Kleipotte wat maklik breek ? ’n Herverstaan van 2 Korintiërs 4:7

Abstract

Clay pots that break easily ? A reinterpretation of 2 Corinthians 4:7
Translations of and commentaries on the Bible see the image of clay pots Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 4:7 as a derogatory self- characterisation which is used to depict the fragility, ordinari- ness, cheapness or expendability of those that serve in the mi- nistry. It is generally held that the brittleness of the clay pots in a paradoxical way underlines the “all-surpassing power of God”. In this article the thought structure, syntactical, grammatical and socio-historic basis for this understanding of 2 Corinthians 4:7 is researched and (re)interpreted. The results suggest that the metaphor of clay pots should be understood in a complemen- tary rather than a paradoxical way.