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 proclaim ourselves, but Messiah Yeshua as Lord—and ourselves as your slaves for Yeshua’s sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light 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 Messiah. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that the surpassing greatness of the power may be from God and not from ourselves. 8We are hard pressed in every way, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair; 9persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet 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 4:1For this reason, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy, we do not lose heart.
• 2 Corinthians 6:10as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything.
• Matthew 13:44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And because of his joy, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field.
• Ephesians 3:8This favor was given to me, the very least of His kedoshim, to proclaim to the Gentiles the endless riches of the Messiah
• Colossians 1:27God chose to make known to them this glorious mystery regarding the Gentiles—which is Messiah in you, the hope of glory!
• Colossians 2:3In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
• 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if the tent, our earthly home, is torn down, we have a building from God—a home not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10for they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his presence in person is weak and his speech of no account.”
• Judges 7:13Yet when Gideon came, behold, there was a man relating a dream to his fellow, saying, “Listen, I just now had a dream: there was a loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into the camp of Midian, came up to a tent and struck it so it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
• Lamentations 4:2The precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in gold— alas! now they are treated like clay jars, the work of a potter’s hands!
• 1 Corinthians 1:28and God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, the things that are as nothing, so He might bring to nothing the things that are—
• 1 Corinthians 4:9For it seems to me that God has put us, the emissaries, on display last of all—like men sentenced to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.
• Galatians 4:13you know it was because of a physical ailment that I proclaimed the Good News to you the first time;
• 2 Timothy 2:20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay—some for honor and some for common use.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.
• 2 Corinthians 12:7even in the extraordinary quality of the revelations. So that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me—a a messenger of satan to torment me, so I would not exalt 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