2 Corinthians 1:4 (DRB)

Passage

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we also may be able to comfort them who are in all distress, by the exhortation wherewith we also are exhorted by God.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort:

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we also may be able to comfort them who are in all distress, by the exhortation wherewith we also are exhorted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us: so also by Christ doth our comfort abound.

2 Corinthians 1:6 Now whether we be in tribulation, it is for your exhortation and salvation: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation: or whether we be exhorted, it is for your exhortation and salvation, which worketh the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "comforteth", "tribulation", "able", "distress", "exhortation", "wherewith", and "exhorted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "comforteth" and "tribulation", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Blessed be the God and Father of..." into verse 5's "For as the sufferings of Christ abound...", so "comforteth" and "tribulation" 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 "comforteth" and "tribulation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.