American Standard Version
1 Corinthians 4:12
12and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
1 Corinthians 4:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
- New International Version (NIV)We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
- English Standard Version (ESV)and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
- New King James Version (NKJV)And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
Context of 1 Corinthians 4:12
10We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor. 11Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now. 14I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 41 Corinthians 4:12 word by word
καὶ κοπιῶμεν ἐργαζόμενοι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσίν· λοιδορούμενοι εὐλογοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα,Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 4:12
- 1 Corinthians 9:6Or I only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear working?
- Acts 18:3and because he was of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought; for by their trade they were tentmakers.
- Acts 20:34Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail: working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:8neither did we eat bread for nought at any man’s hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you:
- 1 Timothy 4:10For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.
- Matthew 5:44but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;
- Luke 6:28bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.
- Luke 23:34And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And parting his garments among them, they cast lots.
- Acts 7:60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- Romans 12:14Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.
- 1 Peter 2:23who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
- 1 Peter 3:9not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
- Jude 1:9But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
- Matthew 5:11Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
- 1 Peter 3:14But even if ye should suffer for righteousness’ sake, blessed are ye: and fear not their fear, neither be troubled;
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Working with our own hands - They were obliged to labor in order to supply themselves with the necessaries of life while preaching the Gospel to others. This, no doubt, was the case in every place were no Church had been as yet formed: afterwards, the people of God supplied their ministers, according to their power, with food and raiment. Being reviled, we bless, etc. - What a most amiable picture does this exhibit of the power of the grace of Christ! Man…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And labour - This Paul often did. See the note at Acts 18:3; compare Acts 20:34; 1 Thessalonians 2:9. 2 Thessalonians 3:8. Being reviled - That they were often reviled or reproached, their history everywhere shows. See the Acts of the Apostles. They were reviled or ridiculed as Jews by the Gentiles; and jeered by all as “Nazarenes,” and as deluded followers of Jesus; as the victims of a foolish superstition and enthusiasm. We bless - We return good for…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 We have no reason to be proud; all we have, or are, or do, that is good, is owing to the free and rich grace of God. A sinner snatched from destruction by sovereign grace alone, must be very absurd and inconsistent, if proud of the free gifts of God. St. Paul sets forth his own circumstances, ver. 9 Allusion is made to the cruel spectacles in the Roman games; where men were forced to cut one another to pieces, to divert the people; and where…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12We work hard with our own hands: To avoid accusations of taking money, Paul chose to support himself (1 Corinthians 9:3–18; Acts 18:3; 20:33–35). When we are vilified, we bless: Paul's response followed the teachings of Jesus (Matthew 5:44–45; compare Romans 12:14, 17–21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. working with our own hands--namely, "even unto this present hour" (1Co 4:11). This is not stated in the narrative of Paul's proceedings at Ephesus, from which city he wrote this Epistle (though it is expressly stated of him at Corinth, compare Ac 18:3, 19). But in his address to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Ac 20:34), he says, "Ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities," &c. The undesignedness of the coincidence thus…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 4:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4
- 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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries