2 Corinthians 1:9 (LSB)

Passage

Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live.

2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

2 Corinthians 1:10 who rescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us,

2 Corinthians 1:11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by many persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "indeed", "sentence", "death", "within", "ourselves", "confidence", and "raises". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "indeed" and "sentence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "For we do not want you to..." into verse 10's "who rescued us from so great a...", so "indeed" and "sentence" 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 "indeed" and "sentence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.