English Standard Version
2 Corinthians 4:7
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2 Corinthians 4:7 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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
Context of 2 Corinthians 4:7
5For 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. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
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 4:1Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
- Matthew 13:44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
- Ephesians 3:8To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- Colossians 1:27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
- Colossians 2:3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
- 2 Corinthians 10:10For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account."
- Judges 7:13When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat."
- Lamentations 4:2The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter's hands!
- 1 Corinthians 1:28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
- 1 Corinthians 4:9For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
- Galatians 4:13You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
- 2 Timothy 2:20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
- 2 Corinthians 12:7So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
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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