1 Corinthians 9:5

1 Corinthians 9:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
• New International Version (NIV)Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

Context of 1 Corinthians 9:5

3This is my defense to those who would put me on trial and interrogate me [concerning my authority as an apostle]: 4Have we not the right to our food and drink [at the expense of the churches]? Have we not the right to take along with us a believing wife, as do the rest of the apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter)? 6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to stop doing manual labor [in order to support our ministry]? 7[Consider this:] Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?

1 Corinthians 9:5 word by word

μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ Κηφᾶς;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Have weἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• notοὐou · noG3756
• powerἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849
• to lead aboutπεριάγωperiagō · to take/go aroundG4013
• a sisterἀδελφήadelphē · sisterG79
• a wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• as wellὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• asκαίkai · andG2532
• otherλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062
• apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• the brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• CephasΚηφᾶςKēphas · CephasG2786

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 9:5

• 1 Timothy 3:2Now an overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
• 1 Timothy 4:3who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth.
• Hebrews 13:4Marriage is to be held in honor among all [that is, regarded as something of great value], and the marriage bed undefiled [by immorality or by any sexual sin]; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
• 1 Corinthians 7:15But if the unbelieving partner leaves, let him leave. In such cases the [remaining] brother or sister is not [spiritually or morally] bound. But God has called us to peace.
• Romans 16:1Now I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess (servant) of the church at Cenchrea,
• 1 Timothy 5:2to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters, in all purity [being careful to maintain appropriate relationships].
• Matthew 12:46While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him.
• Matthew 13:55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
• Mark 6:3Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah].
• Luke 6:15and Matthew (Levi, the tax collector) and Thomas; and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;
• John 2:12After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
• Acts 1:14All these with one mind and one purpose were continually devoting themselves to prayer, [waiting together] along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
• Galatians 1:19But I did not see any other apostle except James, the [half] brother of the Lord.
• 1 Corinthians 1:12Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I am [a disciple] of Paul,” or “I am [a disciple] of Apollos,” or “I am [a disciple] of Cephas (Peter),” or “I am [a disciple] of Christ.”
• Matthew 8:14When Jesus went into Peter’s house [in Capernaum], He saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.
• Mark 1:30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they told Him about her.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 9:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife - The word is to be understood here, as above in 1 Corinthians 9:4, as implying authority or right; and authority, not merely derived from their office, but from Him who gave them that office; from the constitution of nature; and from universal propriety or the fitness of things. When the apostle speaks of leading about a sister, a wife, he means first, that he and all other apostles, and consequently all…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Have we not power? - Have we not a right? The objection here seems to have been, that Paul and Barnabas were unmarried, or at least that they traveled without wives. The objectors urged that others had wives, and that they took them with them, and expected provision to be made for them as well as for themselves. They therefore showed that they felt that they had a claim to support for their families, and that they were conscious that they were sent of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5the Lord’s brothers: See Mark 6:3 for their names. Cephas: Mark 1:30 mentions that Peter (also called Cephas) was married.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. lead about a sister, a wife--that is, "a sister as a wife"; "a sister" by faith, which makes all believers brethren and sisters in the one family of God: "a wife" by marriage covenant. Paul implies he did not exercise his undoubted right to marry and "lead about" a believer, for the sake of Christian expediency, as well to save the Church the expense of maintaining her in his wide circuits, as also that he might give himself more undistractedly to…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 9:5

• Celibacy
• Jesus, the Christ
• Marriage
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Cephas
• Peter, Simon Peter, Cephas
• Brethren of the Lord
• Brother
• Crown
• Forbear
• Mastery
• Peter
• Plow
• Wait

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings