God’s Word Translation
1 Corinthians 9:6
6Or is it only Barnabas and I who don’t have any rights, except to find work to support ourselves?
1 Corinthians 9:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
- New International Version (NIV)Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?
Context of 1 Corinthians 9:6
4Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5Don’t we have the right to take our wives along with us like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas do? Or is it only Barnabas and I who don’t have any rights, except to find work to support ourselves? 7Does a soldier ever serve in the army at his own expense? Does anyone plant a vineyard and not eat the grapes? Does anyone take care of a flock and not drink milk from the sheep? 8Am I merely stating some human rule? Don’t Moses’ Teachings say the same thing?
Read all of 1 Corinthians 91 Corinthians 9:6 word by word
ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρναβᾶς οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 9:6
- Acts 4:36Joseph, a descendant of Levi, had been born on the island of Cyprus. The apostles called him Barnabas, which means “a person who encourages.”
- Acts 11:22After the news about Antioch reached the church in Jerusalem, Barnabas was sent to Antioch.
- Acts 13:1Barnabas, Simeon (called the Black), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (a close friend of Herod since childhood), and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch.
- Acts 14:12They addressed Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes because Paul did most of the talking.
- Acts 15:36After a while Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back to every city where we spread the Lord’s word. We’ll visit the believers to see how they’re doing.”
- 1 Corinthians 4:11To this moment, we are hungry, thirsty, poorly dressed, roughly treated, and homeless.
- Acts 18:3and because they made tents for a living as he did, he stayed with them and they worked together.
- Acts 20:34You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9You remember, brothers and sisters, our work and what we did to earn a living. We worked night and day so that we could bring you the Good News of God without being a burden to any of you.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7You know what you must do to imitate us. We lived a disciplined life among you.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 9:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Or I only and Barnabas - Have we alone of all the apostles no right to be supported by our converts? It appears from this, That the apostles did not generally support themselves by their own labor. That Paul and Barnabas did thus support themselves. Some of the others probably had not a business at which they could conveniently work; but Paul and Barnabas had a trade at which they could conveniently labor wherever they came.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Or I only and Barnabas - Paul and Barnabas had worked together as tent-makers at Corinth; Acts 18:3. From this fact it had been inferred that they “knew” that they had no claim to a support. Power to forbear working - To abstain from labor, and to receive support as others do. The question implies a strong affirmation that they had such power. The sense is, Why should I and Barnabas be regarded as having no right to support? Have we been less faithful…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-27Continuing the argument from 8:1, Paul shares personal examples of giving up his rights to help others (see study note on 1 Corinthians 8:1–11:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Barnabas--long the associate of Paul, and, like him, in the habit of self-denyingly forbearing to claim the maintenance which is a minister's right. So Paul supported himself by tent-making (Ac 18:3; 20:34; 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8).Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 9:6
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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