1 Corinthians 9:16

1 Corinthians 9:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
• New International Version (NIV)For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

Context of 1 Corinthians 9:16

14In the same way, the people who tell God's good news to others should receive what they need to live. They should receive it from the people who hear the good news from them. 15But I have not used my authority as an apostle to demand these things from you. And I am not writing this letter to demand that you help me now. No! It would be better for me to die than to change the way that I live. I can be proud of that and nobody should stop me. I tell God's good news to people. But I have no reason to be proud because of that. It is something that I have to do. If I did not tell the good news, it would bring me great trouble. 17If I were doing this work because I chose to do it, I would receive my pay. But I myself did not choose to do it. God has given me this work, so I have to do it. 18So what kind of pay do I receive? It is this: I do not take any money from people when I tell them God's good news. I do not use all the authority that I could use when I tell God's good news to people.

1 Corinthians 9:16 word by word

ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίσωμαι.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• thoughἐάνean · ifG1437
• I preach the gospelεὐαγγελίζομαιeuaggelizō · to speak good newsG2097
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• haveεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• nothingοὐou · noG3756
• to glory ofκαύχημαkauchēma · prideG2745
• necessityἀνάγκηanagkē · necessityG318
• is laidἐπίκειμαιepikeimai · to lay onG1945
• yeaδέde · thenG1161
• woeοὐαίouai · woe!G3759
• notμήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 9:16

• Romans 4:2God did not accept Abraham as right with him because Abraham had done good things. If God had done that, then Abraham would have been able to boast about himself. But he could not boast to God.
• Romans 15:17So I can be proud about my work. I can serve God well because I belong to Christ Jesus.
• Jeremiah 1:17You must be ready to move, Jeremiah! Go and say to the people whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of them. If you are afraid of them now, when you are among them, I will cause you to be very frightened!
• Jeremiah 20:7Lord, you forced me to become a prophet, and I let you do that. You used your power to make me agree, and you won. Now everybody laughs at me and they insult me.
• Amos 3:8So now the lion has roared! Everyone should be afraid! The Lord God has spoken, so his prophets must tell his message.
• Amos 7:15But the Lord told me to leave my work as a shepherd. He told me to go and to speak his message to his people, the Israelites.
• Acts 4:20We know what is right. We must continue to speak about these things. We must tell people about the things that we have seen and heard.’
• Acts 9:6Now you must get up and go into the city. Someone there will tell you what you must do.’
• Acts 26:16Now you must get up. Stand on your feet. I have chosen you to be my servant. That is why I have appeared to you today. You must tell other people about what you have seen. After that, I will show you other things that you must tell people.
• Romans 1:14Because God has been kind to me, I must tell his message to all people. I must tell his good news to people who have learned many things, and to those who have never been to school. I must tell it to people who are wise as well as to those who are not very clever.
• Isaiah 6:5Then I said, ‘It is bad for me! My life is at an end! I have lips that are unclean. I live among people with lips that are unclean. With my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’
• Luke 9:62Jesus replied, ‘A man that ploughs a field must continue to look straight in front of him. If he looks behind him, he cannot plough well. People that look back behind them cannot work well for the kingdom of God.’
• Colossians 4:17Say to Archippus, ‘As you serve the Lord, be careful to finish the work that he gave you to do.’

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 9:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16For though I preach the Gospel - I have cause of glorying that I preach the Gospel free of all charges to you; but I cannot glory in being a preacher of the Gospel, because I am not such either by my own skill or power. I have received both the office, and the grace by which I execute the office, from God. I have not only his authority to preach, but that authority obliges me to preach; and if I did not, I should endanger my salvation: yea, wo is unto me…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16For though I preach the gospel … - This, with the two following verses, is a very difficult passage, and has been very variously understood by interpreters. The general scope and purpose of the passage is to show what was the ground of his “glorying,” or of his hope of” reward” in preaching the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:15. he had intimated that he had cause of” glorying,” and that that cause was one which he was determined no one should take away. In…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-23Verses 15-23 It is the glory of a minister to deny himself, that he may serve Christ and save souls. But when a minister gives up his right for the sake of the gospel, he does more than his charge and office demands. By preaching the gospel, freely, the apostle showed that he acted from principles of zeal and love, and thus enjoyed much comfort and hope in his soul. And though he looked on the ceremonial law as a yoke taken off by Christ, yet he submitted…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16I am obligated: See Acts 22:14–15; 26:16–18.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. though I preach ... I have nothing to glory of--that is, If I preach the Gospel, and do so not gratuitously, I have no matter for "glorying." For the "necessity" that is laid on me to preach (compare Jr 20:9, and the case of Jonah) does away with ground for "glorying." The sole ground for the latter that I have, is my preaching without charge (1Co 9:18): since there is no necessity laid on me as to the latter, it is my voluntary act for the Gospel's…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 9:16

• Evil
• Gospel
• Minister, Christian
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Crown
• Forbear
• Mastery
• Plow
• Wait
• Church
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Gospel
• Mystery
• Paul, the Apostle

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