Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

2 CORINTHIANS 5:6KJV
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2 Corinthians 5:6 (KJV)

What does 2 Corinthians 5:6 mean?

2 Corinthians 5:6 means that Paul and his companions are always confident because they know that as long as they are living in their physical bodies, they are not yet fully present with the Lord. The verse expresses a sense of assurance even while recognizing a kind of distance from Christ during earthly life.

Paul is writing to the believers in Corinth, explaining the tension Christians feel between life on earth and the hope of being with Christ. He uses the idea of being "at home in the body" to describe our current, physical existence, and "absent from the Lord" to point out that full closeness to Jesus is something still to come. This verse sets up the contrast that shapes the rest of the passage, where Paul talks about longing for a future, closer presence with Christ.

The Greek behind 2 Corinthians 5:6

  • "Confident" (θαρροῦντες, tharrountes): This Greek word often means being courageous or having inner confidence, not just outward boldness. Paul is describing a settled, ongoing confidence, not just a fleeting feeling.
  • "At home" (ἐνδημοῦντες, endēmountes): This word means to be among one's own people, or to reside somewhere. Here, it describes living in the body as a kind of temporary home, hinting that our true home is elsewhere.
  • "Absent" (ἐκδημοῦμεν, ekdēmoumen): This word means to be away from home or to live abroad. Paul uses it to describe the current state of believers as being away from their true home with the Lord.

Why 2 Corinthians 5:6 matters

  • This verse helps clear up the Christian perspective on life and death, showing that being alive in the body is good but not the ultimate goal—full closeness to Christ is.
  • Paul’s confidence is not based on his circumstances but on what he knows about his relationship with Christ, which can encourage readers facing uncertainty.
  • The verse sets the stage for the following verses, where Paul explains the hope and longing believers have for a future with God, making sense of the tension between present life and future hope.

Where else these words appear

“home” Greek G1736 · used in 3 verses

  • 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

“absent” Greek G1553 · used in 3 verses

  • 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

“confident” Greek G2292 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
  • 2 Corinthians 7:16 I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.
  • 2 Corinthians 10:2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

“always” Greek G3842 · used in 38 verses

  • Matthew 26:11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
  • Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.