2 Corinthians 4:8 (DRB)

Passage

In all things we suffer tribulation: but are not distressed. We are straitened: but are not destitute.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the power of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:8 In all things we suffer tribulation: but are not distressed. We are straitened: but are not destitute.

2 Corinthians 4:9 We suffer persecution: but are not forsaken. We are cast down: but we perish not.

2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "suffer", "tribulation", "distressed", "straitened", and "destitute". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "suffer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But we have this treasure in earthen..." into verse 9's "We suffer persecution but are not forsaken...", so "all things" and "suffer" 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 "all things" and "suffer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.