1 Korintus 1:14

1:14 I thank God ¹  that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

1 Korintus 1:16

1:16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.)

1 Korintus 2:2

2:2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing ²  among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

1 Korintus 2:8

2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1 Korintus 2:11

2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

1 Korintus 3:12

3:12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ³ 

1 Korintus 3:14-15

3:14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 3:15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. ⁴  He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

1 Korintus 3:17-18

3:17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.

3:18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. ⁵  If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.

1 Korintus 4:7

4:7 For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?

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 7:5

7:5 Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. ⁶  Then resume your relationship, ⁷  so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

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. ⁸ 

1 Korintus 7:12

7:12 To the rest I say – I, not the Lord ⁹  – if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.

1 Korintus 7:15-17

7:15 But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these circumstances the brother or sister is not bound. ¹⁰  God has called you in peace. 7:16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation? ¹¹  Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation? ¹² 

The Circumstances of Your Calling

7:17 Nevertheless, ¹³  as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches.

1 Korintus 7:21

7:21 Were you called as a slave? ¹⁴  Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity.

1 Korintus 7:36

7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, ¹⁵  if she is past the bloom of youth ¹⁶  and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.

1 Korintus 8:2-4

8:2 If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know. 8:3 But if someone loves God, he ¹⁷  is known by God. ¹⁸ 

8:4 With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that “an idol in this world is nothing,” and that “there is no God but one.” ¹⁹ 

1 Korintus 8:13

8:13 For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them ²⁰  to sin.

1 Korintus 9:2

9:2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the confirming sign ²¹  of my apostleship in the Lord.

1 Korintus 9:11-12

9:11 If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much to reap material things from you? 9:12 If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving?

But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

1 Korintus 9:17

9:17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward. But if I do it unwillingly, I am entrusted with a responsibility.

1 Korintus 10:13

10:13 No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. ²²  And God is faithful: He ²³  will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, ²⁴  but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.

1 Korintus 10:27

10:27 If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience.

1 Korintus 10:30

10:30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I blamed for the food ²⁵  that I give thanks for?

1 Korintus 11:6

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.

1 Korintus 11:16

11:16 If anyone intends to quarrel about this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

1 Korintus 11:31

11:31 But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged.

1 Korintus 11:34

11:34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that when you assemble it does not lead to judgment. I will give directions about other matters when I come.

1 Korintus 12:3

12:3 So I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

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 12:19

12:19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be?

1 Korintus 14:5

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.

1 Korintus 14:10

14:10 There are probably many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning.

1 Korintus 14:35

14:35 If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church. ²⁶ 

1 Korintus 14:37-38

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. 14:38 If someone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

1 Korintus 15:2

15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.

1 Korintus 15:12-14

No Resurrection?

15:12 Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, ²⁷  how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty.

1 Korintus 15:16-17

15:16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins.

1 Korintus 15:19

15:19 For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.

1 Korintus 15:29

15:29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? ²⁸  If the dead are not raised at all, then why are they baptized for them?

1 Korintus 15:32

15:32 If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, ²⁹  what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ³⁰ 

1 Korintus 15:37

15:37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed ³¹  – perhaps of wheat or something else.

1 Korintus 15:44

15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Korintus 16:22

16:22 Let anyone who has no love for the Lord be accursed. Our Lord, come! ³² 

[1:14]  ¹ tc The oldest and most important witnesses to this text, as well as a few others (א* B 6 1739 sa^ms bo^pt), lack the words τῷ θεῷ (tw qew, “God”), while the rest have them. An accidental omission could well account for the shorter reading, especially since θεῷ would have been written as a nomen sacrum (eucaristwtwqMw). However, one might expect to see, in some mss at least, a dropping of the article but not the divine name. Internally, the Pauline introductory thanksgivings elsewhere always include τῷ θεῷ after εὐχαριστῶ (eucaristw, “I thank”; cf. Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Phil 1:3; Phlm 4; in the plural, note Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2). However, both the fact that this is already used in 1 Cor 1:4 (thus perhaps motivating scribes to add it ten verses later), and that in later portions of his letters Paul does not consistently use the collocation of εὐχαριστῶ with τῷ θεῷ (Rom 16:4; 1 Cor 10:30), might give one pause. Still, nowhere else in the corpus Paulinum do we see a sentence begin with εὐχαριστῶ without an accompanying τῷ θεῷ. A decision is difficult, but on balance it is probably best to retain the words.

[2:2]  ² tn Grk “to know nothing.”

[3:12]  ³ sn The various materials described here, both valuable (gold, silver, precious stones) and worthless (wood, hay, or straw) refer to the quality of work built on the foundation, or possibly to the motivation of those doing the building. The materials themselves have been understood (1) as deeds or (2) as people (since ultimately the passage is addressing those who minister to others).

[3:15]  ⁴ tn The translation “[will] be punished” is given here by BDAG 428 s.v. ζημιόω 2. But the next clause says “he will be delivered” and so “suffering loss” is more likely to refer to the destruction of the “work” by fire or the loss of the reward that could have been gained.

[3:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “let no one deceive himself.”

[7:5]  ⁶ tc Most later witnesses (א² Ï sy) add “fasting and” (τῇ νηστείᾳ καί, th nhsteia kai) before “prayer.” But such an addition is motivated by ascetic concerns; further, its lack in Ì^11vid,46 א* A B C D F G P Ψ 33 1739 1881 2464 al latt co argues decisively against its authenticity.

[7:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “and be together again.”

[7:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “than to burn,” a figure of speech referring to unfulfilled sexual passion.

[7:12]  ⁹ sn I, not the Lord. Here and in v. 10 Paul distinguishes between his own apostolic instruction and Jesus’ teaching during his earthly ministry. In vv. 12-16, Paul deals with a situation about which the Lord gave no instruction in his earthly ministry.

[7:15]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “will save your wife?” The meaning is obviously that the husband would be the human agent in leading his wife to salvation.

[7:17]  ¹³ tn Or “only”; Grk “if not.”

[7:21]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “servant” (KJV), though almost all modern translations render the word as “slave” here.

[7:36]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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.”

[8:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[8:3]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; in the translation the most likely referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[8:4]  ¹⁹ sn “An idol in this world is nothing” and “There is no God but one.” Here and in v. 1 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.

[8:13]  ²⁰ tn Grk “my brother.” Both “my brother or sister” earlier in the verse and “one of them” here translate the same Greek phrase. Since the same expression occurs in the previous line, a pronoun phrase is substituted here to suit English style, which is less tolerant of such repetition.

[9:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “the seal.”

[10:13]  ²² tn Grk “except a human one” or “except one common to humanity.”

[10:13]  ²³ tn Grk “God is faithful who.” The relative pronoun was changed to a personal pronoun in the translation for clarity.

[10:13]  ²⁴ tn The words “to bear” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning.

[10:30]  ²⁵ tn Grk “about that for which”; the referent (the food) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:35]  ²⁶ tc Some scholars have argued that vv. 34-35 should be excised from the text (principally G. D. Fee, First Corinthians [NICNT], 697-710; P. B. Payne, “Fuldensis, Sigla for Variants in Vaticanus, and 1 Cor 14.34-5,” NTS 41 [1995]: 240-262). This is because the Western witnesses (D F G ar b vg^ms Ambst) have these verses after v. 40, while the rest of the tradition retains them here. There are no mss that omit the verses. Why, then, would some scholars wish to excise the verses? Because they believe that this best explains how they could end up in two different locations, that is to say, that the verses got into the text by way of a very early gloss added in the margin. Most scribes put the gloss after v. 33; others, not knowing where they should go, put them at the end of the chapter. Fee points out that “Those who wish to maintain the authenticity of these verses must at least offer an adequate answer as to how this arrangement came into existence if Paul wrote them originally as our vv. 34-35” (First Corinthians [NICNT], 700). In a footnote he adds, “The point is that if it were already in the text after v. 33, there is no reason for a copyist to make such a radical transposition.” Although it is not our intention to interact with proponents of the shorter text in any detail here, a couple of points ought to be made. (1) Since these verses occur in all witnesses to 1 Corinthians, to argue that they are not original means that they must have crept into the text at the earliest stage of transmission. How early? Earlier than when the pericope adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) made its way into the text (late 2nd, early 3rd century?), earlier than the longer ending of Mark (16:9-20) was produced (early 2nd century?), and earlier than even “in Ephesus” was added to Eph 1:1 (upon reception of the letter by the first church to which it came, the church at Ephesus) – because in these other, similar places, the earliest witnesses do not add the words. This text thus stands as remarkable, unique. Indeed, since all the witnesses have the words, the evidence points to them as having been inserted into the original document. Who would have done such a thing? And, further, why would scribes have regarded it as original since it was obviously added in the margin? This leads to our second point. (2) Following a suggestion made by E. E. Ellis (“The Silenced Wives of Corinth (I Cor. 14:34-5),” New Testament Textual Criticism: Its Significance for Exegesis, 213-20 [the suggestion comes at the end of the article, almost as an afterthought]), it is likely that Paul himself added the words in the margin. Since it was so much material to add, Paul could have squelched any suspicions by indicating that the words were his (e.g., by adding his name or some other means [cf. 2 Thess 3:17]). This way no scribe would think that the material was inauthentic. (Incidentally, this is unlike the textual problem at Rom 5:1, for there only one letter was at stake; hence, scribes would easily have thought that the “text” reading was original. And Paul would hardly be expected to add his signature for one letter.) (3) What then is to account for the uniform Western tradition of having the verses at the end of the chapter? Our conjecture (and that is all it is) is that the scribe of the Western Vorlage could no longer read where the verses were to be added (any marginal arrows or other directional device could have been smudged), but, recognizing that this was part of the original text, felt compelled to put it somewhere. The least offensive place would have been at the end of the material on church conduct (end of chapter 14), before the instructions about the resurrection began. Although there were no chapter divisions in the earliest period of copying, scribes could still detect thought breaks (note the usage in the earliest papyri). (4) The very location of the verses in the Western tradition argues strongly that Paul both authored vv. 34-35 and that they were originally part of the margin of the text. Otherwise, one has a difficulty explaining why no scribe seemed to have hinted that these verses might be inauthentic (the scribal sigla of codex B, as noticed by Payne, can be interpreted otherwise than as an indication of inauthenticity [cf. J. E. Miller, “Some Observations on the Text-Critical Function of the Umlauts in Vaticanus, with Special Attention to 1 Corinthians 14.34-35,” JSNT 26 [2003]: 217-36.). There are apparently no mss that have an asterisk or obelisk in the margin. Yet in other places in the NT where scribes doubted the authenticity of the clauses before them, they often noted their protest with an asterisk or obelisk. We are thus compelled to regard the words as original, and as belonging where they are in the text above.

[15:12]  ²⁷ tn Grk “that he has been raised from the dead.”

[15:29]  ²⁸ sn Many suggestions have been offered for the puzzling expression baptized for the dead. There are up to 200 different explanations for the passage; a summary is given by K. C. Thompson, “I Corinthians 15,29 and Baptism for the Dead,” Studia Evangelica 2.1 (TU 87), 647-59. The most likely interpretation is that some Corinthians had undergone baptism to bear witness to the faith of fellow believers who had died without experiencing that rite themselves. Paul’s reference to the practice here is neither a recommendation nor a condemnation. He simply uses it as evidence from the lives of the Corinthians themselves to bolster his larger argument, begun in 15:12, that resurrection from the dead is a present reality in Christ and a future reality for them. Whatever they may have proclaimed, the Corinthians’ actions demonstrated that they had hope for a bodily resurrection.

[15:32]  ²⁹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[15:32]  ³⁰ sn An allusion to Isa 22:13; 56:12.

[15:37]  ³¹ tn Grk “and what you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare seed.”

[16:22]  ³² tn The Greek text has μαράνα θά (marana qa). These Aramaic words can also be read as maran aqa, translated “Our Lord has come!”