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 preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast 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

• 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 seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
• 2 Corinthians 6:10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
• Matthew 13:44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
• Ephesians 3:8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
• Colossians 1:27To whom God would 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 hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
• Judges 7:13And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the army of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
• Lamentations 4:2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
• 1 Corinthians 1:28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
• 1 Corinthians 4:9For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
• Galatians 4:13Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
• 2 Timothy 2:20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
• 2 Corinthians 12:7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

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