pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;
Parallel translations
- KJV Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
- BSB persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
- NKJV persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
- NASB persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;
- NLT We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
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 is persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. God's faithful presence preserves him through every assault.
Overview
Continuing the contrasts, Paul affirms that even when hunted and knocked down, he is never forsaken by God or finally ruined. His survival testifies to God's sustaining power rather than his own resilience. This resilience-in-weakness embodies the pattern of dying and rising with Christ that he describes in the following verses.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Isa 43:2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.
- Mic 7:8Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
- Ps 37:24–25Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
- Prov 24:16for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
- Ps 42:11Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.
- Isa 62:4You will not be called Forsaken any more; nor will your land be called Desolate any more: but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land will be married.
- Heb 13:5Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
- 2 Cor 7:6Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
- Ps 37:28For Yahweh loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
- Ps 9:10Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek you.
- Job 5:17–19“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
- Ps 42:5Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.
- John 15:20Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
- Ps 22:1For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
- Job 22:29When they cast down, you shall say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In Christ all God's promises are 'Yes and Amen'; though rich, he became poor to make us rich, and in him God reconciles the world, making us new creations.
How 2 Corinthians 4:9 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.