This is a more formal answer to the question, Who is sufficient for these things? ̔ ; 1 Corinthians 2:16. God, says the apostle, has made us able ministers; ̔ ̔ , he has made us sufficient for these things; for the reader will observe that he uses the same word in both places. We apostles execute, under the Divine influence, what God himself has devised. We are ministers of the new covenant; of this new dispensation of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Who also hath made us able ministers … - This translation does not quite meet the force of the original. It would seem to imply that Paul regarded himself and his fellowlaborers as people of talents, and of signal ability; and that he was inclined to boast of it. But this is not the meaning. It refers properly to his sense of the responsibility and difficulty of the work of the ministry; and to the fact that he did not esteem himself to be sufficient for…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6The old written covenant refers to the law of Moses as interpreted by Jewish rabbis. It results in death for those who see it as a path to salvation. The law is good (Romans 7:12–14), but those who try to earn merit through it fail. Earning merit through the law leads to either wrongdoing or pride. In both cases, the law brings condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. able--rather, as the Greek is the same, corresponding to 2Co 3:5, translate, "sufficient as ministers" (Ep 3:7; Col 1:23). the new testament--"the new covenant" as contrasted with the Old Testament or covenant (1Co 11:25; Ga 4:24). He reverts here again to the contrast between the law on "tables of stone," and that "written by the Spirit on fleshly tables of the heart" (2Co 3:3). not of the letter--joined with "ministers"; ministers not of the mere…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Corinthians 3:6

• Gospel
• Holy Spirit
• Minister, Christian
• Quickening
• Word of God
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• New Testament
• Corinthians, Second Epistle to the
• Letter
• Plainness
• Sufficiency
• Untaken
• Able
• Bible, the
• Church
• Corinthians, Second Epistle to the

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 3

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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