2 Corinthians 4:9 (DRB)

Passage

We suffer persecution: but are not forsaken. We are cast down: but we perish not.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Corinthians 4:11 For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake: that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "suffer", "persecution", "forsaken", "cast", "down", and "perish". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "suffer" and "persecution", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "In all things we suffer tribulation but..." into verse 10's "Always bearing about in our body the...", so "suffer" and "persecution" 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 "suffer" and "persecution" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.