1 Corinthians 7:19

1 Corinthians 7:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
• New International Version (NIV)Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

Context of 1 Corinthians 7:19

17But each of you should continue to live in the way that God has chosen for you. Remain as you were at the time when God called you to come to him. I teach that rule to people in all the churches. 18Some of you are Jews, so people circumcised you. That happened before you believed in Christ. So do not try to change it. Some of you are not Jews. Nobody circumcised you. So continue like that. Do not ask anyone to circumcise you. It is not important whether someone has circumcised you or not. The important thing is this: Obey what God says. 20Each of you should continue as you were when God called you to come to him. 21You may have been a slave when God called you. That does not matter. But if you have the chance to become a free person, accept it.

1 Corinthians 7:19 word by word

ἡ περιτομὴ οὐδέν ἐστιν καὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀλλὰ τήρησις ἐντολῶν θεοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Circumcisionὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Circumcisionπεριτομήperitomē · circumcisionG4061
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• nothingοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• uncircumcisionἀκροβυστίαakrobustia · uncircumcisionG203
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• the keepingτήρησιςtērēsis · jail/keepingG5084
• of the commandmentsἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 7:19

• 1 Corinthians 8:8But the food that we eat will not help us to please God. If we do not eat certain food, that will not make us worse. If we do eat that food, it will not make us better.
• Romans 2:25As a Jewish man, you are proud that someone has circumcised you. That is a help to you, if you obey God's Law in your life. But if you do not obey God's Law, then it is worth nothing. You have become like a Gentile that nobody has ever circumcised.
• Romans 3:30There is only one God. He will accept Jews as right with himself if they believe in Christ. He will also accept other people as right with himself if they believe in Christ.
• Galatians 5:6We belong to Christ Jesus. So it does not matter whether anyone has circumcised us or not. The only thing that matters is that we believe in Christ. As a result we will love others in the way that we live.
• Galatians 6:15It does not matter whether anyone has circumcised you or not. What matters is that God has made you a new person.
• 1 Samuel 15:22But Samuel said, ‘What makes the Lord happy? Which is better? Is he more pleased when people offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to him? Or is he more pleased when people obey him? Listen! It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. That is true even if you offer to him the best animals that you have.
• Jeremiah 7:22Remember this: I brought your ancestors safely out of Egypt. Then I gave them my commands. Those commands were not only about burnt offerings and sacrifices.
• Matthew 5:19A person may choose not to obey a rule in God's Law. He may think it is the least important rule. He may also teach other people to think like that. Then God will call him the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But a person may choose to obey all the rules in God's Law. And he may teach other people to obey them too. Then God will call that person great in the kingdom of heaven.
• John 15:14And you are my friends, if you obey my message.
• 1 John 2:3This is how we can be sure that we know God: If we obey God's commands, we know that we belong to him.
• 1 John 3:22We can pray to God and we can ask him to help us. He will give us what we ask him for. That is because we obey his commands and we do the things that please him.
• 1 John 5:2How do we know that we love God's children? We know it when we love God and we do what he tells us to do.
• Revelation 22:14Believers who keep themselves clean will be happy. They are like people who always wash their clothes. I will let them eat the fruit from the tree that causes people to have true life. I will let them go through the gates into the city.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 7:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Circumcision is nothing - Circumcision itself, though commanded of God, is nothing of itself, it being only a sign of the justification which should be afterwards received by faith. At present, neither it nor its opposite either hinders or furthers the work of grace; and keeping the commandments of God, from his love shed abroad in a believing heart, is the sum and substance of religion.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Circumcision is nothing … - It is of no consequence in itself. It is not that which God requires now. And the mere external rite can be of no consequence one way or the other. The heart is all; and that is what God demands; see the notes at Romans 2:29. But the keeping of the commandments of God - Is something, is the main thing, is everything; and this can be done whether a man is circumcised or not.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-24Verses 17-24 The rules of Christianity reach every condition; and in every state a man may live so as to be a credit to it. It is the duty of every Christian to be content with his lot, and to conduct himself in his rank and place as becomes a Christian. Our comfort and happiness depend on what we are to Christ, not what we are in the world. No man should think to make his faith or religion, an argument to break through any natural or civil obligations…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-19Circumcision shows the principle mentioned earlier (1 Corinthians 7:17). All Jewish males were circumcised. Some tried to reverse it to fit into Gentile society (see 1 Maccabees 1:14–15; Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.1), but Paul advises against this. Circumcision is not very important compared to following God's commandments, like loving God and others (see also Romans 2:28–29; 4:9–12; Galatians 5:2–6; 6:12–15; Philippians 3:2–3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Circumcision ... nothing, but ... keeping of ... commandments of God--namely, is all in all. In Ga 5:6 this "keeping of the commandments of God" is defined to be "faith which worketh by love"; and in Ga 6:15, "a new creature." Circumcision was a commandment of God: but not for ever, as "love."Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 7:19

• Circumcision
• Formalism
• Marriage

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Abuse
• Attend
• Consent
• Contain
• Distraction
• Loose
• Mercy
• Revelation of Christ

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 7

• 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