Bible Strands
2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian church, defending his apostolic authority against local rivals who measure him by human standards. He is mid-argument (10:1–18), contrasting his ministry with theirs.
The words — hopla (ὅπλα) is the standard military term for a soldier's equipment, not a single weapon but the full kit; paired with sarkika (σαρκικά), "fleshly," it marks the contrast as one of kind, not degree.
The thread — 2 Corinthians 6:7 uses the same hopla in a positive list of apostolic credentials; Ephesians 6:13 shifts to panoplia (full armor) for the believer's defensive posture; Jeremiah 1:10 supplies the prophetic verb cluster—uproot, tear down, destroy—that "demolish strongholds" echoes.
Why it lands — The verse does not describe a battle strategy; it disqualifies a category of response. It asks the reader to check whether their opposition is being met with effort, rhetoric, or self-reliance rather than with the power that actually breaks structures.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 6:7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
- Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
- Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:5 so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
- 1 Samuel 17:45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
- 2 Corinthians 13:3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you.
- 1 Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
- Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.