1 Corinthians 3:17

1 Corinthians 3:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
• New International Version (NIV)If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
• English Standard Version (ESV)If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
• New King James Version (NKJV)If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Context of 1 Corinthians 3:17

15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

1 Corinthians 3:17 word by word

εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.¶Read the interlinear

• Ifεἰei · ifG1487
• anyoneτιςtis · oneG5100
• destroysφθείρωphtheirō · to destroyG5351
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• God’sθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
• himοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• youσύsu · youG4771
• ·ὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 3:17

• 1 Corinthians 6:18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
• Leviticus 15:31You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
• Leviticus 20:3And I will set My face against that man and cut him off from his people, because by giving his offspring to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name.
• Numbers 19:20But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he will be cut off from the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
• Psalms 74:3Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
• Psalms 79:1The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
• Ezekiel 5:11Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and abominations, I Myself will withdraw My favor; I will not look upon you with pity, nor will I spare you.
• Ezekiel 7:22I will turn My face away from them, and they will defile My treasured place. Violent men will enter it, and they will defile it.
• Ezekiel 23:38They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.
• Zephaniah 3:4Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.
• Genesis 28:17And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
• Exodus 3:5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
• 1 Chronicles 29:3Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:
• Psalms 93:5Your testimonies are fully confirmed; holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, for all the days to come.
• Psalms 99:9Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
• Isaiah 64:11Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17If any man defile the temple - This clause is not consistently translated. , ̔ If any man destroy the temple of God, him will God destroy. The verb is the same in both clauses. If any man injure, corrupt, or destroy the Church of God by false doctrine, God will destroy him - will take away his part out of the book of life. This refers to him who wilfully opposes the truth; the erring, mistaken man shall barely escape; but the obstinate opposer shall be…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17If any man defile … - Or, “destroy, corrupt” ( ́ phtheirei). The Greek word is the same in both parts of the sentence. “If any man destroy‘ the temple of God, God shall destroy‘ him.” This is presented in the form of an adage or proverb. And the truth here stated is based on the fact that the temple of God was inviolable. That temple was holy; and if any man subsequently destroyed it, it might be presumed that God would destroy him. The figurative sense…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-17Verses 16-17 From other parts of the epistle, it appears that the false teachers among the Corinthians taught unholy doctrines. Such teaching tended to corrupt, to pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God. Those who spread loose principles, which render the church of God unholy, bring destruction upon themselves. Christ by his Spirit dwells in all true believers. Christians are holy by profession, and should be pure…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17Christians should be careful about what they teach and how they interact with each other. The community of believers is God's temple, where God's Spirit lives (see Ephesians 2:21–22). God's temple is holy (see 1 Corinthians 1:2). There are serious consequences for anyone who harms God's temple through jealousy, arguments, or division (see 3:3–4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. If any ... defile ... destroy--rather as the Greek verb is the same in both cases, "destroy ... destroy." God repays in kind by a righteous retaliation. The destroyer shall himself be destroyed. As temporal death was the penalty of marring the material temple (Le 16:2; Da 5:2, 3, 30), so eternal death is the penalty of marring the spiritual temple--the Church. The destroyers here (1Co 3:16, 17), are distinct from the unwise or unskilful builders (1Co…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 3:17

• Church
• Holiness
• House of God
• Sacrilege
• Temple
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Foundation
• Plant
• Temple
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Defile; Defilement
• House of God
• Parousia

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3

• 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
• 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