Passage
2 Corinthians 4.7
7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves; (ASV)Book: 2 Corinthians · NASB95
Immediate context (±2 verses)
ASV
5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6. Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;
- we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; 9. pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:5-9, ASV)
WEB
5. For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake; 6. seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.
- We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; 9. pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:5-9, WEB)
KJV
5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6. For 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. hath: Gr. is he who hath
7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
- We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; in despair: or, altogether without help, or, means 9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:5-9, KJV)
YLT
5. for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus, Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus; 6. because [it is] God who said, Out of darkness light [is] to shine, who did shine in our hearts, for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7. And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us;
- on every side being in tribulation, but not straitened; perplexed, but not in despair; 9. persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:5-9, YLT)
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Setting
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Theological reading
Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.
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Quoted in
Concepts:
Notes
Your annotations.
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.