EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Corinthians 4:7
7God has given to us the gift to speak his message. But we ourselves are very weak. It is like we are keeping his valuable gift in clay pots. So it is clear that the great power of God's message comes from God himself. It does not come from us.
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
5We do not speak a message about ourselves. We tell people that Jesus Christ is our Lord. Because we belong to Jesus, we have become your servants, not your masters. 6God is the one who said, ‘Let light shine in the dark.’ And he is the one who has caused his light to shine deep inside us. Because of that, we know how great and powerful God is. We see that his power shines brightly in Christ's face. God has given to us the gift to speak his message. But we ourselves are very weak. It is like we are keeping his valuable gift in clay pots. So it is clear that the great power of God's message comes from God himself. It does not come from us. 8We receive trouble all the time, but that does not stop us. We do not always know what to do, but we are not afraid to continue. 9We have many enemies, but we always have friends. People hurt us, but they never destroy us.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- we haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- treasureὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- treasureθησαυρόςthēsauros · treasureG2344
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- earthenὀστράκινοςostrakinos · clayG3749
- vesselsσκεῦοςskeuos · vesselG4632
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- the excellencyὑπερβολήhuperbolē · surpassingG5236
- of the powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
- may beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- notμήmē · notG3361
- ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 4:7
- 2 Corinthians 4:1God has given us this work to speak his message. Because he has been so kind to us, we are not afraid to continue.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10We seem to be sad, but really we are always happy. We seem to be poor, but we make many people rich. We seem to have nothing, but really we have everything.
- Matthew 13:44‘I can tell you again what the kingdom of heaven is like,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like some valuable things that a man buried in a field. Another man found it, but then he covered it over again with dirt. The second man was very happy and he went away. He sold everything that he had. Then he went and bought the field with the valuable things in it.’
- Ephesians 3:8I am the least important of all God's people. But God has given this special work to me because he is so kind. He has sent me to tell his good news to the Gentiles. Then they know about the many valuable things that Christ has prepared for us.
- Colossians 1:27God wanted them to understand how great this secret is. It shows that God will bless people who live in all countries of the world. This secret message is that Christ lives in you. And because of that, you know that you will live with God in heaven one day.
- Colossians 2:3Christ is the one who holds everything that makes people wise. He helps people to know the true message that God had hidden.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1Our bodies are like a tent that we live in here on earth. One day, that home will come to an end. But we know that God will give us a new home. It is not a house that a human builder has built. God has built it for us in heaven and we will live there for ever.
- 2 Corinthians 10:10Some people say: ‘Paul's letters are powerful and they say strong things. But when he himself is here with us, he seems to be weak. And the words that he speaks have no value.’
- Judges 7:13When Gideon came nearer, he heard a Midianite soldier tell his friend about a dream. The soldier said, ‘In my dream, I saw a loaf of bread that was rolling into our camp. It hit one of our tents and it knocked the tent down to the ground!’
- Lamentations 4:2Jerusalem's men were valuable, like the best gold. Now they lie in the streets, because God has broken them. They are like common pots that a potter makes.
- 1 Corinthians 1:28God chose to use things that people think are useless. People who belong to this world do not like those things. They think that they have no value. God did this so that the things that seem important would become unimportant.
- 1 Corinthians 4:9This is what I think: as apostles, God has put us last of everyone. People see us like we are prisoners at the end of the line. They are taking us to die in a public place. Everybody in the world has come to look at us, both people and angels.
- Galatians 4:13You must remember that I first came to you because I was ill. That was when I first told God's good news to you.
- 2 Timothy 2:20In a big house, there are different kinds of dishes. There are some dishes that people have made from gold or from silver. They see those dishes as valuable things. There are also dishes that people have made from wood or from clay. Those dishes are not special things and they may get dirty.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5We know that we cannot do this work by ourselves. We never think that. But God makes us able to do it.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7Yes, God did show me many things that were very special. But he did not want me to be proud because of that. So he gave me a pain in my body, like a sharp thorn. Satan uses that pain to give me much trouble. It is like Satan's angel that he sends to hurt me. That certainly stops me from being proud of myself!
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
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