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1 Corinthians Chapter 6

1 Corinthians Chapter 6

(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
Lawsuits Among Believers

(Parallel teachings: Matthew 5:38-42; Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 12:17-21)

  • 1 When having a case against another brother, does any of you dare to bring it to court before the unrighteous and not before the holy ones?
  • 2 Or don’t you *know that the holy ones will judge the world?fnquotation/allusion to Daniel 7:27 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:28; Luke 22:30; Rev 20:4); Daniel 7:13-27 is also contextually relevant.  And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy of trying the smallest court cases?
  • 3 Don’t you *know that we will judge angels?fnquotation/allusion to Daniel 7:22 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:28; Luke 22:30; Rev 20:4); Daniel 7:13-27 is also contextually relevant.  How much more the ordinary things of life?
  • 4 So if you indeed have court cases about the ordinary things of life, why appoint those men *regarded as nothing in the church assembly to judge?
  • 5 I say this to your shame.  So, isn’t there even one wise man among you who will be able to judge between his brothers?fn“brothers” is literally “brother”
  • 6 But instead, brother goes to court against brother, and this before unbelievers!
  • 7 Therefore, it’s indeed actually already a loss for you that you have lawsuits among one another.  Why not suffer wrong instead?  Why not be defrauded instead?
  • 8 But you do wrong and defraud, and you do this to brothers!
Fornication And The Body

(Parallel teachings: Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
(Thematic parallels: Genesis 39:7-12)

  • 9 Or don’t you *know that the unrighteous won’t inherit the kingdom of God?  Don’t be misled; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor men who have sex with other men’s wives,fn“men who have sex with other men’s wives” is one word in Greek, usually translated “adulterers” in this verse. However, the Greek (and Hebrew) words specifically mean a man (married or unmarried) having sex with another man’s wife. Whereas the English word “adultery” means either spouse engaging in sex with someone else. The Hebrews divided sexual sins into two classes based on the marital status of the woman. A man having sex with another man’s wife (or betrothed) was adultery. A man having sex with an unmarried woman was fornication. Both are serious sins, but they are differentiated by the Greek and Hebrew words. nor effeminate men,fn“effeminate men” This Greek word usually has the meaning of “soft”, but when used in a negative sense it can refer to “perversely effeminate” men.  It has two main connotations, and Paul might have intended one or both:  (1) Men who intentionally behaved like women, i.e. dressing in female clothing and behaving in an effeminate manner. A clear ancient example is the Roman “galli”, who were priests of the goddess Cybele. They castrated themselves, and also dressed, presented, and behaved like women.  (2) It could refer to a (typically pubescent) boy who was the sexual companion – voluntary or not – of an adult man (pederasty).  In this sense, the boy was considered “perversely effeminate” because he is serving the function of a woman during sex (being penetrated; see Romans 1:26-27 and footnotes.).  This second meaning is less likely though, especially given the next item on this list. nor men who sleep with other men,fnquotation/allusion to Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Tim 1:10). “men who sleep with other men” is one word in Greek.  It literally means “a man in bed with another man“, but is more properly “a man engaging in sexual activity with another man“.  Male homosexuality is also mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:10 (using the same word in a similar list), in Romans 1:27 by description, and in Leviticus 18:22, and Leviticus 20:13.
  • 10 nor thieves, nor coveters, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor robbers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
  • 11 And some of you were these things, but you washed yourselves,fn“you washed yourselves” is one word in the Greek middle voice, however virtually all modern translations change it to the passive voice (you were washed).  English doesn’t have the middle voice, but it’s similar to our active voice except the agent is more involved with the result.  For example: “I sacrificed a cow” is in the active voice. “I sacrificed a cow for my benefit” or “…for myself” is the middle voice.  Given that the verb here for “wash” includes the connotation of water, it could refer to baptism.  Or it could refer to being washed in the “water of life” at the point of salvation.  Or that the believers in question have “washed themselves” of the sins mentioned in the previous two verses. but you were made holy, but you were made righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, and by the Spirit of our God.
  • 12 All things are lawful for me, but all things aren’t profitable.  All things are lawful for me, but I won’t be mastered by anything.
  • 13 Foods are for the stomach and the stomach is for foods, but God will nullifyfn“nullify” this Greek word means to make something completely idle and/or to no effect, which can have a peripheral meaning of abolishing something (by making it of no effect). both of them.fn“both of them” is literally “both this and these”, referring to the stomach and foods respectively.  And the body isn’t for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.
  • 14 And God both raised the Lord and will fully raise us through His power.
  • 15 Don’t you *know that your bodies are parts of the Anointed?  So having taken the parts of the Anointed, should I make them parts of a prostitute?  May it never happen!
  • 16 Or don’t you *know that the man joining himself to a prostitute is one body with her?  For it says: the two will be in one flesh.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 2:24 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:5; Mark 10:7-8; Eph 5:31).
  • 17 But the man joining himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
  • 18 Flee fornication.  Every sin whatsoever that a man commits is outside the body, but the fornicating man sins against his own body.
  • 19 Or don’t you *know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have from God?  And you aren’t your own,
  • 20 for you were bought with a price.  Therefore, glorify God in your body [and in your spirit, which are both God’s].

 

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