2 COR 4:7 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the surpassing greatness of the power might be from God and not from us;

UST We experience and proclaim these wonderful things, but we ourselves are weak and worthless. That way, it is clear that God causes these things to be so powerful, not we.

BLB Now we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be from God, and not from us,

AICNT But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us;

OEB ¶ This treasure we have in these earthen vessels, so that its all-prevailing power may be seen to come from God, and not to be our own.

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

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

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

FBV But we have this treasure in clay jars, to show that this supreme power comes from God and not from ourselves.

TCNT But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this extraordinary power is from God and not from us.

T4T This work that God has given to us (exc) is [MET] like a very valuable treasure. But we who have that treasure are as weak as fragile [MET] clay pots. God has planned it like that in order that people will know that the power that changes lives is God’s power, and not any power of our own.

LEB ¶ But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us.

BBE 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;

Moff But I possess this treasure in a frail vessel of earth, to show that the transcending power belongs to God, not to myself;

Wymth But we have this treasure in a fragile vase of clay, in order that the surpassing greatness of the power may be seen to belong to God, and not to originate in us.

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

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

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

Drby But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be of [fn]God, and not from us:

4.7 Elohim

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

SLT And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the eminence of power be of God, and not of us.

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

KJB-1769 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

KJB-1611 But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of the power may be of God, and not of vs.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of the power be Gods, and not ours.
(But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power be Gods, and not ours.)

Gnva But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of that power might be of God, and not of vs.
(But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of that power might be of God, and not of us. )

Cvdl But this treasure haue we in earthen vessels, that ye power which excelleth might be of God, and not of vs.
(But this treasure have we in earthen vessels, that ye/you_all power which excelleth might be of God, and not of us.)

TNT But we have this treasure in erthe vessels that the excellent power of it myght appere to be of God and not of vs.
(But we have this treasure in earth vessels that the excellent power of it might appear to be of God and not of us. )

Wycl And we han this tresour in britil vessels, that the worthinesse be of Goddis vertu, and not of vs.
(And we have this treasure in britil vessels, that the worthiness be of God’s virtue, and not of us.)

Luth Wir haben aber solchen Schatz in irdischen Gefäßen, auf daß die überschwengliche Kraft sei Gottes und nicht von uns.
(We have but such treasure(n) in earthly vessels/containers, on/in/to that the in_abundancee strength/power be God’s and not from us/to_us/ourselves.)

ClVg Habemus autem thesaurum istum in vasis fictilibus: ut sublimitas sit virtutis Dei, et non ex nobis.[fn]
(Habemus however treasure that in/into/on vessels fictilibus: as sublimity/loftiness be of_virtue of_God, and not/no from us. )

4.7 Habemus. Hactenus de altitudine scientiæ egit: hic de fragilitate carnis, quæ est ad gloriam, etsi contra videatur. Thesaurum. Sacramentum Dei, quod fidelibus erogatur, perfidis absconditur; esse thesaurum affirmat.

4.7 Habemus. Hactenus from/about height of_knowledge acted: this/here from/about fragilitate of_flesh, which it_is to glory, even_though on_the_contrary it_seems. Thesaurum. Sacramentum of_God, that to_the_faithful I_will_begatur, perfidis hidur; to_be treasure affirmat.

UGNT ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν;
(eⱪomen de ton thaʸsauron touton en ostrakinois skeuesin, hina haʸ huperbolaʸ taʸs dunameōs aʸ tou Theou, kai maʸ ex haʸmōn;)

SBL-GNT Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν·
(Eⱪomen de ton thaʸsauron touton en ostrakinois skeuesin, hina haʸ huperbolaʸ taʸs dunameōs aʸ tou theou kai maʸ ex haʸmōn;)

RP-GNT Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν·
(Eⱪomen de ton thaʸsauron touton en ostrakinois skeuesin, hina haʸ huperbolaʸ taʸs dunameōs aʸ tou theou, kai maʸ ex haʸmōn;)

TC-GNT Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν·
(Eⱪomen de ton thaʸsauron touton en ostrakinois skeuesin, hina haʸ huperbolaʸ taʸs dunameōs aʸ tou Theou, kai maʸ ex haʸmōn; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:7–18: Although our bodies are weak, our message is powerful

In this section, Paul continued to speak of the difficulties that he and the other evangelists encountered as they did the work of the new covenant. He referred to their bodies as jars of clay (4:7a), which are easily shattered. He said this to show that our human nature is weak and easily fails as we follow God. But Paul was also encouraged that God enabled him to do the work of the new covenant in spite of great difficulties (4:7b–9).

He wrote that he and the other evangelists experienced things similar to what Jesus experienced before he died, but those experiences showed to other people how Jesus lived (4:10–11). He wrote that the believers experienced the good effects of Jesus’ life (4:12). He supported his ministry of preaching with a quote from the Old Testament (4:13), and he explained the promise there (4:14). He wrote that their ministry benefited the believers in Corinth and others as well (4:15).

Lastly, Paul wrote how they continue in spite of the difficulties (4:16–18).

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Spiritual Treasure in Clay Jars (NCV)

Even though our bodies are weak, God gives us strength to tell the gospel

A glorious, powerful message taught by weak messengers

4:7a

Now we have this treasure in jars of clay

¶ But we^(excl) have that valuable thing in jars/containers of clay
¶ We have that spiritual treasure in us weak humans who are like clay pots.

Now: The conjunction that the BSB translates as Now here can also be translated as “But.” It indicates that there is a contrast between the statement that we understand God’s glory (4:6c) and our weakness as humans to follow God.

we: Paul wrote in this section about his experiences with his fellow apostles and evangelists. The believers in Corinth did not experience these things. But some of the truths in this section can apply to believers.

this treasure: The word this indicates that the word treasure refers to “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (4:6c). Refer back to 4:6 in your translation. For example:

that treasure

treasure: This word refers to things that are very valuable. Here the word is a metaphor and refers to the gospel and the knowledge of it (4:6b–c). In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer only to physical treasure. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Use a word or phrase that can refer to the gospel and the knowledge of it. For example:
valuable thing
thing like a treasure
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
spiritual treasure (GNT)
gospel, which is very valuable like a treasure
Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:
This word refers to the gospel and the knowledge of it (4:6).

in jars of clay: This phrase is also a metaphor. It refers to human nature and indicates that human nature is weak. A clay jar is easily broken. In the same way, people can be hurt or damaged in the face of great difficulties. But God empowered Paul and the others to survive all these difficulties.

In some languages a literal translation would not indicate the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Change it to a simile. For example:
in us as in jars of clay
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
in us weak humans who are like jars of clay
Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:
This phrase refers to human nature and indicates that human nature is weak.
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
in us weak humans You may then want to explain the literal phrase in a footnote. For example:
Literally “in jars of clay.” This phrase refers to human nature and indicates that human nature is weak.

jars of clay: This phrase refers to containers made of a kind of earth that is soft and can be made into various shapes. It becomes hard when dried. People take clay and make bowls and bottles and other things. For example:

earthenware jars (REB)

jars: This word refers generally to any kind of container. It might hold grain or water or something else. Other ways to translate this word are:

pots (GNT)

vessels (RSV)

4:7b

to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.

to reveal that the superior power within us is from God and not from us.
This shows that the treasure’s power which is best/supreme comes from God and does not come from us.

this surpassingly great power: The Greek phrase is literally “the excellence of the power.” The word “excellence” indicates that the power is a better kind of power than any other kind of power. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the surpassing greatness of the power (NASB)

the supreme power (GNT)

this extraordinary power (NRSV)

The phrase refers to the power of the gospel as revealed in miracles and so forth. For example:

this extraordinary power within us

the superior power of this treasure (GW)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔχομεν Δέ τόν θησαυρόν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολή τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μή ἐξ ἡμῶν)

Here, the word But contrasts the “glory of God” from the previous verse with how Paul and his fellow workers are clay jars. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a contrast, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [However,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἔχομεν & τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν

˱we˲_˓are˒_having & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔχομεν Δέ τόν θησαυρόν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολή τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μή ἐξ ἡμῶν)

Here Paul speaks of the knowledge about God’s glory as if it were a treasure, that is, something that is very valuable. He speaks of himself and those who proclaim the gospel as if they were clay jars, which are not valuable and can break easily. He speaks in this way to contrast how valuable and long-lasting the gospel is (the treasure) with how worthless and weak he and those who preach the gospel with him are in comparison (clay jars). If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain the figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [we have these riches in disposable containers] or [we have this valuable gospel as weak and worthless people]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον

Here, the word this identifies the treasure as “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (See: [4:6](../04/06.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could make explicit what this refers to. Alternate translation: [the treasure of the knowledge of the glory of God] or [that treasure]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν

earthen vessels

Here, the word jars refers to any type of container that is meant to hold something else. The word clay refers to dirt or mud, which was used to make inexpensive and fragile containers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use words that refer to containers made out of cheap and weak material. Alternate translation: [inexpensive containers] or [fragile and cheap vessels]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως

the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔχομεν Δέ τόν θησαυρόν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολή τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μή ἐξ ἡμῶν)

Here Paul uses the possessive form to characterize the power as something with surpassing greatness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the surpassing greatness that characterizes the power] or [the surpassingly great power]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of greatness and power, you could express the ideas by using adjectives such as “great” and “powerful.” Alternate translation: [how surpassingly great and powerful these things are]

Parallel 2 COR 4:7

Section 4:7–18: Although our bodies are weak, our message is powerful

4:7a

4:7b

Parallel 2 COR 4:7