2nd Corinthians Chapter 4 verse 7 Holy Bible

ASV 2ndCorinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;
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BBE 2ndCorinthians 4:7

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;
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DARBY 2ndCorinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be of God, and not from us:
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KJV 2ndCorinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
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WBT 2ndCorinthians 4:7


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WEB 2ndCorinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.
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YLT 2ndCorinthians 4:7

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us;
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2nd Corinthians 4 : 7 Bible Verse Songs

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerses 7-15. - Glory of the ministry in the midst of its weakness and suffering. Verse 7. - In earthen vessels. The glorious light which we have to show to the world is, like Gideon's torches, carried in earthen pitchers. The word skenos, vessel, is used in Mark 11:16, and "vessels of earthenware" in Revelation 2:27. St. Paul, in Acts 9:15, is called "a vessel of election," whence Dante calls him lo vas d elezione. Man can never be more than an earthen vessel, being frail and humble, and the metaphor specially suits an apostle of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:20). But when he takes the Word of life from the earthen pitcher and waves it in the air, it illuminates all on whom the light shines. No commentator seems to have seen the probable allusion to Gideon's pitchers. It is the "light," of which he has been speaking exclusively in the last verses, which constitutes the "treasure." Those who suppose that the "treasure" is gold or silver or something else of value, refer to Jeremiah 32:14, and Herod., 3:103; Pers., 'Sat.,' 2:10. The excellency; literally, the excess or abundance. Of God, and not of us; rather, of God, and not from us.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.--The imagery here begins to change. The treasure is "the knowledge of the glory of God" as possessed by the Apostle. It was the practice of Eastern kings, who stored up their treasures of gold and silver, to fill jars of earthenware with coin or bullion (Herod. iii. 103. Comp. also Jeremiah 32:14). "So," St. Paul says, in a tone of profound humility, "it is with us. In these frail bodies of ours--'earthen vessels'--we have that priceless treasure." The passage is instructive, as showing that the "vessels of wood and of earth" in 2Timothy 2:20 are not necessarily identical with those made for dishonour. The words have probably a side glance at the taunts that had been thrown out as to his bodily infirmities. "Be it so," he says; "we admit all that can be said on that score, and it is that men may see that the excellence of the power which we exercise comes from God, and not from ourselves." The words that follow, contrasting sufferings and infirmities in their manifold variety with the way in which they were borne through God's strengthening grace, show this to be the true underlying sequence of thought.