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.
• 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.
• 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 preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; 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

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, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
• 2 Corinthians 6:10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
• Matthew 13:44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
• Ephesians 3:8Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
• Colossians 1:27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches 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 earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
• Judges 7:13Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
• Lamentations 4:2How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!
• 1 Corinthians 1:28God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
• 1 Corinthians 4:9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.
• Galatians 4:13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you,
• 2 Timothy 2:20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
• 2 Corinthians 12:7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

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