2 Corinthians 1:9
in 2 Corinthians 1Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:
KJV
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
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This verse in 2 Corinthians 1
Commentary
16 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves - Margin, “answer.” The word rendered “sentence” (ἀπόκριμα apokrima) means properly an answer, judicial response, or sentence; and is here synonymous with verdict. It means that Paul felt that he was condemned to die; that he felt as if he were under sentence of death and with no hope of acquittal; he was called to contemplate the hour of death as just before him. The words “in ourselves,” mean, against ourselves; or, we expected certainly to die.
This site's exposition
the hardships we encountered
on 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
Paul leaves unnamed the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia, a burden far beyond our ability to endure. Verse 9 names its purpose: under the sentence of death, Paul learned to trust in God, who raises the dead.
This site's exposition
the sentence of death
The word rendered sentence meant a verdict, and Albert Barnes reads it as Paul feeling condemned to die with no hope of acquittal. John Chrysostom adds that the verdict stayed in Paul's expectation and was never carried out. The rescue taught trust in the God who raises the dead.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
Let no man therefore glory on account of pre-eminence in human thought. For it is written well in Jeremiah, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man glory in his might, and let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth that I am the Lord, that executeth mercy and judgment and righteousness upon the earth: for in these things is my delight, saith the Lord." "That we should trust not in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead," says the apostle, "who delivered us from so great a death, that our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." "For the spiritual man judgeth all things, but he himself is judged of no man."
Paul means that there was such a violent upsurge of evil against preachers of the faith that death was staring them in the face. But God does not refuse his protection to people in extreme danger, especially when they belong to him. He rescued them …
"But we had the answer of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." What is this, "the answer of death?" The vote, the judgment, the expectation. For so spake our affairs; our fortunes gave this answer "We shall surely die." To be sure, this did not come to the proof, but only as far as to our anticipations, and stopped there: for the nature of our affairs did so declare, yet the power of God allowed not the declaration to take effect, but permitted it to happen only in our thought and in expectation: wherefore he saith, "We had the answer of death in ourselves," not in fact. And wherefore permitted He peril so great as to take away our hope and cause us to despair? "That we should not trust in ourselves," saith he, "but in God." These words Paul said, not that this was his own temper. Away with such a thought, but as attuning the rest by what he saith of himself, and in his great care to speak modestly. Whence also further on he saith, "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, (meaning his trials,) lest I should be exalted overmuch." And yet God doth not say that He permitted them for this, but for another reason. What other? That His strength might be the more displayed; "For," saith he, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My power is made perfect in weakness." But, as I said, he no here forgetteth his own peculiar character, classing himself with those who fall short exceedingly and stand in need of much discipline and correction.
Perfect renunciation, therefore, consists in not having an affection for this life and keeping before our minds the "answer of death, that we should not trust in ourselves." But a beginning is made by detaching oneself from all external goods: property, vainglory, life in society, useless desires, after the example of the Lord's holy disciples. James and John left their father Zebedee and the very boat upon which their whole livelihood depended.
The Medieval Church1 voice
We had the sentence, the verdict, the answer that the circumstances gave, even though they had not yet uttered a voice, that is, before we even thought about it, the expectation of death presented itself and the verdict that the circumstances pronounced, but in reality …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
He amplifies the reason for his affliction when he says, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, i.e., that human pride should be repressed: "O Lord, my strength and my stronghold" (Jer. 16:19), and that we trust God in all things: "Blessed …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Note, God often brings his people into great straits, that they may apprehend their own insufficiency to help themselves, and may be induced to place their trust and hope in his all-sufficiency. Our extremity is God's opportunity.
God's raising the dead is a proof of his almighty power. He that can do this can do any thing, can do all things, and is worthy to be trusted in at all times. Abraham's faith fastened upon this instance of the divine power: He believed God who quickeneth the dead, Rom. iv.
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
But--"Yea." in God which raiseth the dead--We had so given up all thoughts of life, that our only hope was fixed on the coming resurrection; so in 1Co 15:32 his hope of the resurrection was what buoyed him up in contending with foes, savage as wild beasts.
WE are justified, dear Friends, in speaking about our own experience when the mention of it will be for the benefit of others. Especially is this the case with leaders in the Church such as Paul, for their experience is rich and deep and the rehearsal of it comes with great weight and is peculiarly valuable.
WE are justified, dear Friends, in speaking about our own experience when the mention of it will be for the benefit of others. Especially is this the case with leaders in the Church such as Paul, for their experience is rich and deep and the rehearsal of it comes with great weight and is peculiarly valuable. We are all the better when we are distressed for discovering that such an one as Paul was also subject to heaviness—we feel safe in following the line of conduct which was marked out by the great Apostle and we are hopeful that if he came out of his troubles which were so great, we may, also, be delivered out of ours which are comparatively so little. These footprints on the sand of time help us to take heart. By tracing the footsteps of the flock, we are helped to return to the fold and to the Shepherd. It would have been a great calamity if such men as David and Paul had, through a fear of seeming egotistical, withheld from us a sight of their inner selves. God has been pleased to fill a large part of the Bible with biographies and histories of human actions in order that we who are men, ourselves, may learn from them. Where a biography concerns mainly the inner rather than the outer life, as in the Psalms and in Paul's Epistles, we are all the more strengthened, instructed, directed and comforted, for it is in the inner life that we are most perplexed and most in danger of going astray. God grant us Grace to make good use of the treasure of experience which is stored up for us in His Word! How rich, how varied, how admirably selected! If one man can learn by the life of another, surely we ought to learn from such memorable lives as those immortalized in the Scriptures. Especially may we see ourselves as in a mirror while we steadily look into the heart of Paul.
We had the sentence of death in ourselves - The tribulation was so violent and overwhelming, that he had no hope of escaping death. That we should not trust in ourselves - The tribulation was of such a nature as to take away all expectation of help but from God alone. But in God which raiseth the dead - This is very like the business at Lystra; and would be sufficient to fix the apostle’s reference to that fact could the time and other circumstances serve.
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | But | G235 → | 635 times |
| αὐτοὶ | autoi | we | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἑαυτοῖς | he'autois | ourselves | G1438 → | 322 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀπόκριμα | apokrima | sentence | G610 → | |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θανάτου | thanatou | of death | G2288 → | 120 times |
| ἐσχήκαμεν, | eschekamen | has, | G2192 → | 707 times |
| ἵνα | ina | in order that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| πεποιθότες | pepoithotes | having trusted | G3982 → | 51 times |
| ὦμεν | omen | we may be | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἐφ᾽ | eph᾽ | in | G1909 → | 883 times |
| ἑαυτοῖς | he'autois | ourselves | G1438 → | 322 times |
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | in | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεῷ | theo | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| τῷ | to | who | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐγείροντι | egeironti | is raising | G1453 → | 142 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| νεκρούς· | nekrous | dead; | G3498 → |
ἀλλ᾽But
all᾽G235 →635 times
αὐτοὶwe
autoiG846 →5565 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἑαυτοῖςourselves
he'autoisG1438 →322 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ἀπόκριμαsentence
apokrimaG610 →
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
θανάτουof death
thanatouG2288 →120 times
ἐσχήκαμεν,has,
eschekamenG2192 →707 times
ἵναin order that
inaG2443 →668 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
πεποιθότεςhaving trusted
pepoithotesG3982 →51 times
ὦμενwe may be
omenG1510 →2333 times
ἐφ᾽in
eph᾽G1909 →883 times
ἑαυτοῖςourselves
he'autoisG1438 →322 times
ἀλλ᾽but
all᾽G235 →635 times
ἐπὶin
epiG1909 →883 times
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
θεῷGod
theoG2316 →1312 times
τῷwho
toG3588 →19766 times
ἐγείροντιis raising
egeirontiG1453 →142 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
νεκρούς·dead;
nekrousG3498 →
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
2 Corinthians 4:7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 5:1
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5–6
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- Ephesians 2:8–9
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,
- 1 Corinthians 1:28
He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,
- Colossians 2:3
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1
Through
2 Corinthians 3:5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
it leads to
- 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…
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of…
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About 2 Corinthians
This page draws on 14 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); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians; Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Basil of Caesarea, THE LONG RULES 8; Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1536: “Sentence Of Death, The Death Of Self-trust” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on 2 Corinthians; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 2 Corinthians.