And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:7KJV
Know the Bible

2 Corinthians 1:7 (KJV)

What does 2 Corinthians 1:7 mean?

2 Corinthians 1:7 expresses Paul’s confident hope for the Corinthian believers: just as they share in suffering, they will also share in comfort. Paul is certain that the comfort God gives will match the hardships they face together.

Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, encouraging them as they go through difficulties. He assures them that their experiences of suffering are not unique, and that God’s comfort—described here as “consolation”—is something they will receive just as surely as the trials they endure. Paul’s words are meant to reassure the Corinthians that their hardships are not pointless, and that God’s help is dependable.

The Greek behind 2 Corinthians 1:7

  • “Hope” (ἐλπὶς, elpis): This Greek word often means a confident expectation, not just a wishful thought. Paul’s use of it here shows his steady confidence in God’s faithfulness toward the Corinthians.
  • “Stedfast” (βέβαιος, bebaios): This word means firm, secure, or unwavering. Paul’s hope for the Corinthians is not shaky or uncertain, but solid and reliable.
  • “Partakers” (κοινωνοί, koinōnoi): This word means sharers or partners. Paul is highlighting that the Corinthians are not alone; they are partners with him (and each other) in both suffering and comfort.
  • “Consolation” (παράκλησις, paraklēsis): This word can mean comfort, encouragement, or help. Paul is pointing to the real, sustaining comfort that God provides in the midst of trouble.

Why 2 Corinthians 1:7 matters

  • This verse clarifies that suffering and comfort are both part of the Christian experience; one is not a sign of God’s absence, and the other is not reserved for a select few.
  • Paul’s emphasis on shared experience (“partakers”) connects the Corinthians’ struggles to a larger community, reminding them they are not isolated in their hardships.
  • The verse ties into the wider passage, where Paul is explaining how God’s comfort in affliction equips believers to comfort others, building a cycle of encouragement within the church.

Where else these words appear

“stedfast” Greek G949 · used in 9 verses

  • Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
  • Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
  • Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

“partakers” Greek G2844 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
  • Hebrews 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

“sufferings” Greek G3804 · used in 16 verses

  • Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
  • Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
  • Hebrews 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

“consolation” Greek G3874 · used in 28 verses

  • Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
  • 1 Corinthians 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
  • 2 Corinthians 8:17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.