2 Corinthians 4:8 (GNV)

Passage

Wee are afflicted on euery side, yet are we not in distresse: we are in doubt, but yet wee despaire not.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse, is he which hath shined in our hearts, to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of that power might be of God, and not of vs.

2 Corinthians 4:8 Wee are afflicted on euery side, yet are we not in distresse: we are in doubt, but yet wee despaire not.

2 Corinthians 4:9 We are persecuted, but not forsaken: cast downe, but we perish not.

2 Corinthians 4:10 Euery where we beare about in our bodie the dying of the Lord Iesus, that the life of Iesus might also be made manifest in our bodies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "afflicted", "euery", "side", "distresse", "doubt", and "despaire". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "afflicted" and "euery", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But we haue this treasure in earthen..." into verse 9's "We are persecuted but not forsaken cast...", so "afflicted" and "euery" 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 "afflicted" and "euery" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.