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 anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved — but only as through fire. 16Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are. 18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Ifεἰei · ifG1487
• any manτιςtis · oneG5100
• defileφθείρωphtheirō · to destroyG5351
• the templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• himοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• yeσύsu · youG4771

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 3:17

• 1 Corinthians 6:18Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.
• Leviticus 15:31“You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling my tabernacle that is among them.
• Leviticus 20:3I will turn against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.
• Numbers 19:20But a person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
• Psalms 74:3Make your way to the perpetual ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.
• Psalms 79:1God, the nations have invaded your inheritance, desecrated your holy temple, and turned Jerusalem into ruins.
• Ezekiel 5:11“Therefore, as I live” — this is the declaration of the Lord God — “I will withdraw and show you no pity, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your abhorrent acts and detestable practices. Yes, I will not spare you.
• Ezekiel 7:22I will turn my face from them as they profane my treasured place. Violent men will enter it and profane it.
• Ezekiel 23:38They also did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that same day and profaned my Sabbaths.
• Zephaniah 3:4Her prophets are reckless — treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction.
• Genesis 28:17He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”
• Exodus 3:5“Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, 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 my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house:
• Psalms 93:5Lord, your testimonies are completely reliable; holiness adorns your house for all the days to come.
• Psalms 99:9Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
• Isaiah 64:11Our holy and beautiful temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned down, 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