2 Corinthians 4:8

Contextual Overview

⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁸We are surrounded by things that could kill us, but we ain't even been whipped yet. We may not know what we're doing, but we know better than to give up. ⁸ we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;⁸in every way afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; ⁸ Troubles are round us on every side, but we are not shut in; things are hard for us, but we see a way out of them; ⁸ every way afflicted, but not straitened; seeing no apparent issue, but our way not entirely shut up; ⁸ We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; ⁸ We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; ⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not crushed;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

troubled: 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 11:23-30

yet: 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 2 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Samuel 28:15, 1 Samuel 30:6, Psalms 56:2, Psalms 56:3, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 18:10, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:35-37, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6, 1 Peter 1:7, 1 Peter 4:12-14

not in despair: or, not altogether without help, or means, 1 Samuel 31:4, Job 2:9, Job 2:10, Psalms 37:33, John 14:18, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Reciprocal: Judges 2:15 - greatly Judges 8:4 - faint Judges 15:18 - he was sore Job 19:10 - destroyed Psalms 25:17 - General Psalms 27:13 - fainted Psalms 62:2 - I shall Psalms 71:7 - as a wonder Psalms 73:26 - flesh Proverbs 24:16 - a just Isaiah 40:31 - renew Jeremiah 38:6 - into Jeremiah 49:29 - Fear Matthew 5:10 - are Acts 16:25 - sang Acts 16:40 - they comforted Acts 20:24 - none Acts 26:17 - Delivering Acts 27:22 - I exhort Romans 5:4 - patience Romans 8:17 - if so be 1 Corinthians 4:9 - I 1 Corinthians 4:11 - unto Colossians 1:24 - fill 1 Timothy 4:10 - therefore 2 Timothy 3:11 - Persecutions Hebrews 12:5 - nor faint

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD .

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord .

Genesis 4:3
So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground.

Genesis 4:3
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.

Genesis 4:3
And in processe of dayes it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the grounde, an oblation vnto ye lorde:

Genesis 4:3
At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord . He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift.

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,

Genesis 4:3
Sotheli it was don after many daies, that Cayn offride yiftis to the Lord of the fruytis of erthe;

Genesis 4:3
And in processe of time it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the ground, an offering vnto the LORD.

Genesis 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

We are troubled on every side,.... Or afflicted; εν παντι, either "in every place", wherever we are, into whatsoever country, city, or town we enter, we are sure to meet with trouble, of one sort or another; for wherever we be, we are in the world, in which we must expect tribulation: or "always", every day and hour we live, as in 2 Corinthians 4:10 we are never free from one trial or another: or "by everyone"; by all sorts of persons, good and bad, professors and profane, open persecutors and false brethren; yea, some of the dear children of God, weak believers, give us trouble: or "with every sort" of trouble, inward and outward; trouble from the world, the flesh and the devil:

yet not distressed; so as to have no hope, or see no way of escape; so as to have no manner of comfort, or manifestations of the love of God; or so as to be straitened in our own souls; for notwithstanding all our troubles, we have freedom at the throne of grace, and in our ministry; we can go with liberty to God, and preach the Gospel boldly to you:

we are perplexed; and sometimes know not what to do, which way to take, what course to steer, or how we shall be relieved and supplied; we are sometimes at the utmost loss about things temporal, how we shall be provided for with food and raiment; nor are we without our perplexing thoughts, doubts, and fears, about spiritual affairs:

but not in despair; of the Lord's appearing and working salvation, both in a temporal and spiritual sense.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

We are troubled - We the apostles. Paul here refers to some of the trials to which he and his fellow laborers were subjected in making known the gospel. The “design” for which he does it seems to be to show them:

1. What they endured in preaching the truth;
2. To show the sustaining power of that gospel in the midst of afflictions; and,
3. To conciliate their favor, or to remind them that they had endured these things on their account, 2 Corinthians 4:12-15.

Perhaps one leading design was to recover the affections of those of the Corinthians whose heart had been alienated from him, by showing them how much he had endured on their account. For this purpose he freely opens his heart to them, and tenderly represents the many and grievous pressures and hardships to which love to souls, and theirs among the rest, had exposed him - Doddridge. The whole passage is one of the most pathetic and beautiful to be found in the New Testament. The word rendered “troubled” (θλιβόμενοι thlibomenoi, from θλίβω thlibō) may have reference to wrestling, or to the contests in the Grecian games. It properly means, to press, to press together; then to press as in a crowd where there is a throng Mark 3:9; then to compress together Matthew 7:14; and then to oppress, or compress with evils, to distress, to afflict, 2Th 1:6; 2 Corinthians 1:6. Here it may mean, that he was encompassed with trials, or placed in the midst of them so that they pressed upon him as persons do in a crowd, or, possibly, as a man was close pressed by an adversary in the games. He refers to the fact that he was called to endure a great number of trials and afflictions. Some of those trials he refers to in 2 Corinthians 7:5. “When we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.”

On every side - In every respect. In every way. We are subjected to all kinds of trim and affliction.

Yet not distressed - This by no means expresses the force of the original; nor is it possible perhaps to express it in a translation. Tyndale renders it, “yet we are not without our shift.” The Greek word used here (στενοχωρούμενοι stenochōroumenoi) has a relation to the word which is rendered “troubled.” It properly means “to crowd into a narrow place; to straiten as to room; to be so straitened as not to be able to turn oneself.” And the idea is, that though he was close pressed by persecutions and trials, yet he was not so hemmed in that he had no way to turn himself; his trials did not wholly prevent motion and action. He was not so closely pressed as a man would be who was so straitened that he could not move his body, or stir hand or foot. He had still resources; he was permitted to move; the energy of his piety, and the vigor of his soul could not be entirely cramped and impeded by the trials which encompassed him. The Syriac renders it: “In all things we are pressed, but are not suffocated.” The idea is, he was not wholly discouraged, and disheartened, and overcome. He had resources in his piety which enabled him to bear up under these trials, and still to engage in the work of preaching the gospel.

We are perplexed - (ἀπορούμενοι aporoumenoi). This word (from ἄπορος aporos, “without resource,” which is derived from α a, the alpha privative (“not”), and πόρος poros, way, or exit) means to be without resource; to know not what to do; to hesitate; to be in doubt and anxiety, as a traveler is, who is ignorant of the way, or who has not the means of prosecuting his journey. It means here, that they were often brought into circumstances of great embarrassment, where they hardly knew what to do, or what course to take. They were surrounded by foes; they were in want; they were in circumstances which they had not anticipated, and which greatly perplexed them.

But not in despair - In the margin, “not altogether without help or means.” Tyndale renders this: “We are in poverty, but not utterly without somewhat.” In the word used here, (ἐξαπορούμενοι exaporoumenoi) the preposition is intensive or emphatic, and means “utterly, quite.” The word means to be utterly without resource; to despair altogether; and the idea of Paul here is, that they were not left “entirely” without resource. Their needs were provided for; their embarrassments were removed; their grounds of perplexity were taken away; and unexpected strength and resources were imparted to them. When they did not know what to do; when all resources seemed to fail them, in some unexpected manner they would be relieved and saved from absolute despair. How often does this occur in the lives of all Christians! And how certain is it, that in all such cases God will interpose by his grace, and aid his people, and save them from absolute despair.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Corinthians 4:8. We are troubled on every side — We have already seen, in the notes on the ninth chapter of the preceding epistle, that St. Paul has made several allusions to those public games which were celebrated every fifth year at the Isthmus of Corinth; and those games have been in that place particularly described. In this and the three following verses the apostle makes allusion to the contests at those games; and the terms which he employs in these verses cannot be understood but in reference to those agonistical exercises to which he alludes. Dr. Hammond has explained the whole on this ground; and I shall here borrow his help. There are four pairs of expressions taken from the customs of the agones.

1. Troubled on every side, yet not distressed.

2. Perplexed, but not in despair.

3. Persecuted, but not forsaken.

4. Cast down, but not destroyed.

Three of these pairs belong to the customs of wrestling; the fourth, to that of running in the race.

Troubled on every side, c.] Εν παντι θλιβομενοι. The word θλιβεσθαι, belongs clearly to παλη wrestling. So says Aristotle, Rhet. lib. i. cap. 5, (and the Scholiast on that place,) ὁ γαρ δυναμενος - θλιβειν και κατεχειν, παλαιστικος·. "He that can gripe his adversary, and take him up, is a good wrestler" there being two dexterities in that exercise:

1. to gripe, and

2. to throw down, which Hesychius calls ωθειν and κρατειν; the first of these is here mentioned, and expressed by θλιβεσθαι, to be pressed down; to which is here opposed, as in a higher degree, στενοχωρεισθαι, to be brought to distress, as when one cannot get out of his antagonist's hands, nor make any resistance against him. So in Isaiah: στενοχωρουμενοι ου δυναμεθα μαχεσθαι, we are brought to such extremities that we can fight no longer.

Perplexed, but not in despair — Απορουμενοι, αλλ' ουκ εξαπορουμενοι. The word απορεισθαι, to be in perplexity, is fit for the wrestler, who being puzzled by his antagonist's skill knows not what to do: so in Hesychius, απορουντες, αμηχανουντες, they that are not able to do or attempt any thing, yet are not εξαπορουμενοι, they miscarry not finally, ορθοι ισταμενοι, stand after all upright; ουκ απογινωσκοντες και ἡττωμενοι, despair not, nor are they overcome, but find a happy issue out of all, being at last conquerors.