2 Corinthians 10:4 in 8 translations
7 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
(For the weapons of our warfare not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds),
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For the arms of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful according to God to [the] overthrow of strongholds;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful to God for bringing down of strongholds,
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
The weapons for our warfare are not earthly, but, under God, are powerful enough to pull down strongholds.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
(For the arms with which we are fighting are not those of the flesh, but are strong before God for the destruction of high places);
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
Word-for-word swaps
- carnal→of
- through→before
- pulling→throwing
- holds→strongholds
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.