2 Corinthians 5:8 (DBY)

Passage

we are confident, I say, and pleased rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore [we are] always confident, and know that while present in the body we are absent from the Lord,

2 Corinthians 5:7 (for we walk by faith, not by sight;)

2 Corinthians 5:8 we are confident, I say, and pleased rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore also we are zealous, whether present or absent, to be agreeable to him.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of the Christ, that each may receive the things [done] in the body, according to those he has done, whether [it be] good or evil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confident", "pleased", "rather", "absent", "body", "present", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confident" and "pleased", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "for we walk by faith not by..." into verse 9's "Wherefore also we are zealous whether present...", so "confident" and "pleased" 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 "confident" and "pleased" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.