New American Standard Bible 1995
1 Corinthians 3:17
17If any man destroys the 1temple of God, God will destroy him, for the 2temple of God is holy, and 3that is what you are.
1 Corinthians 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
- New International Version (NIV)If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
- New King James Version (NKJV)If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Context of 1 Corinthians 3:17
15If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;
Read all of 1 Corinthians 31 Corinthians 3:17 word by word
εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.¶Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 3:17
- 1 Corinthians 6:18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
- Leviticus 15:31“Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.”
- Leviticus 20:3I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name.
- Numbers 19:20‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean.
- Psalms 74:3Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
- Psalms 79:1O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; They have defiled Your holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
- Ezekiel 5:11So as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, therefore I will also withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare.
- Ezekiel 7:22I will also turn My face from them, and they will profane My secret place; then robbers will enter and profane it.
- Ezekiel 23:38Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have profaned My sabbaths.
- Zephaniah 3:4Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
- Genesis 28:17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
- Exodus 3:5Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
- 1 Chronicles 29:3Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple,
- Psalms 93:5Your testimonies are fully confirmed; Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.
- Psalms 99:9Exalt the Lord our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the Lord our God.
- Isaiah 64:11Our holy and beautiful house, Where our fathers praised You, Has been burned by fire; And all our precious things have become a ruin.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17If any man defile the temple - This clause is not consistently translated. , ̔ If any man destroy the temple of God, him will God destroy. The verb is the same in both clauses. If any man injure, corrupt, or destroy the Church of God by false doctrine, God will destroy him - will take away his part out of the book of life. This refers to him who wilfully opposes the truth; the erring, mistaken man shall barely escape; but the obstinate opposer shall be…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17If any man defile - Or, “destroy, corrupt” ( ́ phtheirei). The Greek word is the same in both parts of the sentence. “If any man destroy‘ the temple of God, God shall destroy‘ him.” This is presented in the form of an adage or proverb. And the truth here stated is based on the fact that the temple of God was inviolable. That temple was holy; and if any man subsequently destroyed it, it might be presumed that God would destroy him. The figurative sense…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-17Verses 16-17 From other parts of the epistle, it appears that the false teachers among the Corinthians taught unholy doctrines. Such teaching tended to corrupt, to pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God. Those who spread loose principles, which render the church of God unholy, bring destruction upon themselves. Christ by his Spirit dwells in all true believers. Christians are holy by profession, and should be pure…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17Christians should be careful about what they teach and how they interact with each other. The community of believers is God's temple, where God's Spirit lives (see Ephesians 2:21–22). God's temple is holy (see 1 Corinthians 1:2). There are serious consequences for anyone who harms God's temple through jealousy, arguments, or division (see 3:3–4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. If any ... defile ... destroy--rather as the Greek verb is the same in both cases, "destroy ... destroy." God repays in kind by a righteous retaliation. The destroyer shall himself be destroyed. As temporal death was the penalty of marring the material temple (Le 16:2; Da 5:2, 3, 30), so eternal death is the penalty of marring the spiritual temple--the Church. The destroyers here (1Co 3:16, 17), are distinct from the unwise or unskilful builders (1Co…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 3:17
In the dictionaries
Notes
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3
- 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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries