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

3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas? 6Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from working? 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from 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 3:2An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
• 1 Timothy 4:3They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods that God created to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth.
• Hebrews 13:4Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
• 1 Corinthians 7:15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.
• Romans 16:1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae.
• 1 Timothy 5:2older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters with all purity.
• Matthew 12:46While he was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him.
• Matthew 13:55Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
• Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.
• Luke 6:15Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
• John 2:12After this, he went down to Capernaum, together with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they stayed there only a few days.
• Acts 1:14They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
• Galatians 1:19But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
• 1 Corinthians 1:12What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
• Matthew 8:14Jesus went into Peter’s house and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
• Mark 1:30Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.

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