Bible Strands
2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian church while detailing the hardships of his apostolic ministry. He addresses the believers directly as he explains how divine preservation operates amid intense opposition.
The words — καταβαλλόμενοι (kataballomenoi) means being struck down, and ἀπολλύμενοι (apollumenoi) means being destroyed. Both terms function as present passive participles indicating ongoing action from which the apostles are explicitly not being eliminated.
The thread — The pattern of falling without being overwhelmed appears in Isaiah 43:2, Micah 7:8, and Psalms 37:24. These passages consistently link human vulnerability with divine sustenance rather than human resilience.
Why it lands — The text states that persecution and physical defeat do not result in abandonment or ruin. Readers must recognize that their endurance depends on external preservation, not internal fortitude.
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
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Cross-references
- Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.
- Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
- Psalms 37:24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
- Proverbs 24:16 For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
- Psalms 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
- Isaiah 62:4 No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.
- 2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
- Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
- Psalms 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
- Psalms 37:28 For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.