2 Corinthians 10:4
in 2 Corinthians 10The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds);
KJV
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
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This verse in 2 Corinthians 10
Commentary
16 notes on this verseFor the weapons of our warfare,.... By "warfare" is here meant, not that which is common to all believers, who are enlisted as volunteers under the captain of their salvation, and fight his battles, and are more than conquerors through him; but what is peculiar to the ministers of the Gospel; and designs the ministerial function, or office, and the discharge of it. So the Levitical function, or the ministerial service of the Levites, is called העבדה צבא, "the warfare of the service", Num 8:
This site's exposition
we do not wage war
on 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
Flesh means ordinary human existence in though we live in the flesh, and fallen method in we do not wage war according to the flesh. Paul grants that he lives in a body while refusing the world’s weapons, such as rhetoric, intimidation or political maneuver.
This site's exposition
divine power to demolish strongholds
The power belongs to God, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown render the phrase mighty before God. Albert Barnes lists the aids Paul will not lean on, eloquence, talent, learning and wealth, the means the world relies on to advance its cause. Adam Clarke compares Ephesians 6:10 to 17.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
All worldly things are corrupt, but Paul is strong because he is fighting with uncorrupted weapons.
A commentator
Theodore of MopsuestiaPAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH · Written before 428.
proposed
By "worldly weapons" Paul means the law of Moses.
There is no agreement between the divine and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be due to two masters-God and Caesar. And yet Moses carried a rod, and Aaron wore a buckle, and John (Baptist) is girt with leather and Joshua the son of Nun leads a line of march; and the People warred: if it pleases you to sport with the subject. But how will a Christian man war, nay, how will he serve even in peace, without a sword, which the Lord has taken away? For albeit soldiers had come unto John, and had received the formula of their rule; albeit, likewise, a centurion had believed; still the Lord afterward, in disarming Peter, unbelted every soldier. No dress is lawful among us, if assigned to any unlawful action.
Here, also, one who examines each word minutely can gain a very accurate knowledge of the meaning of the Holy Scripture, so that there is no excuse for any of us being led astray into the snare of sin by an erroneous belief that some sins are punished while others may be committed with impunity. For, what says the apostle?— "destroying counsels and every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God"; so that every sin, because it is an expression of contempt for the divine law, is called a "height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God."
"For our weapons are not of the flesh." For what sort of weapons are of the flesh? Wealth, glory, power, fluency, cleverness, circumventions, flatteries, hypocrisies, whatsoever else is similar to these. But ours are not of this sort: but of what kind are they? "Mighty before God." And he said not, 'we are not carnal,' but, "our weapons." For as I said, for the present he discourseth of the Preaching, and refers the whole power to God. And he says not, 'spiritual,' although this was the fitting opposite to "carnal," but "mighty," in this implying the other also, and showing that their weapons are weak and powerless. And mark the absence of pride in him; for he said not, 'we are mighty,' but, "our weapons are mighty before God." 'We did not make them such, but God Himself.' For because they were scourged, were persecuted, and suffered wrongs incurable without number, which things were proofs of weakness: to show the strength of God he says, "but they are mighty before God." For this especially shows His strength, that by these things He gains the victory. So that even though we are encompassed with them, yet it is He that warreth and worketh by them. Then he goes through a long eulogium upon them, saying, "To the casting down of strong holds." And lest when hearing of strong holds thou shouldest think of aught material...
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
That is, not wealth, nor glory, nor smooth speech, nor flattery, nor hypocrisy, for such are the weapons of the flesh. He did not say: but spiritual (as, of course, one should have said in contrast to the word "carnal"), but – "mighty," hinting that …
That we are not carrying on a worldly war he proves when he says, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly [carnal]; and first of all, from the weapons of warfare, as a fighter has weapons suitable to his warfare. Now it is …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He then proceeds to reason the case with the Corinthians, asserting his relation to Christ, and his authority as an apostle of Christ (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
For the weapons of our warfare - Those we use in this war. Are not carnal - But spiritual, and therefore mighty to the throwing down of strong holds - Of all the difficulties which men or devils can raise in our way. Though faith and prayer belong also to the Christian armour, Eph. vi, 15, &c., yet the word of God seems to be here chiefly intended.
This indeed is through God, or owing to him, because they are his institutions, and accompanied with his blessing, which makes all opposition to fall before his victorious gospel. We may here observe, [1.] What opposition is made against the gospel by the powers of sin and Satan in the hearts of men.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The weapons of our warfare - The apostle often uses the metaphor of a warfare to represent the life and trials of a Christian minister. See Eph 6:10-17; 1Ti 1:18; 2Ti 2:3-5. Are not carnal - Here he refers to the means used by the false apostle in order to secure his party; he calumniated St. Paul, traduced the truth, preached false and licentious doctrines, and supported these with sophistical reasonings.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
2Co 13:10), the power of the word, and of the sacraments, the various extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. carnal--Translate, "fleshly," to preserve the allusion to 2Co 10:2, 3. mighty through God--Greek, "mighty to God," that is, mighty before God: not humanly, but divinely powerful. The power is not ours, but God's.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For the weapons of our warfare - The means by which we hope to achieve our victory. Are not carnal - Not those of the flesh. Not such as the people of the world use. They are not such as are employed by conquerors; nor are they such as people in general rely on to advance their cause. We do not depend on eloquence, or talent, or learning, or wealth, or beauty, or any of the external aids on which the people of this world rely. They are not such as derive advantage from any power inherent in themselves. Their strength is derived from God alone. But mighty through God - Margin, “to.” They are rendered mighty or powerful by the agency of God. They depend on him for their efficacy. Paul has not here specified the weapons on which he relied; but he had before specified them 2Co 6:6-7, so that there was no danger of mistake. The weapons were such as were furnished by truth and righteousness, and these were rendered mighty by the attending agency of God. The sense is, that God is the author of the doctrines which we preach, and that he attends them with the agency of his Spirit, and accompanies them to the hearts of people. It is important for all ministers to feel that their weapons are mighty only through God. Conquerors and earthly warriors go into battle depending on the might of their own arm, and on the wisdom and skill which plans the battle. The Christian goes on his warfare, feeling that however well adapted the truths which he holds are to accomplish great purposes, and however wisely his plans are formed, yet that the efficacy of all depends on the agency of God. He has no hope of victory but in God. And if God does not attend him, he is sure of inevitable defeat. To the pulling down of strongholds - The word rendered here as “strongholds” (ὀχύρωμα ochurōma) means properly a fastness, fortress, or strong fortification. […]
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| τὰ | ta | The | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ὅπλα | hopla | weapons | G3696 → | |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| στρατείας | strateias | warfare | G4752 → | |
| ἡμῶν | hemon | of us | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| οὐ | ou | [are] not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| σαρκικὰ | sarkika | fleshly | G4559 → | |
| ἀλλὰ | alla | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| δυνατὰ | dunata | powerful | G1415 → | 32 times |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεῷ | theo | divinely | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| πρὸς | pros | to | G4314 → | 700 times |
| καθαίρεσιν | kathairesin | [the] demolition | G2506 → | 3 times |
| ὀχυρωμάτων, | ochuromaton | of strongholds, | G3794 → |
τὰThe
taG3588 →19766 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ὅπλαweapons
hoplaG3696 →
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
στρατείαςwarfare
strateiasG4752 →
ἡμῶνof us
hemonG3165 →1936 times
οὐ[are] not
ouG3756 →1664 times
σαρκικὰfleshly
sarkikaG4559 →
ἀλλὰbut
allaG235 →635 times
δυνατὰpowerful
dunataG1415 →32 times
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
θεῷdivinely
theoG2316 →1312 times
πρὸςto
prosG4314 →700 times
καθαίρεσιν[the] demolition
kathairesinG2506 →3 times
ὀχυρωμάτων,of strongholds,
ochuromatonG3794 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 1:10See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–5
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 31:28
Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, to demolish, destroy, and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the LORD.
- Isaiah 44:26–28
who confirms the message of His servant and fulfills the counsel of His messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt, and I…
- Jeremiah 31:4–5
Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out in joyful dancing.
- Ezekiel 36:36
Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do…
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–5
Through
1 Corinthians 2:5so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 4:7
Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of…
- 2 Corinthians 4:7
Through
2 Corinthians 6:7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 4:2
Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to…
- 2 Corinthians 4:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
About 2 Corinthians
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Basil of Caesarea, ON THE JUDGMENT OF GOD; Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Corinthians; John Chrysostom, Homily 21 on 2 Corinthians; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, On Idolatry; Theodore of Mopsuestia, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 2 Corinthians.