Devine Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:7

What does 2 Corinthians 4:7 mean?

A plain-English look at 2 Corinthians 4:7 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What 2 Corinthians 4:7 means

The gospel and the knowledge of God’s glory are a priceless “treasure,” yet God places this treasure in “earthen vessels”—ordinary, breakable people. The design is deliberate: the overwhelming greatness of the power is shown to be God’s, not the messenger’s. Human weakness is not a barrier to God’s purposes but a stage upon which His strength is displayed. This perspective explains Paul’s endurance amid suffering: the jar may be chipped, but the treasure remains untouched. Ministry, then, is not about showcasing the container; it is about revealing the surpassing power within, so that praise goes to God rather than to human skill or stature.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;

KJV

King James Version · 1611

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

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God;

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

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

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be ofGod, and not from us:

Context

After describing God’s heart-illumining work (verse 6), Paul turns to the nature of the minister. The contrast between treasure and clay prepares for the catalog of afflictions in verses 8–9, showing how fragility meets divine preservation. This verse undergirds the entire defense of Paul’s ministry against those who despised his weaknesses. It anticipates the following paradoxes—hard-pressed yet not crushed—that demonstrate exactly how God’s power carries frail servants. The flow intensifies the theme: weak vessels, strong God, ongoing endurance.

v.6Seeing 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.

v.7This passage

v.8we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair;

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • 2 Corinthians 3:5

    not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;

  • 2 Corinthians 4:1

    Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:

  • Lamentations 4:2

    The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

  • Matthew 13:52

    And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

  • Colossians 2:3

    in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.

  • 1 Corinthians 4:9

    For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.

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