What does 2 Corinthians 4:9 mean?

This passage describes exactly how fragile Paul and his co-workers really are. They carry the most valuable treasure in the universe: the knowledge of access to God's glory through faith in Christ. And yet, they carry it in the fragile containers of their own lives. This is not an accident, by any means. This is a deliberate choice by God to prove the inherent power of the truth.

God allows them to suffer along the way, but he keeps them from ever fully being destroyed. Now Paul adds that he and his co-workers are persecuted. In other words, they are targeted by the enemies of Christ to be mistreated. This has included the Jewish religious leaders, pagan mobs, and Roman authorities. However, Paul insists, that even in their most severe persecution, God has never forsaken them. God has always been with them through the worst, keeping them from being crushed or totally despairing.

Paul adds that they have even been struck down under persecution. Paul had on at least one occasion been left for dead. He escaped, though (Acts 14:19–20). God had not yet allowed this servant of His to be destroyed; his work was not done. So Paul continues the mission to carry the treasure of the gospel to all who will receive it, as the following verses make clear.