2 Corinthians / Chapter 4

2 Corinthians 4

18 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Paul continues defending his ministry by insisting on transparency and rejecting shameful, underhanded methods. The gospel is veiled only to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded. Paul proclaims not himself but Christ Jesus as Lord, for the same God who said 'Let light shine out of darkness' has shone in the hearts of believers to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Christ. This treasure, however, is held in 'jars of clay,' so that the surpassing power belongs to God, not to the apostles. Paul catalogs his afflictions — pressed but not crushed, struck down but not destroyed — always carrying the death of Jesus in his body so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed. The chapter closes with the contrast between the outer self wasting away and the inner self being renewed daily, and between the momentary lightness of affliction and the eternal weight of glory.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The 'jars of clay' metaphor (v. 7) is one of Paul's most enduring images. Clay pots were the cheapest, most fragile, most disposable containers in the ancient world — they held oil for lamps, stored provisions, and were easily shattered. Paul insists that the fragility of the human vessel is not a liability but the very means by which God's power is displayed. The paradoxes of verses 8-9 ('afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed') form one of the great catalogs of apostolic endurance. The closing contrast between momentary affliction and eternal glory (v. 17) uses the language of weight: the 'light' burden of suffering is contrasted with the 'weight' (baros) of glory — the Hebrew word for glory (kavod) derives from the root meaning 'heavy.'

Translation Friction

The phrase 'the god of this age' (v. 4) is the only place in the New Testament where Satan is given this title, though the concept appears elsewhere (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2). Some patristic interpreters took 'god' as a reference to the true God who blinded unbelievers in judgment, but the context strongly favors Satan as the referent. The phrase 'always carrying in the body the death of Jesus' (v. 10) is distinct from Paul's usual 'dying with Christ' language and may refer to the physical toll of apostolic ministry.

Connections

The creation-light imagery (v. 6) echoes Genesis 1:3 and Isaiah 9:2. The 'jars of clay' connects to the potter-clay imagery of Isaiah 29:16, 45:9, and Jeremiah 18. The death-life paradox anticipates the extended treatment in chapter 5. The 'eternal weight of glory' echoes the Hebrew kavod theology of the Old Testament. The catalog of sufferings connects to the longer lists in 6:4-10 and 11:23-33.

2 Corinthians 4:1

Διὰ τοῦτο, ἔχοντες τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην καθὼς ἠλεήθημεν, οὐκ ἐγκακοῦμεν,

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy we received, we do not lose heart.

KJV Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb engkakoumen ('lose heart, become discouraged, grow weary') is the letter's refrain (also in v. 16). Paul's perseverance is grounded not in personal resilience but in divine mercy (eleēthēmen, 'we were shown mercy' — a divine passive).
2 Corinthians 4:2

ἀλλ' ἀπειπάμεθα τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης, μὴ περιπατοῦντες ἐν πανουργίᾳ μηδὲ δολοῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας συνιστάνοντες ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς πᾶσαν συνείδησιν ἀνθρώπων ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.

But we have renounced shameful, hidden things, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the open display of the truth commending ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

KJV But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb dolountes ('adulterating, falsifying, corrupting') recalls the 'peddlers' of 2:17 and the wine-merchant metaphor. Paul contrasts hidden deception with open manifestation (phanērōsis) — the transparency theme of chapter 3 continues. The phrase 'in the sight of God' (enōpion tou theou) places all ministry under divine scrutiny.
2 Corinthians 4:3

εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν κεκαλυμμένον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις ἐστὶν κεκαλυμμένον,

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

KJV But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul takes up the veil imagery from chapter 3 and applies it to the gospel itself. The perfect participle kekalymmenon ('having been veiled') indicates a settled state. The present participle apollymenois ('perishing') echoes 2:15 and indicates an ongoing condition, not a final verdict.
2 Corinthians 4:4

ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων εἰς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ.

In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

KJV In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

εἰκών eikōn
"image" — image, likeness, representation, visible manifestation

More than a mere copy — in Greek philosophical usage, the eikōn participates in the reality it represents. Christ as the image of God means he is the visible manifestation of the invisible God.

Translator Notes

  1. The title 'the god of this age' (ho theos tou aiōnos toutou) refers to Satan, who exercises a usurped authority over the present evil age. Christ is called 'the image of God' (eikōn tou theou), a title with profound theological implications — it echoes Genesis 1:26-27 (humanity made in God's image) and anticipates Colossians 1:15. What was lost in Adam is perfectly realized in Christ.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Genesis 1:26-27. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
2 Corinthians 4:5

οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλ' Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus's sake.

KJV For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The double self-reference creates a deliberate contrast: Paul does not preach himself (as subject of the message) but presents himself as a servant (doulos, 'slave') of the Corinthians. The confession 'Jesus Christ as Lord' (Iēsoun Christon kyrion) is the earliest Christian creed (cf. Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11).
2 Corinthians 4:6

ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπών· ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψει, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul connects creation (Genesis 1:3) to conversion: the same God who spoke light into being at creation has illuminated the believer's heart. The phrase 'in the face of Jesus Christ' (en prosōpō Iēsou Christou) circles back to Moses's veiled face (3:7, 13) — what was hidden behind Moses's veil is now openly revealed in Christ's face. The chain of genitives ('the light of the knowledge of the glory of God') is theologically dense: God's glory is known and that knowledge illuminates.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 1:3. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
2 Corinthians 4:7

Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν·

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.

KJV But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ὀστράκινος ostrakinos
"clay" — earthen, made of clay, made of pottery

Derived from ostrakon ('potsherd, clay fragment'). Clay pots were the humblest vessels in the ancient household. Paul uses the image to emphasize that the treasure of the gospel is carried in fragile, perishable human bodies.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'treasure' (thēsauros) is the gospel, the light of verse 6. The 'jars of clay' (ostrakinois skeuesin) were the cheapest containers in the ancient world — fragile, disposable, and utterly ordinary. The purpose clause (hina) reveals that human fragility is by divine design: the weakness of the vessel makes the power of God unmistakable. This is the thesis statement of 2 Corinthians' theology of weakness.
2 Corinthians 4:8

ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι, ἀπορούμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξαπορούμενοι,

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair,

KJV We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The first pair of paradoxes begins the catalog. The verbs thlibomenoi ('pressed, afflicted') and stenochoroumenoi ('crushed, hemmed in, confined') share a physical-pressure metaphor — squeezed but not compressed to the breaking point. The second pair uses aporoumenoi ('at a loss, perplexed') and exaporoumenoi ('utterly at a loss, in despair') — the same root intensified with the prefix ex-.
2 Corinthians 4:9

διωκόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, καταβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι,

We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down but never destroyed.

KJV Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The third pair — 'persecuted but not forsaken' (diōkomenoi all' ouk engkataleipomenoi) — echoes Psalm 22:1 (LXX 21:2), where the psalmist cries out to a God who has not forsaken him. The fourth — 'struck down but not destroyed' — uses military imagery. Each pair insists on the same point: suffering is real but never final.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Psalm 22:1. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
2 Corinthians 4:10

πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν φανερωθῇ.

At all times bearing concerning in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

KJV Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word nekrōsin ('death, dying, putting to death') is stronger than 'dying' — it denotes the state of death itself. Paul's physical body bears the marks of Jesus's death (through persecution and suffering), and this very participation in Christ's death becomes the means through which Christ's resurrection life is manifested. The logic is profoundly incarnational: the gospel is displayed through the apostle's body.
2 Corinthians 4:11

ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ φανερωθῇ ἐν τῇ θνητῇ σαρκὶ ἡμῶν.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus's sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

KJV For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul restates verse 10 with greater specificity: 'we who are alive' (hēmeis hoi zōntes) emphasizes the paradox — they are living people constantly handed over to death. The phrase 'mortal flesh' (thnētē sarki) emphasizes the vulnerability of the body through which divine life is displayed.
2 Corinthians 4:12

ὥστε ὁ θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.

KJV So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This compressed sentence captures the vicarious logic of apostolic ministry: Paul's dying produces the Corinthians' living. The verb energeitai ('is at work, is operative') treats death as an active force, not a passive condition. The exchange — death in the apostle, life in the church — mirrors the pattern of Christ's own death-for-others.
2 Corinthians 4:13

ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα, καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν,

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written — "I believed, and so I spoke" — we also believe, and so we also speak,

KJV We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul quotes Psalm 116:10 (LXX 115:1), a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from death. The 'spirit of faith' connects the psalmist's experience to Paul's own: both believed in the midst of suffering and therefore spoke. Faith compels proclamation, not silence.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 116:10 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
2 Corinthians 4:14

εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ καὶ παραστήσει σὺν ὑμῖν.

Being aware that he which raised up the Lord Jesus will raise up us also by Jesus, and will present us with you.

KJV Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The resurrection of Jesus is the ground of Paul's confidence: the same God who raised Jesus will raise his servants. The verb parastēsei ('will present, will bring before') suggests a formal presentation before God — the eschatological counterpart to the present suffering. The phrase 'with you' (syn hymin) includes the Corinthians in this future hope.
2 Corinthians 4:15

τὰ γὰρ πάντα δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσασα διὰ τῶν πλειόνων τὴν εὐχαριστίαν περισσεύσῃ εἰς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ.

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

KJV For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul envisions a cascade: grace reaches more people, who give more thanks, which increases God's glory. The verb pleonasasa ('having increased, having extended') and perisseuē ('may overflow, may abound') are both words of surplus and abundance, characteristic of Paul's theology of grace.
2 Corinthians 4:16

Διὸ οὐκ ἐγκακοῦμεν, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἡμῶν ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

KJV For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The refrain 'we do not lose heart' (ouk engkakoumen) echoes verse 1, forming an inclusio. The contrast between the 'outer person' (exō anthrōpos) and the 'inner person' (esō anthrōpos) is not a Platonic body-soul dualism but a distinction between the visible, mortal dimension of existence and the Spirit-renewed core that is being transformed (3:18). The phrase 'day by day' (hēmera kai hēmera) emphasizes the dailiness of renewal.
2 Corinthians 4:17

τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν,

For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase kath' hyperbolēn eis hyperbolēn ('beyond all measure to beyond all measure') piles superlatives to describe the incomparability of future glory. The word baros ('weight, heaviness') is deliberately contrasted with elaphron ('light') — affliction is light, but glory is heavy. This is a theological wordplay rooted in the Hebrew kavod ('glory'), which derives from the root kaved ('heavy'). The verb katergazetai ('is producing, is working out') indicates that present suffering actively generates future glory.
2 Corinthians 4:18

μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια.

While we pay attention not at the matters which are seen, but at the matters which are not seen — for the matters which are seen are temporal. But the matters which are not seen are eternal.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The paradox of 'looking at what is unseen' is intentional: Paul inverts normal epistemology. The verb skopountōn ('looking at, fixing attention on, aiming at') implies deliberate focus, not passive sight. The visible world (suffering, decay, death) is proskaira ('temporary, for a season'), while the invisible world (glory, resurrection, God's presence) is aiōnia ('eternal'). This is not Platonic idealism but eschatological realism — the unseen things are more real because they endure.
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