2 Corinthians 4:18 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

2 Corinthians 4:18 reads: "while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." — 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 4:18 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 4:18 is primarily a Bible verse about Faith. 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 4:18 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "While4648 we2257 look4648 not3361 at4648 the things which are seen991, but235 at the things which are991 not3361 seen991: for1063 the things which are seen991 are temporal4340; but1161 the things which are991 not3361 seen991 are eternal166.". 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 4:18 is 35 words in the WEB translation (178 characters), broken into 4 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 11 seconds.

To memorise 2 Corinthians 4:18, split it into its 4 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 4:18 sits within this larger story — 2 Corinthians as a whole emphasises weakness, comfort, reconciliation.

Many readers use 2 Corinthians 4:18 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 4:18 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.