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2 Corinthians 3

2 Cor. 3:6 KJV (With Strong’s)

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6
Who
ho (Greek #3588)
the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)
KJV usage: the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.
Pronounce: ho
Origin: ἡ (hay), and the neuter τό (to) in all their inflections
hos (Greek #3739)
the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that
KJV usage: one, (an-, the) other, some, that, what, which, who(-m, -se), etc. See also 3757.
Pronounce: hos
Origin: ἥ (hay), and neuter ὅ (ho) probably a primary word (or perhaps a form of the article 3588)
also
kai (Greek #2532)
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
KJV usage: and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.
Pronounce: kahee
Origin: apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force
hath made
hikanoo (Greek #2427)
to enable, i.e. qualify
KJV usage: make able (meet).
Pronounce: hik-an-o'-o
Origin: from 2425
us
hemas (Greek #2248)
us
KJV usage: our, us, we.
Pronounce: hay-mas'
Origin: accusative case plural of 1473
ablee ministers
diakonos (Greek #1249)
an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specially, a Christian teacher and pastor (technically, a deacon or deaconess)
KJV usage: deacon, minister, servant.
Pronounce: dee-ak'-on-os
Origin: probably from an obsolete διάκω (to run on errands; compare 1377)
of the new
kainos (Greek #2537)
new (especially in freshness; while 3501 is properly so with respect to age
KJV usage: new.
Pronounce: kahee-nos'
Origin: of uncertain affinity
testament
diatheke (Greek #1242)
properly, a disposition, i.e. (specially) a contract (especially a devisory will)
KJV usage: covenant, testament.
Pronounce: dee-ath-ay'-kay
Origin: from 1303
f; not
ou (Greek #3756)
the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or not
KJV usage: + long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but. See also 3364, 3372.
Pronounce: oo
Origin: οὐκ (ook), and (before an aspirate) οὐχ (ookh) a primary word
of the letter
gramma (Greek #1121)
a writing, i.e. a letter, note, epistle, book, etc.; plural learning
KJV usage: bill, learning, letter, scripture, writing, written.
Pronounce: gram'-mah
Origin: from 1125
g, but
alla (Greek #235)
properly, other things, i.e. (adverbially) contrariwise (in many relations)
KJV usage: and, but (even), howbeit, indeed, nay, nevertheless, no, notwithstanding, save, therefore, yea, yet.
Pronounce: al-lah'
Origin: neuter plural of 243
of the spirit
pneuma (Greek #4151)
a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit
KJV usage: ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind. Compare 5590.
Pronounce: pnyoo'-mah
Origin: from 4154
: for
gar (Greek #1063)
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
KJV usage: and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet.
Pronounce: gar
Origin: a primary particle
the letter
gramma (Greek #1121)
a writing, i.e. a letter, note, epistle, book, etc.; plural learning
KJV usage: bill, learning, letter, scripture, writing, written.
Pronounce: gram'-mah
Origin: from 1125
h killeth
apokteino (Greek #615)
to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy
KJV usage: put to death, kill, slay.
Pronounce: ap-ok-ti'-no
Origin: from 575 and κτείνω (to slay)
, but
de (Greek #1161)
but, and, etc.
KJV usage: also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).
Pronounce: deh
Origin: a primary particle (adversative or continuative)
the spirit
pneuma (Greek #4151)
a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit
KJV usage: ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind. Compare 5590.
Pronounce: pnyoo'-mah
Origin: from 4154
k βgiveth life
zoopoieo (Greek #2227)
to (re-)vitalize (literally or figuratively)
KJV usage: make alive, give life, quicken.
Pronounce: dzo-op-oy-eh'-o
Origin: from the same as 2226 and 4160
.
e
Eph. 3:7• 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (Eph. 3:7)
;
1 Tim. 1:12• 12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; (1 Tim. 1:12)
f
Matt. 26:28• 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matt. 26:28)
;
Heb. 8:6‑10• 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
 9Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Heb. 8:6‑10)
g
Rom. 2:28‑29• 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom. 2:28‑29)
h
Rom. 4:15• 15Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Rom. 4:15)
;
Rom. 7:9‑10• 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. (Rom. 7:9‑10)
k
John 6:63• 63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)
;
Rom. 8:2• 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2)
β
or, quickeneth.

More on:

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Life,
Minister,
New,
Spirit,
The Letter

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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hath.
2 Cor. 5:18‑20• 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18‑20)
;
Matt. 13:52• 52Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matt. 13:52)
;
Rom. 1:5• 5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: (Rom. 1:5)
;
1 Cor. 3:5,10• 5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
 10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (1 Cor. 3:5,10)
;
1 Cor. 12:28• 28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (1 Cor. 12:28)
;
Eph. 3:7• 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (Eph. 3:7)
;
Eph. 4:11‑12• 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Eph. 4:11‑12)
;
Col. 1:25‑29• 25Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
 26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
 29Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. (Col. 1:25‑29)
;
1 Tim. 1:11‑12• 11According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
 12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; (1 Tim. 1:11‑12)
;
1 Tim. 4:6• 6If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (1 Tim. 4:6)
;
2 Tim. 1:11• 11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. (2 Tim. 1:11)
the new.
2 Cor. 3:14• 14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. (2 Cor. 3:14)
;
Jer. 31:31• 31Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (Jer. 31:31)
;
Matt. 26:28• 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matt. 26:28)
;
Mark 14:24• 24And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (Mark 14:24)
;
Luke 22:20• 20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)
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1 Cor. 11:25• 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Cor. 11:25)
;
Heb. 7:22• 22By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. (Heb. 7:22)
;
Heb. 8:6‑10• 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
 9Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Heb. 8:6‑10)
;
Heb. 9:15‑20• 15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
 16For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
 17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
 18Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
 19For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
 20Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. (Heb. 9:15‑20)
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Heb. 12:24• 24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Heb. 12:24)
;
Heb. 13:20• 20Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (Heb. 13:20)
;
Heb. 13•  (Heb. 13)
:*marg:
not.
Rom. 2:27‑29• 27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom. 2:27‑29)
;
Rom. 7:6• 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. (Rom. 7:6)
for.
2 Cor. 3:7,9• 7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
 9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. (2 Cor. 3:7,9)
;
Deut. 27:26• 26Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. (Deut. 27:26)
;
Rom. 3:20• 20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom. 3:20)
;
Rom. 4:15• 15Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Rom. 4:15)
;
Rom. 7:9‑11• 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (Rom. 7:9‑11)
;
Gal. 3:10‑12,21• 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Gal. 3:10‑12,21)
but the.
John 6:63• 63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)
;
Rom. 8:2• 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2)
;
1 John 1:1• 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (1 John 1:1)
giveth life.
or, quickeneth.
John 5:21• 21For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (John 5:21)
;
Rom. 4:17• 17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. (Rom. 4:17)
;
1 Cor. 15:45• 45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1 Cor. 15:45)
;
Eph. 2:1,5• 1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Eph. 2:1,5)
;
1 Peter 3:18• 18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)
• For the letter kills, as a rule imposed on man; the Spirit quickens, as the power of God in grace—the purpose of God communicated to the heart of man by the power of God, who imparted it to him that he might enjoy it. (“2 Corinthians 3” by J.N. Darby)
• The Spirit, the true force of the purpose of God, as the Spirit gave it. For the letter kills, as a rule imposed on man; the Spirit quickens, as the power of God in grace (“2 Corinthians 3” by J.N. Darby)
• He is writing to Gentiles, and for such the letter of the new covenant would only "kill" or, in other words, exclude them from all blessing; for actually, as far as the letter is concerned, the new covenant applies only to the house of Israel and Judah. The spirit of the new covenant, or the blessing that is in the mind of God of which the covenant speaks, is for all men (“2 Corinthians 3” by H. Smith)
• The new covenant is brought before us by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31-34). The two great blessings of the new covenant are forgiveness of sins and the knowledge of God. (“2 Corinthians 3” by H. Smith)
• Then, changing from the spirit of the new covenant to the Holy Spirit, the apostle says, "The Spirit giveth life." The Holy Spirit gives life by a work in souls, whereby they are brought to a knowledge of the Lord and the remission of their sins (Heb. 8:10-12). (“2 Corinthians 3” by H. Smith)
• For literally it remains to be applied to the house of Israel and of Judah, though the blood is shed and accepted, on which its efficacy rests. But this only the more suits the genius of Christianity, where the principles stand out in the light, and the truth is told plainly. (“Notes on 2 Corinthians 3:1-6”)
• The “letter” of the new covenant is the literal fulfillment of its conditions in a coming day when a remnant of Israel are saved and brought into the kingdom (Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 11:26-27). To apply it in “letter” to the Church would be to see it as being fulfilled in the Church in some way, which is a mistake. (“A True Christian Minister Has a Ministry That Impacts His Hearers: 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:18” by B. Anstey)
• Paul...ministered the “spirit” of the new covenant, which is grace. He taught Christians of the spiritual blessings of the covenant that were theirs through grace, without them formally being connected with it. (“A True Christian Minister Has a Ministry That Impacts His Hearers: 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:18” by B. Anstey)

J. N. Darby Translation

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6
who has also made us competent, as ministers of the new covenantg; not of letter, but of spirit. For the letter killsh, but the Spirit quickens.

JND Translation Notes

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g
The omission of the article makes it characteristic, as in the case of "letter" and "spirit"; perhaps it may be rendered "competent [as] new covenant ministers."
h
Or "For letter kills."

W. Kelly Translation

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6
who also made us competent [as] servants of a new covenanta, not of letter but of spirit, for the letter killeth but the spirit quickeneth.

WK Translation Notes

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a
Read "a new covenant," it is the anarthrous form of the noun without the article "the."