But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
Parallel translations
- WEB But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
- BSB But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
- NKJV But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
- NASB But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power.
- NLT But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul intends to come soon, God willing, and will test not the boasters' talk but their actual spiritual power. It matters because real faith is proven by power, not mere words.
Overview
Submitting his plans to the Lord's will, Paul promises a visit that will expose whether the arrogant have any genuine spiritual substance behind their speech. He distinguishes empty rhetoric from the true power of God at work in a life. This anticipates his theme that God's kingdom is demonstrated, not merely discussed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 2 Cor 13:1–4This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
- Acts 18:21But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
- Acts 19:21After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
- 1 Cor 4:18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
- 2 Cor 1:23Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
- Rom 15:32That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
- Heb 6:3And this will we do, if God permit.
- 1 Cor 14:5I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
- 1 Cor 11:34And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
- 1 Cor 2:6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
- 1 Cor 16:5Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.
- Acts 20:2And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,
- 2 Cor 1:15–17And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
- Jas 4:15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
- 2 Cor 2:1–2But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 4:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.