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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
• New Living Translation (NLT)You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Context of 2 Corinthians 4:5

3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world 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 what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to 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 he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• John 1:21And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
• John 3:27John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
• John 7:18The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
• Acts 3:12And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
• Acts 8:9But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
• Acts 10:25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
• Acts 14:11And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"
• Romans 15:17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
• 1 Corinthians 1:13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
• 1 Corinthians 3:5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
• 1 Corinthians 10:33just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
• Philippians 1:15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:5For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
• 1 Peter 5:2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
• 2 Peter 2:3And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

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