New Living Translation
1 Corinthians 4:7
7For 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?
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?
- New International Version (NIV)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?
- 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?
Context of 1 Corinthians 4:7
5So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. 6Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. 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? 8You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. 9Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 41 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 spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
- 1 Corinthians 15:10But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
- Romans 9:16So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
- Ephesians 3:3As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:12Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
- 1 Timothy 1:12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,
- 1 Corinthians 3:5After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
- 1 Corinthians 7:7But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.
- 2 Chronicles 1:7That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- Proverbs 2:6For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
- Matthew 25:14“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.
- Luke 19:13Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’
- John 1:16From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
- John 3:27John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.
- Romans 1:5Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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