New King James Version
2 Corinthians 3:8
8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
2 Corinthians 3:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
- New International Version (NIV)will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
- English Standard Version (ESV)will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
- New Living Translation (NLT)Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?
Context of 2 Corinthians 3:8
6who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.
Read all of 2 Corinthians 32 Corinthians 3:8 word by word
πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Howπῶςpōs · how?!G4459
- shallεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- notοὐχίouchi · not!G3780
- the ministrationὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the ministrationδιακονίαdiakonia · serviceG1248
- of the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
- ratherμᾶλλονmallon · moreG3123
- ·ἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- gloriousδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
Cross-references for 2 Corinthians 3:8
- 2 Corinthians 3:6who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
- 2 Corinthians 11:4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
- Isaiah 11:2The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
- Isaiah 44:3For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
- Isaiah 59:21“As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
- Joel 2:28“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- John 7:39But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
- Acts 2:17‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
- Acts 2:32This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
- Romans 8:9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
- 1 Corinthians 12:4There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
- Galatians 3:2This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
- Galatians 5:5For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
- Ephesians 2:18For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 3:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The ministration of the Spirit - The Gospel dispensation, which gives the true spiritual sense of the law. Be rather glorious? - Forasmuch as the thing signified is of infinitely more consequence than that by which it is signified. The Thing bread will preserve a man alive; the Word bread can give life to nothing.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8How shall not the ministration of the Spirit - This is an argument from the less to the greater. Several things in it are worthy of notice: (1) The proper contrast to the “ministration of death” 2 Corinthians 3:7, would have been ministration of life.‘ But Paul chose rather to call it the ministration of the spirit;‘ as the source of life; or as conferring higher dignity on the gospel than to have called it simply the ministration of life. (2) by the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-11The old covenant had moments of glory, like when the face of Moses shone from talking with the Lord (Exodus 34:29–35). The old way has been replaced by the new, eternal way (Hebrews 8:8–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. be rather glorious--literally, "be rather (that is, still more, invested) in glory." "Shall be," that is, shall be found to be in part now, but fully when the glory of Christ and His saints shall be revealed.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Corinthians 3:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Corinthians 3
- 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
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries