1 Corinthians / Chapter 4

1 Corinthians 4

21 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Paul defines apostles as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries, accountable only to the Lord's judgment — not to human evaluation. He exposes the Corinthians' arrogance with biting irony: 'Already you are full! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign without us!' He contrasts their self-satisfaction with the apostles' actual experience of suffering, hunger, and humiliation. The chapter closes with a fatherly appeal — Paul is their spiritual father through the gospel — and a warning that he may come with authority if they do not change.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The 'spectacle' passage (vv. 9-13) is one of Paul's most vivid self-descriptions, drawing on Roman triumphal procession imagery where condemned prisoners were paraded last before execution. The ironic contrast between the Corinthians' self-perceived royalty and the apostles' degradation is devastating rhetoric. Paul's claim to spiritual fatherhood (v. 15) is unique in his letters and establishes an authority claim distinct from mere teaching.

Translation Friction

The Greek hyperphronein in verse 6 ('to think beyond what is written') has no clear referent — 'what is written' could mean Scripture, Paul's earlier letter, or a maxim. We render the phrase and note the ambiguity. The word perikatharma (v. 13, 'scum, offscouring') may be a technical term for human scapegoats in Greek purification rituals, adding a sacrificial dimension to Paul's self-description.

Connections

The stewardship language (vv. 1-2) connects to Jesus's parables about faithful and unfaithful stewards (Luke 12:42-48). The 'spectacle' imagery echoes 2 Corinthians 2:14 and anticipates the suffering catalogs of 2 Corinthians 4, 6, and 11. The father-child relationship language anticipates Galatians 4:19 and 1 Thessalonians 2:11.

1 Corinthians 4:1

Οὕτως ἡμᾶς λογιζέσθω ἄνθρωπος ὡς ὑπηρέτας Χριστοῦ καὶ οἰκονόμους μυστηρίων θεοῦ.

This is how a person should regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

KJV Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek hypēretas ('servant, attendant') originally referred to an under-rower in a galley — one who takes orders. The oikonomos ('steward, household manager') manages resources that belong to someone else. Both terms deflate any celebrity status. The 'mysteries of God' (mystēriōn theou) are the divine secrets entrusted to the apostles for proclamation, not private mystical experiences.
1 Corinthians 4:2

ὧδε λοιπὸν ζητεῖται ἐν τοῖς οἰκονόμοις, ἵνα πιστός τις εὑρεθῇ.

Now what is required of stewards is that they be found faithful.

KJV Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word pistos ('faithful, trustworthy') echoes the faithfulness vocabulary (emunah in Hebrew, pistis in Greek) central to covenant theology. A steward's primary virtue is not brilliance or popularity but fidelity to the owner's instructions.
1 Corinthians 4:3

ἐμοὶ δὲ εἰς ἐλάχιστόν ἐστιν, ἵνα ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἀνακριθῶ ἢ ὑπὸ ἀνθρωπίνης ἡμέρας· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐμαυτὸν ἀνακρίνω.

But it is a very small thing to me that I should be evaluated by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even evaluate myself.

KJV But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb anakrinō ('to examine, to investigate, to evaluate') is a judicial term used for preliminary investigation. The phrase anthrōpinēs hēmeras ('human day') literally means 'a human day [of judgment]' — Paul contrasts any human evaluation with the Lord's eschatological judgment day (v. 5). His refusal to evaluate even himself is not false humility but a recognition that only God has full knowledge of motives.
1 Corinthians 4:4

οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι· ὁ δὲ ἀνακρίνων με κύριός ἐστιν.

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted by this. The one who evaluates me is the Lord.

KJV For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's clean conscience does not equal innocence — ouden gar emautō synoida ('I am conscious of nothing against myself') is not a claim to sinlessness but an honest assessment of his ministry. The verb dedikaiōmai ('I am justified/acquitted') is passive — acquittal comes from outside, from the Lord who alone sees truly.
1 Corinthians 4:5

ὥστε μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος, ὃς καὶ φωτίσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους καὶ φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν, καὶ τότε ὁ ἔπαινος γενήσεται ἑκάστῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ.

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness and will reveal the purposes of hearts. And then each person will receive commendation from God.

KJV Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb phōtisei ('will bring to light, will illuminate') and phanerosei ('will reveal, will make visible') are both future — ultimate evaluation is reserved for the Lord's return. The phrase tas boulas tōn kardiōn ('the purposes/intentions of the hearts') suggests that God judges motives, not just outcomes. The word epainos ('praise, commendation') is surprisingly positive — Paul assumes that the faithful will receive divine approval, not merely avoid punishment.
1 Corinthians 4:6

Ταῦτα δέ, ἀδελφοί, μετεσχημάτισα εἰς ἐμαυτὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν ἡμῖν μάθητε τὸ μὴ ὑπὲρ ἃ γέγραπται, ἵνα μὴ εἷς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἑνὸς φυσιοῦσθε κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου.

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that through us you may learn the meaning of the saying, "Nothing beyond what is written," so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another.

KJV And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb meteschēmatisa ('I have applied, I have transferred the form') means Paul has used himself and Apollos as illustrations of a principle that applies more broadly — the real targets may be unnamed local leaders. The phrase to mē hyper ha gegraptai ('not beyond what is written') remains one of the most debated phrases in the letter. It may be a slogan, a maxim, or a reference to the Scripture quotations in chapters 1-3. The verb physiousthe ('you are puffed up, inflated') pictures arrogance as hot air — inflation without substance.
1 Corinthians 4:7

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

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?

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?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Three questions demolish the basis for Corinthian arrogance. The first (tis se diakrinei, 'who distinguishes you?') challenges the premise of superiority. The second (ti echeis ho ouk elabes, 'what do you have that you didn't receive?') undercuts self-made accomplishment. The third draws the logical conclusion: if everything is received, boasting is absurd. This verse became foundational in Augustinian theology of grace.
1 Corinthians 4:8

ἤδη κεκορεσμένοι ἐστέ, ἤδη ἐπλουτήσατε, χωρὶς ἡμῶν ἐβασιλεύσατε· καὶ ὄφελόν γε ἐβασιλεύσατε, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν συμβασιλεύσωμεν.

Already you are satisfied! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign — and that without us! I wish you really had begun to reign, so that we could reign with you!

KJV Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's irony is at full force. The three declarations — kekoresmenoi ('satiated'), eploutēsate ('you became rich'), ebasileusate ('you began to reign') — mock the Corinthians' spiritual self-satisfaction using the language of eschatological fulfillment. They think they have already arrived at the consummation. The final wish (ophelon ge ebasileusate) pierces through the sarcasm with genuine longing — Paul would love it if the kingdom had fully come.
1 Corinthians 4:9

δοκῶ γάρ, ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐσχάτους ἀπέδειξεν ὡς ἐπιθανατίους, ὅτι θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις.

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world — to angels and to human beings alike.

KJV For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imagery is drawn from the Roman triumphal procession (pompa), where conquered prisoners were paraded through the streets before being executed in the arena. The word eschatous ('last') means the apostles occupy the place of the condemned at the end of the parade. Theatron ('spectacle, theater') is the origin of English 'theater' — the apostles' suffering is a public display. The audience includes the entire cosmos: angels and humans.
1 Corinthians 4:10

ἡμεῖς μωροὶ διὰ Χριστόν, ὑμεῖς δὲ φρόνιμοι ἐν Χριστῷ· ἡμεῖς ἀσθενεῖς, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰσχυροί· ὑμεῖς ἔνδοξοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄτιμοι.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are held in honor, but we are dishonored!

KJV We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The three contrasts are dripping with irony — the terms applied to the Corinthians (phronimoi, 'prudent'; ischyroi, 'strong'; endoxoi, 'honored') are what they claim for themselves, while the terms for the apostles (mōroi, 'fools'; astheneis, 'weak'; atimoi, 'dishonored') echo the very values of the cross Paul preached in chapters 1-2. The Corinthians have embraced the world's values while their apostle lives out the cross.
1 Corinthians 4:11

ἄχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὥρας καὶ πεινῶμεν καὶ διψῶμεν καὶ γυμνιτεύομεν καὶ κολαφιζόμεθα καὶ ἀστατοῦμεν

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are roughly treated, and we are homeless.

KJV Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Five present-tense verbs describe ongoing apostolic hardship: peinōmen ('we hunger'), dipsōmen ('we thirst'), gymniteuomen ('we are insufficiently clothed'), kolaphizometha ('we are struck with fists'), astatoumen ('we are unsettled/homeless'). These are not past sufferings but current reality — 'to this very hour' (achri tēs arti hōras). This catalog anticipates the more extensive hardship lists in 2 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 4:12

καὶ κοπιῶμεν ἐργαζόμενοι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσίν· λοιδορούμενοι εὐλογοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα,

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we respond with blessing. When we are persecuted, we endure it.

KJV And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's manual labor (tais idiais chersin, 'with our own hands') was a point of contention — in Greco-Roman culture, manual work was degrading for an intellectual or teacher. Paul worked as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3) to avoid burdening the Corinthians, but some saw this as proof he was not a real apostle. The three responses to mistreatment — blessing when reviled, enduring when persecuted, responding gently when slandered — echo Jesus's teaching in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28.
1 Corinthians 4:13

δυσφημούμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν· ὡς περικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐγενήθημεν, πάντων περίψημα ἕως ἄρτι.

While defamed, we intreat — we are fashioned as the filth of the age, and are the offscouring of all matters to this day.

KJV Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The words perikatharmata ('scum, off-scourings') and peripsēma ('refuse, scrapings') are among the most degrading terms Paul could choose. Perikatharma may carry sacrificial connotations — in some Greek cities, human scapegoats (peripsēmata) were expelled or killed to purify the community. If Paul intends this allusion, the apostles' suffering has a vicarious, purifying dimension.
1 Corinthians 4:14

Οὐκ ἐντρέπων ὑμᾶς γράφω ταῦτα ἀλλ' ὡς τέκνα μου ἀγαπητὰ νουθετῶν.

I am not writing these things to shame you but to admonish you as my beloved children.

KJV I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shift from biting irony to tender affection is abrupt and deliberate. The verb nouthetōn ('admonishing, counseling, warning') combines nous ('mind') and tithēmi ('to place') — it means to set someone's mind right, combining correction with care. The term tekna agapēta ('beloved children') establishes the parental relationship Paul will develop in the next verse.
1 Corinthians 4:15

ἐὰν γὰρ μυρίους παιδαγωγοὺς ἔχητε ἐν Χριστῷ ἀλλ' οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα.

For even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I fathered you in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

KJV For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

παιδαγωγός paidagōgos
"guardians" — guardian, tutor, disciplinarian, custodian, child-conductor

A household slave responsible for a child's daily supervision and moral formation. Distinguished from a didaskalos (teacher). Paul uses the same word in Galatians 3:24-25 for the law's role before Christ.

Translator Notes

  1. The paidagōgos was a household slave who supervised a child's conduct and escorted them to school — not a teacher but a guardian. Paul's point: there may be many supervisors, but only one father. The verb egennēsa ('I fathered, I begot') claims a unique generative relationship — Paul brought the Corinthian church into existence through his gospel proclamation. This is the basis of his authority: not rank or office but spiritual parentage.
1 Corinthians 4:16

παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

I urge you, therefore, become imitators of me.

KJV Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek mimētai ('imitators') is the origin of English 'mimic.' Paul is not being egotistical — the call to imitate him is grounded in his fatherhood (v. 15) and will be qualified in 11:1 ('Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ'). In the ancient world, a father's character was the primary model for his children.
1 Corinthians 4:17

διὰ τοῦτο ἔπεμψα ὑμῖν Τιμόθεον, ὅς ἐστίν μου τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν καὶ πιστὸν ἐν κυρίῳ, ὃς ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, καθὼς πανταχοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκω.

For this reason I have sent Timothy to you. He is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach them everywhere in every church.

KJV For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Timothy is also called teknon ('child'), extending the family metaphor — he is Paul's spiritual son, sent to Paul's spiritual children. The phrase tas hodous mou tas en Christō ('my ways in Christ') refers to Paul's pattern of life and teaching, not merely his doctrines. The claim to teach pantachou en pasē ekklēsia ('everywhere in every church') asserts consistency — Paul's message and lifestyle are the same everywhere.
1 Corinthians 4:18

ὡς μὴ ἐρχομένου δέ μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐφυσιώθησάν τινες·

Some of you have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.

KJV Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb ephysiōthēsan ('they were puffed up, they became inflated') returns from verse 6. Some Corinthians assumed Paul would not dare to return in person and grew bolder in his absence. The construction hōs mē erchomenou mou ('as though I were not coming') implies they are wrong — Paul does intend to come.
1 Corinthians 4:19

ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν·

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.

KJV But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The qualification ean ho kyrios thelēsē ('if the Lord wills') is not a polite formula but a genuine submission of travel plans to divine sovereignty (cf. James 4:15). The contrast between logos ('talk, speech') and dynamis ('power') echoes the chapter 1-2 argument: the Corinthians are all words and no power. Paul will test substance, not rhetoric.
1 Corinthians 4:20

οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

KJV For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase hē basileia tou theou ('the kingdom of God') is relatively rare in Paul's letters compared to the Gospels. Here it serves as the ultimate standard of evaluation. The kingdom operates not on the level of logos ('word, talk, rhetoric') but dynamis ('power') — the transformative power of God that actually changes lives and communities.
1 Corinthians 4:21

τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ πνεύματί τε πραΰτητος;

What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

KJV What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The rhabdos ('rod, staff') evokes a father's right to discipline — not abuse, but the corrective authority that belongs to a parent. The choice Paul offers is genuine: the Corinthians' response to this letter will determine whether his visit is confrontational or gentle. The word prautētos ('gentleness, meekness') is not weakness but strength under control.
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