For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
What does 2 Corinthians 4:17 mean?
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 2 Corinthians 4:13-17 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; For our light affliction - This verse, with the following, is designed to show further the sources of consolation and support which Paul and his fellow-laborers had in their many trials. Bloomfield remarks on this passage, that "in energy and beauty of expression, it is little inferior to any in Demosthenes himself, to whom, indeed, and to Thucydides in his orations, the style of the apostle, when it rises to the oratorical, bears no slight resemblance.
Key words
- hyperbole
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hyperbole. In the New Testament it means excess, excellence, eminence; see 2 Corinthians 4:7 .
- affliction
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The present state is a state of "affliction".
- worketh
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Now the present affliction of the people of God has a considerable influence upon this; it is said here, that it worketh for us this glory.
Context in 2 Corinthians 4
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2 Corinthians 4 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as reconciliation and the new covenant. Second Corinthians is Paul’s deepest letter on apostolic suffering, consolation, generosity, reconciliation, and the paradox of strength in weakness. Read this chapter with the wider themes of weakness, ministry, and reconciliation in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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