1 Corinthians 3:17

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 shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defileth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

1 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

• manεἴ τιςei tis · if anyG1536
• defilethφθείρωphtheirō · to destroyG5351
• templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• himτοῦτονtouton · thisG5126
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• isἐστίesti · he isG2076
• holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• yeὑμεῖςhumeis · youG5210
• areἐστέeste · you areG2075

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 3:17

• 1 Corinthians 6:18Flee immorality. Every sin that a man doeth is outside the body; but he that committeth immorality sinneth against his own body.
• Leviticus 15:31Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.
• Leviticus 20:3And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
• Numbers 19:20But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.
• Psalms 74:3Lift up thy feet to the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
• Psalms 79:1O God, the heathen have come into thy inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
• Ezekiel 5:11Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore I will also diminish thee ; neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
• Ezekiel 7:22My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place : for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
• Ezekiel 23:38Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.
• Zephaniah 3:4Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
• Genesis 28:17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is no other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
• Exodus 3:5And he said, Come not near here: put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place on which thou standest is holy ground.
• 1 Chronicles 29:3Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of my own possessions, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
• Psalms 93:5Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thy house, O LORD, for ever.
• Psalms 99:9Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.
• Isaiah 64:11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

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

• Church
• Holiness
• House of God
• Sacrilege
• Temple
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Foundation
• Plant
• Temple
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Defile; Defilement
• House of God
• Parousia

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