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?
• 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?
• New Living Translation (NLT)Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?

Context of 1 Corinthians 9:5

3This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 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? 6Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living? 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Have weἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• notοὐou · noG3756
• powerἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849
• to lead aboutπεριάγωperiagō · to take/go aroundG4013
• a sisterἀδελφήadelphē · sisterG79
• a wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• as wellὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• asκαίkai · andG2532
• otherλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062
• apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• the brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• CephasΚηφᾶςKēphas · CephasG2786

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 9:5

• 1 Timothy 3:2Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
• 1 Timothy 4:3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
• Hebrews 13:4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
• 1 Corinthians 7:15But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
• Romans 16:1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.
• 1 Timothy 5:2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
• Matthew 12:46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
• Matthew 13:55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
• Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
• Luke 6:15Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
• John 2:12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
• Acts 1:14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
• Galatians 1:19I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.
• 1 Corinthians 1:12What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
• Matthew 8:14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
• Mark 1:30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told 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