2 Corinthians 4:9 (GNV)

Passage

We are persecuted, but not forsaken: cast downe, but we perish not.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Corinthians 4:11 For we which liue, are alwaies deliuered vnto death for Iesus sake, that the life also of Iesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Wee are afflicted on euery side yet..." into verse 10's "Euery where we beare about in our...", so "persecuted" and "forsaken" 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 "persecuted" and "forsaken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.