God’s Word Translation
2 Corinthians 4:7
7Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn’t 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
5Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake. 6We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face. Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. 8In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up. 9We’re persecuted, but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured, but we’re not killed.
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 4:1We don’t become discouraged, since God has given us this ministry through his mercy.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10People think we are sad although we’re always glad, that we’re beggars although we make many people spiritually rich, that we have nothing although we possess everything.
- Matthew 13:44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man discovered it, he buried it again. He was so delighted with it that he went away, sold everything he had, and bought that field.
- Ephesians 3:8I am the least of all God’s people. Yet, God showed me his kindness by allowing me to spread the Good News of the immeasurable wealth of Christ to people who are not Jewish.
- Colossians 1:27God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery—which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.
- Colossians 2:3God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1We know that if the life we live here on earth is ever taken down like a tent, we still have a building from God. It is an eternal house in heaven that isn’t made by human hands.
- 2 Corinthians 10:10I know that someone is saying that my letters are powerful and strong, but that I’m a weakling and a terrible speaker.
- Judges 7:13When Gideon got there, he heard a man telling his friend a dream. The man said, “I had a strange dream. There was a loaf of barley bread rolling around in the camp of Midian. When it got to the command post, the loaf of bread hit that tent so hard that the tent collapsed, turned upside down, and fell flat.”
- Lamentations 4:2“Zion’s precious children, who are worth their weight in fine gold, are now treated like clay pots, like those made by a potter’s hands.
- 1 Corinthians 1:28God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something.
- 1 Corinthians 4:9As I see it, God has placed us apostles last in line, like people condemned to die. We have become a spectacle for people and angels to look at.
- Galatians 4:13You know that the first time I brought you the Good News I was ill.
- 2 Timothy 2:20In a large house there are not only objects made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some objects are honored when they are used; others aren’t.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5By ourselves we are not qualified in any way to claim that we can do anything. Rather, God makes us qualified.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7especially because of the excessive number of revelations that I’ve had. Therefore, to keep me from becoming conceited, I am forced to deal with a recurring problem. That problem, Satan’s messenger, torments me to keep me from being 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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