2CO 5:1-10

Our Eternal Dwelling

1For we know that if our earthly house of the tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [5:2] For indeed in this we groan, earnestly longing to be clothed over with our dwelling which is from heaven, [5:3] if indeed even having put on we will not be found naked. [5:4] For those being in the tent groan, being burdened, inasmuch as we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed over, so that the mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5:5] Now the one having prepared us for this very thing is God, who also gave us the pledge of the Spirit. [5:6] Therefore being always confident, and knowing that while being at home in the body we are away from the Lord — [5:7] for we walk through faith, not through sight — [5:8] we are confident and are well-pleased rather to be absent out of the body and to be at home with the Lord. [5:9] Therefore also we are ambitious, whether being at home or being away, to be well-pleasing to him. [5:10] For all of us must be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive back the things done through the body with respect to what he did, whether good or evil.

In the world it was spoken into

In the 1st century, the metaphor of the body as a tent would have resonated deeply with listeners familiar with the transient nature of life. Tents were temporary shelters used by travelers, soldiers, and nomads, symbolizing impermanence. The contrast between the earthly tent and the eternal, heavenly building reflects the Jewish and Greco-Roman longing for permanence beyond the fragility of mortal existence. The term (pledge) was commonly used in commercial transactions, signifying a down payment that guaranteed the fulfillment of a contract. Here, it refers to the Holy Spirit as the first installment of the believer’s future inheritance. The idea of being clothed with a heavenly dwelling aligns with Jewish apocalyptic thought, where resurrection involved a transformed, glorified body. The groaning expressed a universal human longing for liberation from mortality, a theme echoed in Stoic and Jewish writings. The passage’s emphasis on striving for honor reflects the honor-shame culture of the Greco-Roman world, where one’s actions were judged by their alignment with divine purpose.

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How other translations render this

2CO 5:1

KJV: For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
BSB: For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
Koinōnos: For we know that if our earthly house of the tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2CO 5:2

KJV: For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
BSB: For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,
Koinōnos: For indeed in this we groan, earnestly longing to be clothed over with our dwelling which is from heaven,

2CO 5:3

KJV: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
BSB: because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
Koinōnos: if indeed even having put on we will not be found naked.

2CO 5:4

KJV: For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
BSB: For while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Koinōnos: For those being in the tent groan, being burdened, inasmuch as we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed over, so that the mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2CO 5:5

KJV: Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
BSB: And it is God who has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.
Koinōnos: Now the one having prepared us for this very thing is God, who also gave us the pledge of the Spirit.

2CO 5:6

KJV: Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
BSB: Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.
Koinōnos: Therefore being always confident, and knowing that while being at home in the body we are away from the Lord —

2CO 5:7

KJV: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
BSB: For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Koinōnos: for we walk through faith, not through sight —

2CO 5:8

KJV: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
BSB: We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Koinōnos: we are confident and are well-pleased rather to be absent out of the body and to be at home with the Lord.

2CO 5:9

KJV: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
BSB: So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here at home in this body or away from it.
Koinōnos: Therefore also we are ambitious, whether being at home or being away, to be well-pleasing to him.

2CO 5:10

KJV: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
BSB: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
Koinōnos: For all of us must be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive back the things done through the body with respect to what he did, whether good or evil.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

2CO 5:1

tent:The word translated 'tent' here often referred to a temporary dwelling or a booth, but it was also used metaphorically for the human body as a temporary dwelling for the soul.

2CO 5:3

having put off:The word translated 'having put off' is more commonly used for 'putting on' or 'clothing oneself,' suggesting a contrast between being unclothed and being clothed with something new.

2CO 5:5

the:The term used here for 'guarantee' referred to an initial payment or deposit that secured a future transaction, forfeited if the deal was not completed.

2CO 5:9

we are ambitious,:The word translated 'we are ambitious' carried the sense of being honor-loving or striving for honor, often implying a strong desire to achieve something commendable.