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.
• 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

3But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. 7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from 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 the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• John 1:21So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No!”
• John 3:27John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.
• John 7:18The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
• Acts 3:12When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety?
• Acts 8:9Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.
• Acts 10:25So when Peter came in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.
• Acts 14:11So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”
• Romans 15:17So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God.
• 1 Corinthians 1:13Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?
• 1 Corinthians 3:5What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.
• 1 Corinthians 10:33just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
• Philippians 1:15Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:5For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness –
• 1 Peter 5:2Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
• 2 Peter 2:3And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; 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