2 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV)

Passage

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

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;

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "affliction", "moment", "worketh", "exceeding", "eternal", "weight", and "glory". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "affliction", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For which cause we faint not but..." into verse 18's "While we look not at the things...", so "light" and "affliction" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "affliction" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.