1 Korintus 1:10

Divisions in the Church

1:10 I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹  by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, ²  to end your divisions, ³  and to be united by the same mind and purpose. ⁴ 

1 Korintus 1:13

1:13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? ⁵  Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul? ⁶ 

1 Korintus 2:1

2:1 When I came ⁷  to you, brothers and sisters, ⁸  I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony ⁹  of God.

1 Korintus 2:5

2:5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.

1 Korintus 3:13

3:13 each builder’s ¹⁰  work will be plainly seen, for the Day ¹¹  will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire ¹²  will test what kind of work each has done.

1 Korintus 3:19

3:19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” ¹³ 

1 Korintus 4:3

4:3 So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

1 Korintus 4:20-21

4:20 For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power. 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline ¹⁴  or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

1 Korintus 5:10-11

5:10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian ¹⁵  who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, ¹⁶  or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

1 Korintus 6:2

6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits?

1 Korintus 6:9

6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, ¹⁷  practicing homosexuals, ¹⁸ 

1 Korintus 6:13

6:13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both.” ¹⁹  The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1 Korintus 6:16

6:16 Or do you not know that anyone who is united with ²⁰  a prostitute is one body with her? ²¹  For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” ²² 

1 Korintus 6:19

6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, ²³  whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Korintus 7:3-4

7:3 A husband should give to his wife her sexual rights, ²⁴  and likewise a wife to her husband. 7:4 It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the wife.

1 Korintus 7:9

7:9 But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. ²⁵ 

1 Korintus 7:11

7:11 (but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.

1 Korintus 7:14-16

7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband. ²⁶  Otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. 7:15 But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these circumstances the brother or sister is not bound. ²⁷  God has called you in peace. 7:16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation? ²⁸  Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation? ²⁹ 

1 Korintus 7:19-20

7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts. 7:20 Let each one remain in that situation in life ³⁰  in which he was called.

1 Korintus 7:28

7:28 But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, ³¹  and I am trying to spare you such problems. ³² 

1 Korintus 7:34

7:34 and he is divided. An unmarried woman ³³  or a virgin ³⁴  is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.

1 Korintus 7:36

7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, ³⁵  if she is past the bloom of youth ³⁶  and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.

1 Korintus 8:1

Food Sacrificed to Idols

8:1 With regard to food sacrificed to idols, we know that “we all have knowledge.” ³⁷  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

1 Korintus 8:7

8:7 But this knowledge is not shared by all. And some, by being accustomed to idols in former times, eat this food as an idol sacrifice, and their conscience, because it is weak, is defiled.

1 Korintus 8:9-10

8:9 But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the weak. 8:10 For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience be “strengthened” ³⁸  to eat food offered to idols?

1 Korintus 9:2-3

9:2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the confirming sign ³⁹  of my apostleship in the Lord. 9:3 This is my defense to those who examine me.

1 Korintus 9:6-8

9:6 Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work? 9:7 Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not consume its milk? 9:8 Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, ⁴⁰  or does the law not say this as well?

1 Korintus 9:10

9:10 Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest.

1 Korintus 9:15

9:15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me. ⁴¹  In fact, it would be better for me to die than – no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting! ⁴² 

1 Korintus 10:4

10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

1 Korintus 10:19

10:19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything?

1 Korintus 10:22

10:22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? ⁴³ 

1 Korintus 10:26

10:26 for the earth and its abundance are the Lord’s. ⁴⁴ 

1 Korintus 10:29

10:29 I do not mean yours but the other person’s. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?

1 Korintus 11:3-7

11:3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, ⁴⁵  and God is the head of Christ. 11:4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his head. 11:5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is one and the same thing as having a shaved head. 11:6 For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head. 11:7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.

1 Korintus 11:10

11:10 For this reason a woman should have a symbol of authority ⁴⁶  on her head, because of the angels. ⁴⁷ 

1 Korintus 11:12

11:12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman. But all things come from God.

1 Korintus 11:14-15

11:14 Does not nature ⁴⁸  itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace for him, 11:15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. ⁴⁹ 

1 Korintus 11:22-23

11:22 Do you not have houses so that you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show contempt for the church of God by shaming those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,

1 Korintus 11:25

11:25 In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

1 Korintus 11:27

11:27 For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1 Korintus 12:7

12:7 To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.

1 Korintus 12:17

12:17 If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?

1 Korintus 12:21

12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.”

1 Korintus 12:25

12:25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another.

1 Korintus 13:1

The Way of Love

13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

1 Korintus 13:4

13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.

1 Korintus 13:8

13:8 Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.

1 Korintus 13:13

13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Korintus 14:5-7

14:5 I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.

14:6 Now, brothers and sisters, ⁵⁰  if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation or with knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 14:7 It is similar for lifeless things that make a sound, like a flute or harp. Unless they make a distinction in the notes, how can what is played on the flute or harp be understood?

1 Korintus 14:19

14:19 but in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Korintus 14:22-24

14:22 So then, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and unbelievers or uninformed people enter, will they not say that you have lost your minds? 14:24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or uninformed person enters, he will be convicted by all, he will be called to account by all.

1 Korintus 14:27-29

14:27 If someone speaks in a tongue, it should be two, or at the most three, one after the other, and someone must interpret. 14:28 But if there is no interpreter, he should be silent in the church. Let him speak to himself and to God. 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak and the others should evaluate what is said.

1 Korintus 14:36-37

14:36 Did the word of God begin with you, ⁵¹  or did it come to you alone?

14:37 If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, he should acknowledge that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.

1 Korintus 15:10

15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

1 Korintus 15:14

15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty.

1 Korintus 15:17

15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins.

1 Korintus 15:28

15:28 And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

1 Korintus 15:37

15:37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed ⁵²  – perhaps of wheat or something else.

1 Korintus 15:39-40

15:39 All flesh is not the same: People have one flesh, animals have another, birds and fish another. ⁵³  15:40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The glory of the heavenly body is one sort and the earthly another.

1 Korintus 15:42

15:42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. ⁵⁴ 

1 Korintus 15:50

15:50 Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: ⁵⁵  Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

1 Korintus 15:56

15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

1 Korintus 16:4

16:4 And if it seems advisable that I should go also, they will go with me.

1 Korintus 16:6

16:6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you can send me on my journey, wherever I go.

1 Korintus 16:23-24

16:23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

16:24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. ⁵⁶ 

[1:10]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:10]  ² tn Grk “that you all say the same thing.”

[1:10]  ³ tn Grk “that there be no divisions among you.”

[1:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “that you be united in/by the same mind and in/by the same purpose.”

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “was he?”).

[1:13]  ⁶ tn This third question marks a peak in which Paul’s incredulity at the Corinthians’ attitude is in focus. The words “in fact” have been supplied in the translation to make this rhetorical juncture clear.

[2:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “and I, when I came.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, κἀγώ (kagw) has not been translated here.

[2:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[2:1]  ⁹ tc ‡ A few important mss (Ì^46vid א* A C pc as well as some versions and fathers) read μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) instead of μαρτύριον (marturion, “testimony”). But the latter has wider ms support (א² B D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï and some versions), though not quite as impressive. μαρτύριον may have been changed by scribes in anticipation of Paul’s words in 2:7, or conversely, μυστήριον may have been changed to conform to 1:6. Transcriptionally, since “the mystery of God/Christ” is a well-worn expression in the corpus Paulinum (1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 3:4; Col 2:2; 4:3), while “testimony of Christ” occurs in Paul only once (1 Cor 1:6, though “testimony of the Lord” appears in 2 Tim 1:8), and “testimony of God” never, it is likely that scribes changed the text to the more usual expression. A decision is difficult in this instance, but a slight preference should be given to μαρτύριον.

[3:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “each one’s.” Here “builder’s” is employed in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ¹¹ tn In an attempt to clarify the referent, some translations add “of Christ” after “Day” (so TEV); others specify this as “judgment day” (NLT) or “the day of judgment” (CEV).

[3:13]  sn The Day refers to the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1:8; 5:5) when each Christian worker will appear before Christ for evaluation of his ministry. Paul’s constant motivation was to be pleasing to the Lord in that day (2 Cor 5:9-10) and receive his commendation (1 Cor 4:5).

[3:13]  ¹² tc ‡ αὐτό (auto) is found at this point in v. 13 in a number of significant witnesses, including A B C P 33 1739 al. But Ì⁴⁶ א D Ψ 0289 1881 Ï latt lack it. The pronoun could be a motivated reading, designed to intensify Paul’s statement. On the other hand, it could have been deleted because the article alone made the reference already clear. In this instance, the possibility of scribal addition seems more likely than scribal deletion, although a decision is difficult. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[3:13]  sn It is unclear whether the phrase it will be revealed by fire describes the Day (subject of the previous clause) or each one’s work (subject of the clause before that).

[3:19]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Job 5:13.

[4:21]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “rod.” Context indicates that this rod will be used for disciplinary purposes.

[4:21]  sn Paul is using the term rod in this context to refer to his apostolic authority to discipline those who have become arrogant in the Corinthian church and have attempted to undermine his ministry (cf. 4:18-19).

[5:11]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “a brother,” but the Greek word “brother” may be used for “brother or sister,” “fellow Christian,” or “fellow member of the church.” Here the term “brother” broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[5:11]  ¹⁶ tn Or “a reviler”; BDAG 602 s.v. λοίδορος defines the term as “reviler, abusive person.”

[6:9]  ¹⁷ tn This term is sometimes rendered “effeminate,” although in contemporary English usage such a translation could be taken to refer to demeanor rather than behavior. BDAG 613 s.v. μαλακός 2 has “pert. to being passive in a same-sex relationship, effeminate esp. of catamites, of men and boys who are sodomized by other males in such a relationship.” L&N 88.281 states, “the passive male partner in homosexual intercourse – ‘homosexual.’ …As in Greek, a number of other languages also have entirely distinct terms for the active and passive roles in homosexual intercourse.” See also the discussion in G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 243-44. A number of modern translations have adopted the phrase “male prostitutes” for μαλακοί in 1 Cor 6:9 (NIV, NRSV, NLT) but this could be misunderstood by the modern reader to mean “males who sell their services to women,” while the term in question appears, at least in context, to relate to homosexual activity between males. Furthermore, it is far from certain that prostitution as commonly understood (the selling of sexual favors) is specified here, as opposed to a consensual relationship. Thus the translation “passive homosexual partners” has been used here.

[6:9]  ¹⁸ tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἀρσενοκοίτης states, “a male who engages in sexual activity w. a pers. of his own sex, pederast 1 Cor 6:9…of one who assumes the dominant role in same-sex activity, opp. μαλακός…1 Ti 1:10; Pol 5:3. Cp. Ro 1:27.” L&N 88.280 states, “a male partner in homosexual intercourse – ‘homosexual.’…It is possible that ἀρσενοκοίτης in certain contexts refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with μαλακός, the passive male partner.” Since there is a distinction in contemporary usage between sexual orientation and actual behavior, the qualification “practicing” was supplied in the translation, following the emphasis in BDAG.

[6:13]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “both this [stomach] and these [foods].”

[6:13]  sn There is debate as to the extent of the Corinthian slogan which Paul quotes here. Some argue that the slogan is only the first sentence – “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food” – with the second statement forming Paul’s rejoinder, while others argue that the slogan contains both sentences (as in the translation above). The argument which favors the latter is the tight conceptual and grammatical parallelism which occurs if Paul’s response begins with “The body is not for sexual immorality” and then continues through the end of v. 14. For discussion and diagrams of this structure, see G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 253-57.

[6:16]  ²⁰ tn Or “is in relationship with.”

[6:16]  ²¹ tn Grk “is one body,” implying the association “with her.”

[6:16]  ²² sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.

[6:19]  ²³ tn Grk “the ‘in you’ Holy Spirit.” The position of the prepositional phrase ἐν ὑμῖν (en Jumin, “in you”) between the article and the adjective effectively places the prepositional phrase in first attributive position. Such constructions are generally translated into English as relative clauses.

[7:3]  ²⁴ tn Grk “fulfill the obligation” or “pay the debt,” referring to the fulfillment of sexual needs within marriage.

[7:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “than to burn,” a figure of speech referring to unfulfilled sexual passion.

[7:14]  ²⁶ tc Grk “the brother.” Later witnesses (א² D² Ï) have ἀνδρί (andri, “husband”) here, apparently in conscious emulation of the earlier mention of ἀνήρ (ajnhr) in the verse. However, the earliest and best witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* A B C D* F G P Ψ 33 1739 al co) are decisively in favor of ἀδελφῷ (adelfw, “brother”), a word that because of the close association with “wife” here may have seemed inappropriate to many scribes. It is also for reasons of English style that “her husband” is used in the translation.

[7:15]  ²⁷ sn Interpreters differ over the implication of the statement the brother or sister is not bound. One view is that the believer is “not bound to continue the marriage,” i.e., not so slavishly tied to the instruction about not divorcing (cf. vv. 10-11) that he or she refuses to face reality when the unbelieving spouse is unwilling to continue the relationship. In this view divorce is allowable under these circumstances, but not remarriage (v. 11 still applies: remain unmarried or be reconciled). The other view is that the believer is “not bound in regard to marriage,” i.e., free to remain single or to remarry. The argument for this view is the conceptual parallel with vv. 39-40, where a wife is said to be “bound” (a different word in Greek, but the same concept) as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is “free” to marry as she wishes, only in the Lord. If the parallel holds, then not bound in v. 15 also means “free to marry another.”

[7:16]  ²⁸ tn Grk “will save your husband?” The meaning is obviously that the wife would be the human agent in leading her husband to salvation.

[7:16]  ²⁹ tn Grk “will save your wife?” The meaning is obviously that the husband would be the human agent in leading his wife to salvation.

[7:20]  ³⁰ tn Grk “in the calling.” “Calling” in Paul is God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. As in 1:26, calling here stands by metonymy for a person’s circumstances when he becomes a Christian.

[7:28]  ³¹ tn Grk “these will have tribulation in the flesh.”

[7:28]  ³² tn Grk “I am trying to spare you.” Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. “Such problems” has been supplied here to make the sense of the statement clear.

[7:34]  ³³ sn In context the unmarried woman would probably refer specifically to a widow, who was no longer married, as opposed to the virgin, who had never been married.

[7:34]  ³⁴ tc There are three viable variant readings at this point in the text. (1) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος (Jh gunh Jh agamo" kai Jh parqeno", “the unmarried woman and the virgin”) is represented by ancient and important mss, as well as some significant versions (̹⁵ B 104 365 1505 pc vg co). (2) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the unmarried woman and the unmarried virgin”) is also found in ancient and important mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A 33 1739 1881 pc). (3) The reading ἡ γυνὴ καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the woman and the unmarried virgin”) is found in Western mss (D F G) and the majority of Byzantine cursives. Based upon external evidence, the first and second readings are the strongest; the readings both reach deep into the second century with strong testimony from mss of the Alexandrian texttype. Internal evidence seems equally balanced: Scribes may have wanted to add ἡ ἄγαμος to παρθένος for stylistic reasons, but they might also have wanted to remove it because it sounded redundant. Because Paul’s meaning is not quite clear, a decision on the proper textual reading is difficult. On the whole scribes tended to add to the text, not take from it. Thus the first reading should be favored as original, but this decision should be regarded as less than certain.

[7:34]  tn Grk “The unmarried woman and the virgin.” The identity of the “virgin” here is a matter of interpretation (see note on “people who have never married” in v. 25 for discussion), which has in fact contributed to textual variation at this point in the text (see the text critical note above). As far as the translation is concerned, one must determine if one group of women or two are in view. It is possible that Paul means to refer to only one class of women here, namely unmarried virgins, but the use of the adjective ἡ ἄγαμος (Jh agamo", “unmarried”) with “woman” and not “virgin” precludes that interpretation; in addition, the use of the article with both “woman” and “virgin” implies that two distinct groups are in view. If two groups are in view, English would more naturally use the conjunction “or” to indicate the distinction. Thus the translation “An unmarried woman or a virgin” has been used to make clear that two groups are in view.

[7:36]  ³⁵ tn Grk “virgin,” either a fiancée, a daughter, or the ward of a guardian. For discussion see the note at the end of v. 38.

[7:36]  ³⁶ tn Or referring to an engaged man: “if he is past the critical point,” “if his passions are too strong.” The word literally means “to be past the high point.”

[8:1]  ³⁷ sn “We all have knowledge.” Here and in v. 4 Paul cites certain slogans the Corinthians apparently used to justify their behavior (cf. 6:12-13; 7:1; 10:23). Paul agrees with the slogans in part, but corrects them to show how the Corinthians have misused these ideas.

[8:10]  ³⁸ tn Or “built up”; This is the same word used in v. 1b. It is used ironically here: The weak person is “built up” to commit what he regards as sin.

[9:2]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the seal.”

[9:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “only according to human authority”; Grk “saying these things according to men.”

[9:15]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “so that it will happen in this way in my case.”

[9:15]  ⁴² tc The reading ἤ – τὸ καύχημά μου οὐδεὶς κενώσει (h – to kauchma mou oudei" kenwsei, “than – no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!”) is syntactically abrupt, but fully in keeping with Pauline style. It is supported by Ì⁴⁶ א* B D*^,c 33 1739 1881 as well as early patristic authors. Most witnesses, especially the later ones (א² C D² Ψ Ï lat), have a significantly smoother reading than this: ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου ἵνα τις κενώσῃ (or κενώσει); h to kauchma mou {ina ti" kenwsh (or kenwsei), “than that anyone should deprive me of my boasting.” The simple replacement of οὐδείς with ἵνα essentially accomplishes the smoothing out of the text, and as such the ἵνα reading is suspect. Not only is the harder reading in keeping with Pauline style, but it is also found in the earlier and better witnesses.

[9:15]  sn Paul breaks off his thought at mid-sentence (indicated by the dash in the translation) and it is somewhat difficult to determine his reason for boasting. Most likely Paul would rather die than be deprived of the boast that he had offered the gospel free of charge even though as an apostle he had the right to such support (9:14). Did he say this as a way of criticizing his opponents? Perhaps only indirectly. His focus has more to do with not hindering the gospel than what his opponents were doing (9:12).

[10:22]  ⁴³ tn The question in Greek expects a negative answer (“We are not stronger than he is, are we?”).

[10:26]  ⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 24:1; an allusion to Ps 50:12; 89:11.

[11:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “the husband is the head of his wife.” The same Greek words translated “man” and “woman” can mean, as determined by context, “husband” and “wife” respectively. Such an approach is followed by NAB, TEV, NRSV, and NLT (with some variations).

[11:10]  ⁴⁶ sn Paul does not use a word specifying what type of “covering” is meant (veil, hat, etc.). The Greek word he uses here (ἐξουσία exousia; translated symbol of authority) could be (1) a figure of speech that may substitute the result (the right to participate in worship) for the appropriate appearance that makes it possible (the covered head). Or (2) it refers to the outward symbol (having the head covered) as representing the inward attitude the woman is to possess (deference to male leadership in the church).

[11:10]  ⁴⁷ sn Paul does not explain this reference to the angels, and its point is not entirely clear. It seems to reflect an awareness that angels are witnesses to church life (cf. Eph 3:10) and would be particularly sensitive to resistance against God’s created order.

[11:14]  ⁴⁸ sn Paul does not mean nature in the sense of “the natural world” or “Mother Nature.” It denotes “the way things are” because of God’s design.

[11:15]  ⁴⁹ sn No word for veil or head covering occurs in vv. 3-14 (see the note on authority in v. 10). That the hair is regarded by Paul as a covering in v. 15 is not necessarily an argument that the hair is the same as the head covering that he is describing in the earlier verses (esp. v. 10). Throughout this unit of material, Paul points out the similarities of long hair with a head covering. But his doing so seems to suggest that the two are not to be identified with each other. Precisely because they are similar they do not appear to be identical (cf. vv. 5, 6, 7, 10, 13). If head covering = long hair, then what does v. 6 mean (“For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair”)? This suggests that the covering is not the same as the hair itself.

[14:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[14:36]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Did the word of God go out from you.”

[15:37]  ⁵² tn Grk “and what you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare seed.”

[15:39]  ⁵³ tn Grk “all flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one (flesh) of people, but another flesh of animals and another flesh of birds and another of fish.”

[15:42]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.” The “it” refers to the body, as v. 44 shows.

[15:50]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[16:24]  ⁵⁶ tc Although the majority of mss (א A C D Ψ 075 Ï lat bo) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”), such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Although far fewer witnesses lack the valedictory particle (B F 0121 0243 33 81 630 1739* 1881 sa), their collective testimony is difficult to explain if the omission is not authentic.