2 Corinthians 5:4 (YLT)

Passage

for we also who are in the tabernacle do groan, being burdened, seeing we wish not to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves, that the mortal may be swallowed up of the life.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:2 for also in this we groan, with our dwelling that is from heaven earnestly desiring to clothe ourselves,

2 Corinthians 5:3 if so be that, having clothed ourselves, we shall not be found naked,

2 Corinthians 5:4 for we also who are in the tabernacle do groan, being burdened, seeing we wish not to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves, that the mortal may be swallowed up of the life.

2 Corinthians 5:5 And He who did work us to this self-same thing <FI>is<Fi> God, who also did give to us the earnest of the Spirit;

2 Corinthians 5:6 having courage, then, at all times, and knowing that being at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord, --

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tabernacle", "groan", "burdened", "seeing", "wish", "unclothe", and "ourselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tabernacle" and "groan", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "if so be that having clothed ourselves..." into verse 5's "And He who did work us to...", so "tabernacle" and "groan" 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 "tabernacle" and "groan" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.