2 Corinthians 4:5

2 Corinthians 4:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
• New International Version (NIV)For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

Context of 2 Corinthians 4:5

3But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. 6For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 7Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

2 Corinthians 4:5 word by word

Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλ᾽ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• we preachκηρύσσωkērussō · to preachG2784
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ourselvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• andδέde · thenG1161
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• servantsδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
• forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223

Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 4:5

• Matthew 3:11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• John 1:21“What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he said. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered.
• John 3:27John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.
• John 7:18The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
• Acts 3:12When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?
• Acts 8:9A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.
• Acts 10:25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.
• Acts 14:11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”
• Romans 15:17Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God.
• 1 Corinthians 1:13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?
• 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 10:33just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
• Philippians 1:15To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:5For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives — God is our witness —
• 1 Peter 5:2Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly;
• 2 Peter 2:3They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 4:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For we preach not ourselves - We neither proclaim our own wisdom nor power; we have nothing but what we have received; we do not wish to establish our own authority, nor to procure our own emolument. But Christ Jesus the Lord - We proclaim the author of this glorious Gospel as Christ, ̔ , the same as המשיח hammashiach, the Messiah, the Anointed One; him of whom the prophets wrote; and who is the expectation, as he is the glory, of Israel, We proclaim him…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5For we preach not ourselves - The connection here is not very apparent, and the design of this verse has been variously understood. The connection seems to me to be this. Paul gives here a reason for what he had said in the previous parts of the Epistle respecting his conduct in the ministry. He had said that his course had been open, and pure, and free from all dishonest arts and tricks, and that he had not corrupted the Word of God, or resorted to any…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord: See also Romans 10:9–10; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Colossians 2:6.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. For--Their blindness is not our fault, as if we had self-seeking aims in our preaching. preach ... Christ ... the Lord--rather, "Christ as Lord," and ourselves as your servants, &c. "Lord," or "Master," is the correlative term to "servants."Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Corinthians 4:5

• Love
• Minister, Christian
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Christ, Jesus
• Corinthians, Second Epistle to the
• Craftiness
• Despair
• Dishonesty
• Distress

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