King James Version
1 Corinthians 3
23 verses with commentary
Divisions in the Church
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal</strong> (σαρκίνοις, <em>sarkinois</em>, 'fleshly')—Paul diagnoses the Corinthians' stunted spiritual development. The contrast between <em>pneumatikos</em> (πνευματικός, 'spiritual,' Spirit-governed) and <em>sarkinos</em> ('fleshly,' flesh-dominated) reveals believers who remain controlled by natural appetites...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
III.
(1) **And I.**—Again, as in 1Corinthians 2:6, the Apostle shows how general principles which he has just explained were exemplified in his own conduct. In the closing verses of 1 Corinthians 2 St. Paul has enunciated the general method of teaching spiritual truth as being dependent upon the receptive powers of those who are being taught. He now proceeds to point out to them that their own cha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-7. For, for this cause pay ye--**rather, "ye pay"
**tribute also--**that is, "This is the reason why ye pay the contributions requisite for maintaining the civil government."
**for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing--**"to this very thing."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Corinthians reproved for their contentions.
(1-4)
The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him.
(5-9)
He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon.
(10-15)
The churches of Christ ought to be kept pure, and to be humble.
(16-17)
And they should not glory in men, because ministers and al...
Read full commentary →I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have fed you with milk, and not with meat</strong> (γάλα... οὐ βρῶμα, <em>gala... ou brōma</em>)—Paul employs a nursing metaphor common in ancient pedagogy. <em>Gala</em> represents elementary gospel truths (repentance, faith, baptism), while <em>brōma</em> (solid food) denotes deeper doctrinal instruction about Christ's supremacy, church order, and eschatology. <strong>For hitherto ye w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Milk . . . meat.**—The use of the word “infant” naturally suggests these two images for the higher wisdom and for the simpler truths of the gospel respectively.
**Hitherto ye were not able.**—Better, *for ye were not yet able.* Up to this point the Apostle has been speaking of the condition in which he found the Corinthians when he came first to Corinth, and he proceeds from this to rebuke t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. Owe no man anything, but to love one another--**"Acquit yourselves of all obligations except love, which is a debt that must remain ever due" [Hodge].
**for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law--**for the law itself is but love in manifold action, regarded as matter of duty.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Corinthians reproved for their contentions.
(1-4)
The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him.
(5-9)
He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon.
(10-15)
The churches of Christ ought to be kept pure, and to be humble.
(16-17)
And they should not glory in men, because ministers and al...
Read full commentary →For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? divisions: or, factions as men: Gr. according to man?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions</strong> (ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, <em>zēlos kai eris</em>, 'jealousy and quarreling')—Paul cites specific evidence of carnality. <em>Zēlos</em> denotes partisan jealousy, the competitive spirit that views other believers as rivals. <em>Eris</em> (strife, contention) describes the factional conflicts plaguing C...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **For whereas.**—Better, *For since there is.*
**As** **men.**—Better, *after the manner of man*—*i.e.,* after a merely human and not after a spiritually enlightened manner. In Romans 3:5, Galatians 1:2, also Romans 15:5, the opposite condition is expressed by the same Greek particle used with our Lord’s name, “according to Jesus Christ.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. For this, &c.--**better thus: "For the [commandments], Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and whatever other commandment [there may be], it is summed up," &c. (The clause, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," is wanting in all the most ancient manuscripts). The apostle refers here only to the second table of the law, as lov...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Corinthians reproved for their contentions.
(1-4)
The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him.
(5-9)
He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon.
(10-15)
The churches of Christ ought to be kept pure, and to be humble.
(16-17)
And they should not glory in men, because ministers and al...
Read full commentary →For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?</strong>—Paul reduces their complex factionalism to its essence: personality cults dividing Christ's body. The partisans likely claimed theological justification—Paul emphasized grace and freedom; Apollos brought eloquent OT exposition (Acts 18:24-28); Cephas (Peter) represented Jerusalem apostolic authorit...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **One saith, I am of Paul.**—These and the following words explain exactly what the Apostle means by their being “carnal,” and walking after a merely human manner. Only two of the factions—those of Paul and of Apollos—are mentioned as types of the rest. The factious spirit was in each and all the “parties” the same, but the particular difference between the teaching of the higher wisdom and th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. Love worketh no ill to his--**or, "one's"
**neighbour; therefore, &c.--**As love, from its very nature, studies and delights to please its objects, its very existence is an effectual security against our wilfully injuring him. Next follow some general motives to the faithful discharge of all these duties.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Corinthians reproved for their contentions.
(1-4)
The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him.
(5-9)
He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon.
(10-15)
The churches of Christ ought to be kept pure, and to be humble.
(16-17)
And they should not glory in men, because ministers and al...
Read full commentary →Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed</strong> (διάκονοι, <em>diakonoi</em>, 'servants')—Paul demolishes the personality cults by reducing himself and Apollos to <em>diakonoi</em>, table-servers or errand-runners. This term denoted the lowest-ranking household servants, not honored leaders. <strong>Even as the Lord gave to every man</strong> (ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) The Apostle now proceeds to explain (1Corinthians 3:5-9) what is the true position and work of Christian ministers. He asserts that all alike—both those who teach the simpler truths, and those who build up upon that primary knowledge—are only instruments in God’s hand; and in 1Corinthians 3:10-15 (replying to those who sneered at and despised his simple teaching as compared to the higher instr...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. And that--**rather, "And this [do]"
**knowing the time, that now it is high time--**literally, "the hour has already come."
**to awake out of sleep--**of stupid, fatal indifference to eternal things.
**for now is our salvation--**rather, "the salvation," or simply "salvation."
**nearer than when we--**first
**believed--**This is in the line of all our Lord's teaching, which represe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-9**
The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were only instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by one Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, and engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; a...
Read full commentary →I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase</strong> (ηὔξανεν ὁ θεός, <em>ēuxanen ho theos</em>)—Paul introduces the agricultural metaphor that dominates verses 6-9. <em>Ephyteusa</em> (ἐφύτευσα, 'I planted') describes Paul's founding evangelism; <em>epotisen</em> (ἐπότισεν, 'watered') represents Apollos's follow-up teaching. Yet <em>ēuxanen</em> (imperfect tense: 'was givin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **I have planted, Apollos watered.**—By an image borrowed from the processes of agriculture the Apostle explains the relation in which his teaching stood to that of Apollos—and how all the results were from God. This indication of St. Paul having been the founder, and Apollos the subsequent instructor, of the Corinthian Church, is in complete harmony with what we read of the early history of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. The night--**of evil
**is far spent, the day--**of consummated triumph over it
**is at hand: let us therefore cast off--**as a dress
**the works of darkness--**all works holding of the kingdom and period of darkness, with which, as followers of the risen Saviour, our connection has been dissolved.
**and let us put on the armour of light--**described at length in Ep 6:11-18.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-9**
The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were only instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by one Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, and engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; a...
Read full commentary →So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth</strong>—Paul draws the radical conclusion from verse 6: human laborers are <em>nothing</em> (οὐδέν ἐστιν, <em>ouden estin</em>). This is not false humility but theological precision. <strong>But God that giveth the increase</strong> (ἀλλ' ὁ αὐξάνων θεός, <em>all' ho auxanōn theos</em>)—the present participle emphasize...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Any thing**—*i.e., *“anything worth mentioning” (1Corinthians 10:19; Galatians 2:6; Galatians 6:3).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Let us walk honestly--**"becomingly," "seemingly"
**as in the day--**"Men choose the night for their revels, but our night is past, for we are all the children of the light and of the day (1Th 5:5): let us therefore only do what is fit to be exposed to the light of such a day."
**not in rioting and drunkenness--**varied forms of intemperance; denoting revels in general, usually ending in...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-9**
The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were only instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by one Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, and engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; a...
Read full commentary →Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one</strong> (ἕν εἰσιν, <em>hen eisin</em>)—having demolished partisan hierarchies (planters vs. waterers), Paul asserts their essential unity. <em>Hen</em> (neuter 'one thing') emphasizes shared purpose, not identical function. They collaborate in God's single project. <strong>And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own lab...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Are one.**—The planter and the waterer are one in that they are both working in the same cause. “But,” says the Apostle (not “and,” as in our version), “each man shall receive his own reward from God, not from man, according to his labour.” There is an individuality as well as a unity in the work of the ministry. This is, however, not a thing to be noticed by men, but it will be recognised b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. But--**to sum up all in one word.
**put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ--**in such wise that Christ only may be seen in you (see 2Co 3:3; Ga 3:27; Ep 4:24).
**and make no provision--**"take no forethought."
**for the flesh, to fulfil the lust thereof--**"Direct none of your attention to the cravings of your corrupt nature, how you may provide for their gratification."
**Note, (1) How glo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-9**
The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were only instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by one Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, and engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; a...
Read full commentary →For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. husbandry: or, tillage
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For we are labourers together with God</strong> (θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί, <em>theou gar esmen synergoi</em>)—<em>synergoi</em> (coworkers) could mean 'working with God' or 'working together as God's servants.' The grammar permits both: we labor alongside one another in God's employment. <strong>Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building</strong> (θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή, <em>theou ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) Thrice in this verse the Apostle repeats the name of God with emphasis, to explain and to impress the assertion of the previous verse, that men are to recognise the unity, and God alone the diversity, in the ministerial work and office. “*We* are GOD’S fellow-labourers; *you* are GOD’S field—GOD’S house.” The image is thus suddenly altered from agriculture to architecture, as the latter can be...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-9**
The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were only instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by one Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, and engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; a...
Read full commentary →Christ Our Foundation
According 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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation</strong> (ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, <em>hōs sophos architektōn themelion ethēka</em>)—<em>architektōn</em> (architect/master builder) denotes the chief contractor who designs and oversees construction. Paul founded the Corinthian church (Acts 18), establishing the <em>themeli...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **According to the grace of God.**—The Apostle being about to speak of himself as “a wise masterbuilder,” takes care by commencing his statement with these words to show that he is not indulging in self-laudation, but merely pointing out what God had given him the grace to do. (See Romans 1:5; Romans 12:3.)
**Wise**—*i.e.,* skilful or judicious.
**Another buildeth thereon.**—The sequence of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 14 Ro 14:1-23. Same Subject Continued--Christian Forbearance.
The subject here, and on to Ro 15:13, is the consideration due from stronger Christians to their weaker brethren; which is but the great law of love (treated of in the thirteenth chapter) in one particular form.
**1. Him that is weak in the faith--**rather, "in faith"; that is, not "him that is weak in the truth believed" [C...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ</strong> (θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, <em>themelion gar allon oudeis dynatai theinai para ton keimenon, hos estin Iēsous Christos</em>)—this is the theological apex of the passage. <em>Oudeis dynatai</em> ('no one is able') asserts impossibility, not merely ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. one believeth that he may eat all things--**See Ac 10:16.
**another, who is weak, eateth herbs--**restricting himself probably to a vegetable diet, for fear of eating what might have been offered to idols, and so would be unclean. (See 1Co 8:1-13).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble</strong> (χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην, <em>chryson, argyron, lithous timious, xyla, chorton, kalamēn</em>)—Paul categorizes building materials into two groups: permanent (gold, silver, costly stones) versus combustible (wood, hay, stubble). These represent the quality of d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Now** **if** **any man . . .**—Better, *But if any man.*
**Precious stones.**—Not gems, but grand and costly stones, such as marble. “Hay,” dried grass used to fill up chinks in the walls. “Stubble,” stalks with the ears of corn cut off, and used for making a roof of thatch.
Many ingenious attempts have been made to apply the imagery of this passage in detail to various doctrines or Christi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. Let not him that eateth despise--**look down superciliously upon "him that eateth not."
**and let not him that eateth not judge--**sit in judgment censoriously upon "him that eateth."
**for God hath received him--**as one of His dear children, who in this matter acts not from laxity, but religious principle.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. it shall be: Gr. it is
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it</strong> (ἡ ἡμέρα δηλώσει, <em>hē hēmera dēlōsei</em>)—'the Day' (capitalized, with definite article) refers to the day of Christ's return and judgment (1 Corinthians 1:8, 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:4). <em>Dēlōsei</em> (shall reveal/make clear) promises exposure of all hidden things. <strong>Because it shall be revealed by ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Revealed by fire.**—Better, *revealed in fire.* For the general scope of this passage, see 1Corinthians 3:12 above. The day of the coming of the Lord is always thus represented as bursting suddenly with a rush of light and blaze of fire upon the earth. (See Malachi 3:1-3; Malachi 4:1; 2Thessalonians 1:8; 2Thessalonians 2:8.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. Who art thou that judges another man's--**rather, "another's"
**servant?--**that is, Christ's, as the whole context shows, especially Ro 14:8, 9.
**Yea, &c.--**"But he shall be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand"; that is, to make good his standing, not at the day of judgment, of which the apostle treats in Ro 14:10, but in the true fellowship of the Church here, in spit...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward</strong> (μισθὸν λήμψεται, <em>misthon lēmpsetai</em>)—<em>lēmpsetai</em> (future middle: 'shall receive for himself') promises personal, certain recompense. The condition 'if... abide' (εἰ... μενεῖ, <em>ei... menei</em>) means 'if it remains after fire-testing,' implying some work will survive. <em>Misthos</e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) This is the general application to Christian teachers of what has gone before. Those who have built well shall have their reward in their work having survived the trial of the fire; those who have built otherwise shall lose everything—their work, which should have remained as their reward, will perish in the fire—and they themselves will be as men who only make good their escape by rushing th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day--**The supplement "alike" should be omitted, as injuring the sense.
**Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind--**be guided in such matters by conscientious conviction.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire</strong> (οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός, <em>houtōs de hōs dia pyros</em>)—Paul envisions a believer whose work is entirely consumed yet who personally survives. <em>Zēmiōthēsetai</em> (ζημιωθήσεται, 'shall suffer loss') describes forfeited reward, not lost salvation. The emphatic <em>autos de...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **So as.**—These words remind us that the whole passage, and especially the reference to fire, is to be regarded as metaphorical, and not to be understood in a literal and physical sense. Forgetting this, Roman divines have evolved from these words the doctrine of purgatory.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it to the Lord--**the Lord Christ, as before.
**and he ... not, to the Lord he doth not--**each doing what he believes to be the Lord's will.
**He that earth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks--**The one gave thanks to God for the flesh which the other scrupled to use;...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15**
The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let u...
Read full commentary →God's Temple and God's Wisdom
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?</strong> (ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε... τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, <em>naos theou este... to pneuma tou theou oikei en hymin</em>)—Paul shifts from building metaphor to temple reality. <em>Naos</em> (ναός) denotes the inner sanctuary where God's presence dwells, not the outer courts (<em>hieron</em>). The plu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **The temple of God.**—From the thought of grand edifices in general the Apostle goes on to the particular case of a building which is not only splendid but “holy”—the temple of God—thus reminding the reader that the rich and valuable metals and stones spoken of previously are to represent spiritual attainments. He introduces the passage with the words “Do ye not know,” implying that their co...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. For none of us--**Christians
**liveth to himself--**(See 2Co 5:14, 15), to dispose of himself or shape his conduct after his own ideas and inclinations.
**and no man--**"and none" of us Christians "dieth to himself."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-17**
From other parts of the epistle, it appears that the false teachers among the Corinthians taught unholy doctrines. Such teaching tended to corrupt, to pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God. Those who spread loose principles, which render the church of God unholy, bring destruction upon themselves. Christ by his Spirit dwells in all true ...
Read full commentary →If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. defile: or, destroy
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy</strong> (φθείρει... φθερεῖ, <em>phtheirei... phtherei</em>)—Paul employs the same verb twice (wordplay lost in English): whoever <em>corrupts</em> (φθείρει) God's temple, God will <em>corrupt/destroy</em> (φθερεῖ). <em>Phtheirō</em> means to ruin, corrupt, or destroy. <strong>For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are</str...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **If any man defile.**—Better, *If any man destroy*—the opposite of “building up,” which should be the work of the Christian teacher; the architectural image being still in view.
**Which temple ye are.**—Literally, *the which are y*e, “which” referring rather to holy than to the temple; the argument being that as they are “holy” by the indwelling of God’s Spirit, therefore they are the temple...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. For none of us--**Christians
**liveth to himself--**(See 2Co 5:14, 15), to dispose of himself or shape his conduct after his own ideas and inclinations.
**and no man--**"and none" of us Christians "dieth to himself."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-17**
From other parts of the epistle, it appears that the false teachers among the Corinthians taught unholy doctrines. Such teaching tended to corrupt, to pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God. Those who spread loose principles, which render the church of God unholy, bring destruction upon themselves. Christ by his Spirit dwells in all true ...
Read full commentary →Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise</strong> (μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός, <em>mōros genesthō, hina genētai sophos</em>)—Paul returns to the wisdom theme from chapters 1-2. <em>Dokei</em> (δοκεῖ, 'seems/thinks himself') indicates self-deception, not genuine wisdom. To <em>become</em> (γενέσθω, ao...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) Passing from the difference between the work of one teacher and that of another, which has occupied him since 1Corinthians 3:5, the Apostle now returns to the subject from which he branched off there (the magnifying of one teacher above another), and proceeds to show (1Corinthians 3:18-21) that merely human wisdom is in itself worthless for spiritual purposes, and, therefore, that the possess...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. For to this end Christ both, &c.--**The true reading here is, To this end Christ died and lived ("again").
**that he might be Lord both of the dead and--**"and of the"
**living--**The grand object of His death was to acquire this absolute Lordship over His redeemed, both in their living and in their dying, as His of right.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness</strong> (ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν, <em>ho drassomenos tous sophous en tē panourgịa autōn</em>)—Paul quotes Job 5:13, where Eliphaz describes God's judgment on scheming wisdom. <em>Panourgia</em> (πανουργία) means craftiness, cunning, unscrupulous cleve...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **With God.**—Better, *in the sight of God* (Romans 2:13).
**For it is written.**—By two passages, one from Job, and the other from the Psalms, St. Paul proves the truth of his previous assertion regarding God’s estimate of mere “worldly wisdom.” It may be noticed that with the exception of the reference in James 5:11 to the “proverbial patience” of Job, of which the writer says “ye have *hea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. But why, &c.--**The original is more lively:--"But thou (the weaker believer), why judgest thou thy brother? And thou again (the stronger), why despisest thou thy brother?"
**for we shall all--**the strong and the weak together.
**stand before the judgment-seat of Christ--**All the most ancient and best manuscripts read here, "the judgment-seat of God." The present reading doubtless ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain</strong> (ματαιοί εἰσιν, <em>mataioi eisin</em>)—Paul quotes Psalm 94:11 (slightly adapted). <em>Mataioi</em> (μάταιοι) means empty, futile, leading nowhere—the same term used in Ecclesiastes for 'vanity' (hebel, vapor/mist). God <em>knows</em> (γινώσκει, <em>ginōskei</em>)—not merely intellectually comprehends but ex...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-12. For it is written--**(Is 45:23).
**As I live, saith the Lord--**Hebrew, Jehovah.
**every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God--**consequently, shall bow to the award of God upon their character and actions.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore let no man glory in men</strong> (μὴ καυχάσθω ἐν ἀνθρώποις, <em>mē kauchassthō en anthrōpois</em>)—<em>kauchaomai</em> (καυχάομαι) means to boast or take pride in. The present imperative with negative (μὴ) commands cessation of ongoing behavior: 'stop boasting in people.' <strong>For all things are your's</strong> (πάντα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν, <em>panta gar hymōn estin</em>)—the 'for' i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Therefore.**—Not because of what has been mentioned, but introducing what he is about to mention. Let party-spirit cease. Do not degrade yourselves by calling yourselves after the names of any man, for everything is yours—then teachers only exist for you. The enthusiasm of the Apostle, as he speaks of the privileges of Christians, leads him on beyond the bare assertion necessary to the logi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-12. For it is written--**(Is 45:23).
**As I live, saith the Lord--**Hebrew, Jehovah.
**every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God--**consequently, shall bow to the award of God upon their character and actions.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's</strong> (πάντα ὑμῶν, <em>panta hymōn</em>)—Paul catalogs seven possessions spanning human, cosmic, temporal, and eternal realms. First, the disputed leaders (Paul, Apollos, Cephas) belong to believers as servants, not vice versa. Second, <strong>the world</strong> (ὁ ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Let us not therefore judge--**"assume the office of judge over"
**one another; but judge this rather, &c.--**a beautiful sort of play upon the word "judge," meaning, "But let this be your judgment, not to put a stumbling-block," &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's</strong> (ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ, <em>hymeis de Christou, Christos de theou</em>)—Paul concludes the chapter with a hierarchical chain of belonging. Believers belong to Christ (Χριστοῦ, genitive of possession), purchased by his blood (6:20, 7:23), united to him as body to head (12:12-27). Christ belongs to God (θεοῦ, genitive), voluntaril...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **And Christ is God’s.**—Probably these words were added, not only as being the great climax of the gradual ascent up which the Apostle’s thoughts and language have gone in the whole passage, but as avoiding any danger of the party who called themselves by the name of Christ, arrogating anything to themselves from the previous words, “Ye are Christ’s,” if the passage had concluded with them. ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-15. I know, and am persuaded by--**or rather, "in"
**the Lord Jesus--**as "having the mind of Christ" (1Co 2:16).
**that there is nothing unclean of itself--**Hence it is that he calls those "the strong" who believed in the abolition of all ritual distinctions under the Gospel. (See Ac 10:15).
**but--**"save that"
**to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean--*...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom that wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humbl...
Read full commentary →