2 Corinthians 4:7

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

5For 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 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

• But we haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• treasureθησαυρόςthēsauros · treasureG2344
• earthenὀστράκινοςostrakinos · clayG3749
• vesselsσκεῦοςskeuos · vesselG4632
• soἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• that the surpassingὑπερβολήhuperbolē · surpassingG5236
• the powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• will be of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• and not from ourselvesἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 4:7

• 2 Corinthians 4:1Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,
• 2 Corinthians 6:10as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
• Matthew 13:44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
• Ephesians 3:8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
• Colossians 1:27to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, 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 earthly tent which is our house is torn down, 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 personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
• Judges 7:13When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it 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, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!
• 1 Corinthians 1:28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,
• 1 Corinthians 4:9For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
• Galatians 4:13but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time;
• 2 Timothy 2:20Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
• 2 Corinthians 12:7Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting 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

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Man
• Minister, Christian
• Treasure

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Earthen Vessels
• Corinthians, Second Epistle to the
• Craftiness
• Despair
• Dishonesty
• Distress
• Light
• Temporal

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