2 Corinthians 5:3 (KJV)

What does 2 Corinthians 5:3 mean?

In 2 Corinthians 5:3, Paul expresses the hope that he and his fellow believers will be clothed rather than found naked. The clothing picture describes the covering they long to receive from God, not ordinary clothes.

After describing a desire to be clothed with a heavenly dwelling in verse 2, Paul uses the image of nakedness to picture being without that covering. The words “if so be” make verse 3 part of a continuing sentence rather than a separate statement.

The Greek behind 2 Corinthians 5:3

• “clothed” — ἐνδύω (endyō): The word carries the sense of putting on clothing. Here, the picture connects wearing a garment with receiving the heavenly dwelling Paul has just mentioned.
• “found” — εὑρίσκω (heuriskō): This word can mean being found in a particular condition. Paul uses it with “naked” to describe the condition he hopes to avoid.

Why 2 Corinthians 5:3 matters

• Paul’s picture is about more than leaving the present body behind. In verse 4, he says the desire is “not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon.”
• The clothing image belongs to a passage about life and death. Verse 4 describes the hoped-for outcome as “mortality” being “swallowed up of life.”