Passage

2 Corinthians 10.4

Book: 2 Corinthians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"2. yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh"

"4. (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds),"

"5. casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6. and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full." (2 Corinthians 10:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. Yes, I beg you that I may not, when present, show courage with the confidence with which I intend to be bold against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh. 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh;"

"4. for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,"

"5. throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6. and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience will be made full." (2 Corinthians 10:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ^{think: or, reckon} 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:"

"4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ^{through God: or, to God}"

"5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; ^{imaginations: or, reasonings} 6. And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. and I beseech [you], that, being present, I may not have courage, with the confidence with which I reckon to be bold against certain reckoning us as walking according to the flesh; 3. for walking in the flesh, not according to the flesh do we war,"

"4. for the weapons of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful to God for bringing down of strongholds,"

"5. reasonings bringing down, and every high thing lifted up against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Christ, 6. and being in readiness to avenge every disobedience, whenever your obedience may be fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:2-6, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul of Tarsus, dictating to an amanuensis (probably Timothy or Titus)
Audience: the church at Corinth, defending Paul's apostolic authority against rival super-apostles
Location: written from Macedonia
Time period: c. AD 55-57

Theological reading

2 Cor 10:4 is the NT's principal spiritualization of the OT herem-warfare category: what is to be destroyed by the believer's warfare is not human beings but every lofty thing raised against the knowledge of God. Deployed in the Canaanite Conquest and Herem defeater as the canonical-trajectory anchor for the apologetic that Christianity does not endorse the conquest as the ethical ceiling. For full theological treatment, see Lesson 4.3, Old Testament Difficulties. The book of 2 Corinthians hub (2 Corinthians) provides higher-level theological context.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.