Passage

2 Corinthians 4.17

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

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"15. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God. 16. Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day."

"17. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;"

"18. while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:15-18, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"15. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16. Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day."

"17. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;"

"18. while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:15-18, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"15. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."

"17. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

"18. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:15-18, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"15. for the all things [are] because of you, that the grace having been multiplied, because of the thanksgiving of the more, may abound to the glory of God; 16. wherefore, we faint not, but if also our outward man doth decay, yet the inward is renewed day by day;"

"17. for the momentary light matter of our tribulation, more and more exceedingly an age-during weight of glory doth work out for us --"

"18. we not looking to the things seen, but to the things not seen; for the things seen [are] temporary, but the things not seen [are] age-during." (2 Corinthians 4:15-18, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle
Audience: Christian believers in Corinth
Location: composed in Macedonia; addressed to Corinth
Time period: composed c. AD 56

Theological reading

Key words

G0166 - aionios, aionios (Strong's G166). Also appears in: Matthew 19, Matthew 25.46, Mark 3.20-30.
G1391 - doxa, doxa (Strong's G1391). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-34, Matthew 16.27, Matthew 19.

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.