1 Corinthians 9:5

1 Corinthians 9:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
• New International Version (NIV)Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

Context of 1 Corinthians 9:5

3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from working? 7Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not consume some of the milk of the flock?

1 Corinthians 9:5 word by word

μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ Κηφᾶς;Read the interlinear

• Do we not haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• a rightἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849
• to takeπεριάγωperiagō · to take/go aroundG4013
• believingἀδελφήadelphē · sisterG79
• wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• evenκαίkai · andG2532
• as the restλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062
• of the apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• brothersἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• CephasΚηφᾶςKēphas · CephasG2786

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 9:5

• 1 Timothy 3:2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching,
• 1 Timothy 4:3who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
• Hebrews 13:4Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
• 1 Corinthians 7:15Yet if the unbelieving one is leaving, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.
• Romans 16:1I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea,
• 1 Timothy 5:2to the older women as mothers, and to the younger women as sisters, in all purity.
• Matthew 12:46While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.
• Matthew 13:55Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
• Mark 6:3Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are His sisters not here with us?” And they took offense at Him.
• Luke 6:15and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;
• John 2:12After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
• Acts 1:14All these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
• Galatians 1:19But I did not see another one of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
• 1 Corinthians 1:12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.”
• Matthew 8:14When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.
• Mark 1:30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and they immediately spoke to Jesus about her.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 9:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife - The word is to be understood here, as above in 1 Corinthians 9:4, as implying authority or right; and authority, not merely derived from their office, but from Him who gave them that office; from the constitution of nature; and from universal propriety or the fitness of things. When the apostle speaks of leading about a sister, a wife, he means first, that he and all other apostles, and consequently all…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Have we not power? - Have we not a right? The objection here seems to have been, that Paul and Barnabas were unmarried, or at least that they traveled without wives. The objectors urged that others had wives, and that they took them with them, and expected provision to be made for them as well as for themselves. They therefore showed that they felt that they had a claim to support for their families, and that they were conscious that they were sent of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5the Lord’s brothers: See Mark 6:3 for their names. Cephas: Mark 1:30 mentions that Peter (also called Cephas) was married.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. lead about a sister, a wife--that is, "a sister as a wife"; "a sister" by faith, which makes all believers brethren and sisters in the one family of God: "a wife" by marriage covenant. Paul implies he did not exercise his undoubted right to marry and "lead about" a believer, for the sake of Christian expediency, as well to save the Church the expense of maintaining her in his wide circuits, as also that he might give himself more undistractedly to…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 9:5

• Celibacy
• Jesus, the Christ
• Marriage
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Cephas
• Peter, Simon Peter, Cephas
• Brethren of the Lord
• Brother
• Crown
• Forbear
• Mastery
• Peter
• Plow
• Wait

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