2 Corinthians 4:7

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.

2 Corinthians 8:9

8:9 For you know the grace ²  of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.

Romans 11:12

11:12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration ³  bring?

Ephesians 3:8

3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ⁴  – this grace was given, ⁵  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ

Ephesians 3:16

3:16 I pray that ⁶  according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

Colossians 3:16

3:16 Let the word of Christ ⁷  dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace ⁸  in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:18

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn ⁹  from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. ¹⁰ 

James 2:5

2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ¹¹  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

Revelation 2:9

2:9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering ¹²  and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know ¹³  the slander against you ¹⁴  by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue ¹⁵  of Satan.

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

² tn Or “generosity.”

³ tn Or “full inclusion”; Grk “their fullness.”

⁴ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

⁵ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

⁶ tn Grk “that.” In Greek v. 16 is a subordinate clause to vv. 14-15.

⁷ tc Since “the word of Christ” occurs nowhere else in the NT, two predictable variants arose: “word of God” and “word of the Lord.” Even though some of the witnesses for these variants are impressive (κυρίου [kuriou, “of the Lord”] in א* I 1175 pc bo; θεοῦ [qeou, “of God”] in A C* 33 104 323 945 al), the reading Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “of Christ”) is read by an excellent cross-section of witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א² B C² D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï lat sa). On both internal and external grounds, Χριστοῦ is strongly preferred.

⁸ tn Grk “with grace”; “all” is supplied as it is implicitly related to all the previous instructions in the verse.

⁹ tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.

¹⁰ tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”

¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

¹² tn Or “know your suffering.” This could refer to suffering or distress caused by persecution (see L&N 22.2).

¹³ tn Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the phrase “I also know” to link this English sentence back to “I know” at the beginning of the verse.

¹⁴ tn The words “against you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

¹⁵ sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (e.g., Mt 4:23, Mk 1:21, Lk 4:15, Jn 6:59).