New American Standard Bible 1995
2 Corinthians 4:5
5For we 1do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants 2for Jesus’ sake.
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
3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
Read all of 2 Corinthians 42 Corinthians 4:5 word by word
Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλ᾽ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 4:5
- Matthew 3:11“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
- John 1:21They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
- John 3:27John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
- John 7:18He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
- Acts 3:12But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
- Acts 8:9Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;
- Acts 10:25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
- Acts 14:11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.”
- Romans 15:17Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.
- 1 Corinthians 1:13Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
- 1 Corinthians 3:5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
- 1 Corinthians 10:33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
- Philippians 1:15Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
- 1 Thessalonians 2:5For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness--
- 1 Peter 5:2shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
- 2 Peter 2:3and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment 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
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. 2 Corinthians 4:5 1 Cor 4:15f; 1 Thess 2:6f ↩
- 2. 2 Corinthians 4:5 Two early mss read through Jesus ↩
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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries