2 Corinthians 4:16 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

2 Corinthians 4:16 reads: "Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day." — from the New Testament, 2 Corinthians (Pauline epistle). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

2 Corinthians 4:16 is in the book of 2 Corinthians, traditionally attributed to Paul and written around c. 55–56 AD. 2 Corinthians is pauline epistle in the New Testament, originally addressed to The church at Corinth, after Paul's tense exchange with them. Best known for "my grace is sufficient for you".

2 Corinthians 4:16 is primarily a Bible verse about Strength, with related themes including Hope. Within 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians is Paul's most personal letter — defending his apostolic ministry, describing the "treasure in jars of clay" (4:7), the new creation in Christ (5:17), and his own "thorn in the flesh. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

2 Corinthians 4:16 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "For which cause1352 we faint1573 not3756; but235 though1499 our2257 outward1854 man444 perish1311, yet235 the inward2081 man is renewed341 day2250 by2532 day2250.". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

2 Corinthians 4:16 is 20 words in the WEB translation (107 characters), broken into 3 clauses. It is short and well-suited to memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 6 seconds.

To memorise 2 Corinthians 4:16, split it into its 3 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

2 Corinthians is Paul's most personal letter — defending his apostolic ministry, describing the "treasure in jars of clay" (4:7), the new creation in Christ (5:17), and his own "thorn in the flesh." Its theme: God's strength is made perfect in human weakness (12:9). 2 Corinthians 4:16 sits within this larger story — 2 Corinthians as a whole emphasises weakness, comfort, reconciliation.

Many readers use 2 Corinthians 4:16 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download 2 Corinthians 4:16 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.