2 Corinthians 5:9 (YLT)

Passage

Wherefore also we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to him,

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:7 for through faith we walk, not through sight--

2 Corinthians 5:8 we have courage, and are well pleased rather to be away from the home of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore also we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to him,

2 Corinthians 5:10 for all of us it behoveth to be manifested before the tribunal of the Christ, that each one may receive the things <FI>done<Fi> through the body, in reference to the things that he did, whether good or evil;

2 Corinthians 5:11 having known, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, and to God we are manifested, and I hope also in your consciences to have been manifested;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "ambitious", "whether", "home", "away", "well", and "pleasing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "ambitious", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "we have courage and are well pleased..." into verse 10's "for all of us it behoveth to...", so "wherefore" and "ambitious" 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 "wherefore" and "ambitious" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.