1 Corinthians 4:7

1 Corinthians 4:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
• English Standard Version (ESV)For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
• New King James Version (NKJV)For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
• New Living Translation (NLT)For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

Context of 1 Corinthians 4:7

5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. 6Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 8Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! 9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.

1 Corinthians 4:7 word by word

τίς γάρ σε διακρίνει; τί δὲ ἔχεις ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔλαβες, τί καυχᾶσαι ὡς μὴ λαβών;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whoτίςtis · which?G5101
• makethδιακρίνωdiakrinō · to judge/doubtG1252
• theeσύsu · youG4771
• andδέde · thenG1161
• hast thouἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• thatὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• thou didstλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• ·καίkai · andG2532
• dost thou gloryκαυχάομαιkauchaomai · to boastG2744
• as ifὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• notμήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 4:7

• 1 Corinthians 12:4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
• 1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
• Romans 9:16It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
• Ephesians 3:3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
• 1 Timothy 1:12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.
• 1 Corinthians 3:5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
• 1 Corinthians 7:7I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
• 1 Chronicles 29:11Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
• 2 Chronicles 1:7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
• Proverbs 2:6For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
• Matthew 25:14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
• Luke 19:13So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
• John 1:16Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
• John 3:27To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.
• Romans 1:5Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7For who maketh thee to differ - It is likely that the apostle is here addressing himself to some one of those puffed up teachers, who was glorying in his gifts, and in the knowledge he had of the Gospel, etc. As if he had said: If thou hast all that knowledge which thou professest to have, didst thou not receive it from myself or some other of my fellow helpers who first preached the Gospel at Corinth? God never spoke to thee to make thee an apostle. Hast…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7For who maketh … - This verse contains a reason for what Paul had just said; and the reason is, that all that any of them possessed had been derived from God, and no endowments whatever, which they had, could be laid as the foundation for self-congratulation and boasting. The apostle here doubtless has in his eye the teachers in the church of Corinth, and intends to show them that there was no occasion of pride or to assume pre-eminence. As all that they…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 We have no reason to be proud; all we have, or are, or do, that is good, is owing to the free and rich grace of God. A sinner snatched from destruction by sovereign grace alone, must be very absurd and inconsistent, if proud of the free gifts of God. St. Paul sets forth his own circumstances, ver. 9 Allusion is made to the cruel spectacles in the Roman games; where men were forced to cut one another to pieces, to divert the people; and where…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Pride in a leader comes from not realizing that everything is a gift from God. We should feel humble gratitude instead.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Translate, "Who distinguisheth thee (above another)?" Not thyself, but God. glory, as if thou hadst not received it--as if it was to thyself, not to God, thou owest the receiving of it.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 4:7

• Boasting
• Pride
• Strife
• Uncharitableness
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Account
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Instructor
• Offscouring
• Rod
• Shame
• Steward
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Paul, the Apostle

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4

• 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