1 Corinthians 4:9

1 Corinthians 4:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
• New International Version (NIV)For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

Context of 1 Corinthians 4:9

7Do not think that any of you are better than anyone else. You received from God everything that you have. So you have no reason to be proud of what you have. It is all a gift! 8You already have everything that you need, do you? You think that you are very rich already! You are ready to rule as kings. You no longer need us to help you. I think it would be good if you had really become kings. Then we could also rule together with you! This is what I think: as apostles, God has put us last of everyone. People see us like we are prisoners at the end of the line. They are taking us to die in a public place. Everybody in the world has come to look at us, both people and angels. 10We have become like fools so that we can serve Christ. But you think that you are wise because you belong to Christ. We seem like weak people, but you seem to be strong! People respect you but they insult us! 11Until now, we continue to be hungry and thirsty. Our clothes have become old. Sometimes people hit us for no reason. We do not have our own homes.

1 Corinthians 4:9 word by word

δοκῶ γάρ ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐσχάτους ἀπέδειξεν ὡς ἐπιθανατίους, ὅτι θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• I thinkδοκέωdokeō · to thinkG1380
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• hath set forthἀποδείκνυμιapodeiknumi · to displayG584
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• the apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• lastἔσχατοςeschatos · last/leastG2078
• as it wereὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• appointed to deathἐπιθανάτιοςepithanatios · condemned to deathG1935
• we are madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• a spectacleθέατρονtheatron · theatreG2302
• unto the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• to angelsἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• to menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 4:9

• 1 Corinthians 15:30Also, think about us! All the time we are in great danger.
• 2 Corinthians 1:8Our Christian friends, we want you to know about the trouble that we had in Asia. Those troubles were very painful. We ourselves were not strong enough to continue. We even thought that we would die.
• 2 Corinthians 4:8We receive trouble all the time, but that does not stop us. We do not always know what to do, but we are not afraid to continue.
• 2 Corinthians 6:9Some people do not want to know us. Other people accept us as God's servants. It seems like we are dying, but look! We are still alive! People punish us, but they do not kill us.
• Philippians 1:29God is helping you to serve Christ well. That means that you believe in Christ. But it also means that you receive trouble and pain on his behalf. Both of those are gifts from God.
• 1 Thessalonians 3:3You are receiving many troubles. We did not want anyone among you to turn away from Christ because of that. You already know that we who are believers must receive troubles like that.
• Psalms 44:22But, because we are your people, God, people try to kill us all the time. They think that we are like sheep and we are ready to be killed.
• Romans 8:36As it says in the Bible: ‘Because we are your people, God, people try to kill us all the time. They think that we are like sheep, and we are ready to be killed.’
• 1 Thessalonians 5:9God did not choose us as his people so that he could be angry with us. He chose us so that he could save us because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.
• Revelation 6:9Then the Lamb opened the fifth seal. I saw an altar where people offered gifts to God. I saw the souls of some of God's people under the altar. These people had died because they had believed God's message. They had continued to speak the true message about Jesus Christ. That is why people had killed them.
• Hebrews 10:33Sometimes people insulted you. They made you ashamed in front of other people. Sometimes you chose to help other Christians who had trouble like that. Their troubles became your troubles.
• Hebrews 11:36Other people who trusted God received insults. Some of them were hit with whips. Enemies of God tied these people up and they put them in prison.
• Acts 19:29More and more people in the whole city began to shout. There was trouble everywhere. Gaius and Aristarchus had been travelling with Paul. They had come with him from Macedonia. Some people from the crowd took hold of Gaius and Aristarchus. They pulled them quickly to the big public meeting place in the middle of the city.
• Hebrews 1:14So we see that all the angels are spirits who serve God. God sends them as his servants to help the people that he will save.
• Revelation 7:11All the angels were standing around the throne, and around the leaders and the four beings. The angels all bent down so that their faces touched the ground. They worshipped God who was on the throne in front of them.
• Revelation 17:6I saw that the woman was like a drunk. She was like someone who had drunk the blood of God's people. She had killed them because they had told other people about Jesus. When I saw her, I was very surprised.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9God hath set forth us the apostles last - This whole passage is well explained by Dr. Whitby. "Here the apostle seems to allude to the Roman spectacles, , , that of the Bestiarii and the gladiators, where in the morning men were brought upon the theatres to fight with wild beasts, and to them was allowed armor to defend themselves and smite the beasts that assailed them; but in the meridian or noon-day spectacles the gladiators were brought forth naked…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9For I think - It seems to me. Grotius thinks that this is to be taken ironically, as if he had said, “It seems then that God has designed that we, the apostles, should be subject to contempt and suffering; and be made poor and persecuted, while you are admitted to high honors and privileges.” But probably this is to be taken as a serious declaration of Paul, designed to show their actual condition and trials, while others were permitted to live in…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. 9God has displayed us apostles: Like prisoners condemned to die by facing wild animals in the amphitheater, the apostles were a spectacle. Paul gladly accepted suffering because God used it to bless others (see 2 Corinthians 1:4–7; 4:7–12; Philippians 2:17; Colossians 1:24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. For--assigning the reason for desiring that the "reign" of himself and his fellow apostles with the Corinthians were come; namely, the present afflictions of the former. I think--The Corinthians (1Co 3:18) "seemed" to (literally, as here, "thought") themselves "wise in this world." Paul, in contrast, "thinks" that God has sent forth him and his fellow ministers "last," that is, the lowest in this world. The apostles fared worse than even the prophets…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 4:9

• Games
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Persecution
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Account
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Ephesus
• Instructor
• Offscouring
• Rod
• Shame
• Steward

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