2 Corinthians 4:7-12

An Eternal Weight of Glory

4:7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power ¹  belongs to God and does not come from us. 4:8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, ²  but are not crushed; we are perplexed, ³  but not driven to despair; 4:9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; ⁴  we are knocked down, ⁵  but not destroyed, 4:10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, ⁶  so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible ⁷  in our body. 4:11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible ⁸  in our mortal body. ⁹  4:12 As a result, ¹⁰  death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ¹¹ 

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

6:4 But as God’s servants, ¹²  we have commended ourselves in every way, ¹³  with great endurance, in persecutions, ¹⁴  in difficulties, in distresses, 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, ¹⁵  in troubles, ¹⁶  in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6:6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, ¹⁷  by genuine ¹⁸  love, 6:7 by truthful ¹⁹  teaching, ²⁰  by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, ²¹  6:8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, ²²  and yet true; 6:9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged ²³  and yet not executed; 6:10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

12:7 even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, ²⁴  so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble ²⁵  me – so that I would not become arrogant. ²⁶  12:8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 12:9 But ²⁷  he said to me, “My grace is enough ²⁸  for you, for my ²⁹  power is made perfect ³⁰  in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly ³¹  about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in ³²  me. 12:10 Therefore I am content with ³³  weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties ³⁴  for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

[4:7]  ¹ tn Grk “the surpassingness of the power”; δυνάμεως (dunamew") has been translated as an attributed genitive (“extraordinary power”).

[4:8]  ² tn Grk “we are hard pressed [by crowds] on every side.”

[4:8]  ³ tn Or “at a loss.”

[4:9]  ³ tn Or “forsaken.”

[4:9]  ⁴ tn Or “badly hurt.” It is possible to interpret καταβαλλόμενοι (kataballomenoi) here as “badly hurt”: “[we are] badly hurt, but not destroyed” (L&N 20.21).

[4:10]  ⁴ tn The first clause of 2 Cor 4:10 is elliptical and apparently refers to the fact that Paul was constantly in danger of dying in the same way Jesus died (by violence at least). According to L&N 23.99 it could be translated, “at all times we live in the constant threat of being killed as Jesus was.”

[4:10]  ⁵ tn Or “may also be revealed.”

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Or “may also be revealed.”

[4:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “mortal flesh.”

[4:12]  ⁶ tn Or “So then.”

[4:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “death is at work in us, but life in you”; the phrase “is at work in” is repeated in the translation for clarity.

[6:4]  ⁷ tn Or “ministers.”

[6:4]  ⁸ tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”

[6:4]  ⁹ tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”

[6:5]  ⁸ tn Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).

[6:5]  ⁹ tn Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.

[6:6]  ⁹ tn Or “by holiness of spirit.”

[6:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “sincere.”

[6:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alhqeias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).

[6:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.

[6:7]  ¹² tn The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).

[6:8]  ¹¹ tn Or “regarded as deceivers.”

[6:9]  ¹² tn Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).

[12:7]  ¹³ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁶ D Ψ 1881 Ï) lack διό (dio, “Therefore”), but the widespread distribution and quality of mss which include it (א A B F G 0243 33 81 1175 1739 pc) argues for its authenticity. Internally, its case is equally strong in that its inclusion is grammatically rough (διό is hardly necessary to convey purpose, especially since Paul uses ἵνα [{ina, “so that”] next).

[12:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to harass.”

[12:7]  ¹⁵ tn The phrase “so that I might not become arrogant” is repeated here because it occurs in the Greek text two times in the verse. Although redundant, it is repeated because of the emphatic nature of its affirmation.

[12:9]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.

[12:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or “is sufficient.”

[12:9]  ¹⁶ tc The majority of later mss (א² A^c D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï) as well as some versional witnesses include the pronoun “my” here, but the omission of the pronoun has excellent external support (Ì^46vid א* A* B D* F G latt). Scribes probably added the pronoun for clarity, making the obvious referent explicit. This would also make “power” more parallel with “my grace.” Though the original text probably did not include “my,” scribes who added the word were following the sense of Paul’s statement.

[12:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”

[12:9]  ¹⁸ tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.

[12:9]  ¹⁹ tn Or “may rest on.”

[12:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “I take delight in.”

[12:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “calamities.”