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1 Corinthians Chapter 9

1 Corinthians Chapter 9

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The Rights of the Emissaries

(Parallel teachings: Deuteronomy 18:1-8; 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
(Thematic parallels: Acts 18:1-3; 20:33-35; 2 Corinthians 11:7-9)

  • 1 Am I not free?  Am I not an emissary?  Haven’t I seen Jesus [the Anointed] our Lord?fnquotation/allusion to Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:12-18  Aren’t you my work in the Lord?
  • 2 If I’m not an emissary to others, then at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my office of emissary in the Lord.
  • 3 My defensefnThe Greek word here is “ἀπολογία” (apologia), which is the root of our English word “apologetics”.  It specifically refers to a verbal defense, and the term was used for a legal defense in court. It implies providing compelling evidence to answer an accusation or objection that was raised. to the men examining me is this:
  • 4 Don’t we definitely have the right to eat and to drink?
  • 5 Don’t we definitely have the right to bring along a believingfn“believing” is literally “sister”, with sister indicating a wife who is Christian. wife? (Just as also the rest of the emissaries, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephasfn“Cephas” is Aramaic for “a rock”, and is another name for the disciple Peter. do.)
  • 6 Or do Barnabas and I alone not have the right to not work?
  • 7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense?  Who plants a vineyard and doesn’t eat its fruit?  Or who shepherds a flock and doesn’t eat from the milk of the flock?
  • 8 I don’t speak these things in accordance with man’s standards, do I?  Or doesn’t the law also say these things?
  • 9 For it’s *written in the law of Moses: “you shall not muzzle an ox that’s threshing“fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 25:4 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Tim 5:18).  Threshing is part of the process for separating chaff from grain.  Threshing involves beating the grain to break the chaff free from the grain.  It was typically done on a “threshing floor” with either a tool or by animals.  Once the chaff is broken free, you then “winnow” the chaff and grain mixture by throwing it in the air so the wind carries away the lighter, useless chaff, while the heavier grain falls back to the earth. Once ground into flour and cooked, the grains are ready to eat.  God isn’t concerned about the oxen, is He?
  • 10 Or does He speak entirely for our sake?  For it was written for our sake, because the man plowing ought to plow in expectation, and the man threshingfn“threshing” is literal. See note on previous verse does so in expectation of partaking in the grain.
  • 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it a great thing if we reapfn“reap” is literally “will reap” fleshly things from you?
  • 12 If others partake of this right over you, couldn’t we do so more?  But we didn’t make use of this right, but instead, we patiently endure all things so that we wouldn’t give any hindrance to the good news of the Anointed.
  • 13 Don’t you *know that the men working in the temple eat the food from the temple?  And don’t the men serving at the altar have a share in the altar sacrifices?fnquotation/allusion to Numbers 18:8-20; Deuteronomy 18:1-8; Leviticus 6:16-18, 26; 7:6-10
  • 14 And in this way, the Lord appointed for the men proclaiming the good news to live from the good news.fnquotation/allusion to Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:7 CFParallel teachings: 1 Timothy 5:17-18
  • 15 But I haven’t used any of these rights.  (And I didn’t write these things so that it might become this way with me.)  For it’s better for me to die rather than for anyone to makefn“to make” is literally “will make” my boasting empty.
  • 16 For if I proclaim the good news, there isn’t a boast for me, for a compulsion is placed on me, for woe is me if I don’t proclaim the good news.
  • 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
  • 18 What then is my reward?  That by proclaiming the good news [of the Anointed] free of charge, I might offer the good news without needing to make full use of my right in the good news.
All things to all men

(Thematic parallels: Acts 16:1-3; 21:20-26)

  • 19 For while being free from all men, I made myself a slave to all men so that I might win more of them.
  • 20 And I became like a Jew to the Jews, so that I might win the Jews.  To men under the law, like I’m under the law – though not being under the law myself – so that I might win men under the law.
  • 21 To men without the law,fn“without the law” is one word in Greek.  It can mean “lawless” in the sense of wicked, but it can also refer to those without the Mosaic Law; i.e. Gentiles.  That is likely the intended sense here. like a man without the law – though not being without God’s law, but lawful in the Anointed – so that I might win men without the law.
  • 22 I became weak to the weak, so that I might win the weak.  I *become all things to all men, so that by all means I might save some.
  • 23 But I do all things for the sake of the good news, so that I might become a fellow partaker in it.
  • 24 Don’t you *know that the men running in a race all indeed run, but only one receives the prize?  Run like this so that you might seize it.
  • 25 And every man competing uses self-control in all things. So these men indeed compete so they might receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
  • 26 Therefore, I run like this, but not like I’m running aimlessly.  I box like this, but not like I’m punching the air.
  • 27 But I discipline my body and make it my slave, lest after having preached to others, I myself might become disqualified.

 

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