1COR 6:16 Parallel View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. This view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on the version abbreviation to see the verse in more of its context.

Key: yellow:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Or do you not know that the one being joined to the prostitute is one body? For it says, “The two will become as one flesh.”

UST Surely you know that a man who has sex with a prostitute unites himself to her as closely as if they shared the same body. You should know this because the scripture says, “The man and the woman, although two people, will become like one person.”

BSB Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[fn]

6:16 Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)

BLB Or do you not know that the one being joined to the prostitute is one body? For it says, "The two will become into one flesh."

AICNT Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For he says, “The two shall become one flesh.”

OEB Or don’t you know that a man who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body (for “the two,” it is said, “will become one”);

WEB Or don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.”

NET Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “ The two will become one flesh.”

LSV Have you not known that he who is joined to the prostitute is one body? For it says, “The two will be into one flesh.”

FBV Don't you realize that anyone who has sex with a prostitute becomes “one body” with her? Remember that Scripture says, “The two will become one body.”[fn]

6:16 Quoting Genesis 2:24.

TCNT [fn]Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one with her in body? For it says, “The two will become one flesh.”

6:16 Do ¦ Or do ANT BYZ CT PCK TR

T4T When a man has sexual relations [EUP] with a prostitute, it is as though their two bodies become one body. ◄You should never forget that!/Do you not know that?► [RHQ] What Moses wrote about people who join together sexually is, “The two of them will become as though they are one body.”

LEB Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For it says, “The two will become one flesh.”[fn]

?:? A quotation from Gen 2:24|link-href="None"

BBE Or do you not see that he who is joined to a loose woman is one body with her? for God has said, The two of them will become one flesh.

MOF No MOF 1COR book available

ASV Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.

DRA Or know you not, that he who is joined to a harlot, is made one body? For they shall be, saith he, two in one flesh.

YLT have ye not known that he who is joined to the harlot is one body? 'for they shall be — saith He — the two for one flesh.'

DBY Do ye not know that he [that is] joined to the harlot is one body? for the two, he says, shall be one flesh.

RV Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.

WBS What? know ye not that he who is joined to a harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

KJB What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
(What? know ye/you_all not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. )

BB Know ye not, that he whiche coupleth him selfe with an harlot, is one body? For two (sayth he) shalbe one fleshe.
(Know ye/you_all not, that he which coupleth himself with an harlot, is one body? For two (sayth he) shall be one flesh.)

GNV Doe ye not knowe, that he which coupleth himselfe with an harlot, is one body? for two, sayeth he, shalbe one flesh.
(Doe ye/you_all not know, that he which coupleth himself with an harlot, is one body? for two, sayeth he, shall be one flesh. )

CB Or do ye not knowe, that he which cleueth vnto an harlot, is one body? For they shalbe two ( sayeth he) in one flesshe.
(Or do ye/you_all not know, that he which cleueth unto an harlot, is one body? For they shall be two ( sayeth he) in one flesh.)

TNT Do ye not vnderstonde that he which coupleth him selfe with an harlot is become one body? For two (saith he) shalbe one flesshe.
(Do ye/you_all not understood that he which coupleth himself with an harlot is become one body? For two (saith he) shall be one flesh. )

WYC Whether ye witen not, that he that cleueth to an hoore, is maad o bodi? For he seith, Ther schulen be tweyne in o fleisch.
(Whether ye/you_all perceive not, that he that cleueth to an hoore, is made o bodi? For he seith, Ther should be two in o flesh.)

LUT Oder wisset ihr nicht, daß, wer an der Hure hanget, der ist ein Leib mit ihr? Denn sie werden (spricht er) zwei in einem Fleische sein.
(Oder know her not, daß, wer at the Hure hanget, the is a body with ihr? Because they/she/them become (spricht er) zwei in one fleshe sein.)

CLV An nescitis quoniam qui adhæret meretrici, unum corpus efficitur? Erunt enim (inquit) duo in carne una.[fn]
(An nescitis quoniam who adhæret meretrici, unum corpus efficitur? Erunt because (inquit) two in carne una.)

6.16 Unum corpus. Tradunt physici, quod adeo uniuntur, quod si sanguis eorum commisceretur, omnino conjungeretur.

6.16 Unum corpus. Tradunt physici, that adeo uniuntur, that when/but_if sanguis eorum commisceretur, omnino conyungeretur.

UGNT ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ, ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν? ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.
(aʸ ouk oidate hoti ho kollōmenos taʸ pornaʸ, hen sōma estin? esontai gar, faʸsin, hoi duo eis sarka mian.)

SBL-GNT ⸀ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν; Ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.
(⸀aʸ ouk oidate hoti ho kollōmenos taʸ pornaʸ hen sōma estin? Esontai gar, faʸsin, hoi duo eis sarka mian. )

TC-GNT [fn]Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν; Ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.
(Ouk oidate hoti ho kollōmenos taʸ pornaʸ hen sōma estin? Esontai gar, faʸsin, hoi duo eis sarka mian.)

6:16 ουκ ¦ η ουκ ANT BYZ CT PCK TR

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Holiness and Sexual Purity

The Bible emphasizes the importance of being holy in our sexual relations. God created humanity as sexual beings, and the first command that he gave Adam and Eve was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). But after sin entered the world, the good that God had created—including sex—became prone to distortion, and the pages of Scripture are filled with examples of sexual sin. God’s people were called to holiness, and the Israelites were given numerous commands that connected sexuality to their holiness (see, e.g., Lev 18:1-30). The sexual purity of God’s people would be seriously tested in the land of Canaan where illicit sexual practice abounded. Over and over again, the Israelites would fail to live up to God’s standards for sexual purity.

The believers to whom Paul wrote likewise found themselves living in environments where illicit sexual activity was commonplace. In contrast to the so-called sexual freedom of the Greco-Roman world, the sexual life of God’s people was to be characterized by faithfulness and purity (1 Thes 4:3-8). Sexual relationships are to be restricted to marriage alone (1 Cor 7:1-9, 36-37).

God has made Christians holy by the work of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:11; 2 Thes 2:13). They are therefore called to live as his own holy people (1 Cor 1:2). God has given them everything they need to live a holy life in this world (2 Pet 1:3-4). As a result, their way of life is to be distinctly different from that of the unholy world around them. Every part of their life is to reflect the transforming work of the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:2).

It is inappropriate for anyone who is united to Christ to have sexual relations with anyone outside of marriage. Such relations violate the Christian’s body, which has become a sanctuary of the living God and therefore belongs to God (1 Cor 6:12-20).

Though homosexual activity was accepted in Greco-Roman culture, it is condemned throughout the Bible. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, homosexual activity is viewed as a perversion of God’s intentions for men and women (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:25-27; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 1 Tim 1:8-11).

Paul strongly warns that those who freely give themselves to illicit sexual relations, whether homosexual or heterosexual, will not inherit the Kingdom of God but will suffer God’s judgment (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Col 3:5-6; see also 2 Pet 2:1–3:13). As with all sin, though, forgiveness and cleansing are available for those who turn to Christ with faith and repentance (Acts 2:38; Rom 3:21-26; see 1 Cor 6:11). In every way, God’s people are to live in holiness and godliness (see 2 Pet 3:11-13), in accord with the desires of their Creator and Judge.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 2:18-25; Lev 18:1-30; 20:10-24; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 1:2; 6:9-20; 7:1-9, 14; Gal 5:16-24; Col 3:1-6; 1 Thes 4:3-8; 1 Pet 1:13-16; 2 Pet 1:3-4

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ, ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν?

or not ˱you_all˲_/have/_known that the_‹one› /being/_joined_together ˱to˲_the prostitute one body is

Paul does not ask this question because he is looking for information. Rather, he asks it to involve the Corinthians in what he is arguing. The question assumes that the answer is “yes, we know.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this question as an emphatic statement. Alternate translation: “You know for sure that the one who is joined to the prostitute is one body.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ

the_‹one› /being/_joined_together ˱to˲_the prostitute

Here, being joined to the prostitute is a euphemism for having sex with a prostitute. Paul uses this euphemism in order to be polite. He also picks this specific euphemism because it can also refer to being joined to someone without sexual implications. He uses the phrase in this way in the next verse to speak about union with Christ (6:17). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express being joined to the prostitute with a similar polite euphemism in your language. If possible, use a euphemism that can also work to describe the nonsexual union with Christ in the next verse. Alternate translation: “the one who lives with the prostitute”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ

the_‹one› /being/_joined_together ˱to˲_the prostitute

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive form here to focus on the person who is joined rather than the person doing the “joining.” If you must state who did the action, Paul implies that the person did it to himself. Alternate translation: “the one who joins himself to the prostitute”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

τῇ πόρνῃ

˱to˲_the prostitute

Jesus is speaking of prostitutes in general, not of one particular prostitute. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that refers in general to “prostitutes.” Alternate translation: “to any prostitute”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν

one body is

Here Paul is pointing out that the one being joined and the prostitute make up one body together. He is not arguing that the one being joined by himself is one body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could include some words that Paul implies. Alternate translation: “is one body with her”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν

one body is

Here Paul is speaking as if the one being joined and the prostitute together share one body when they have sex. He speaks in this way to emphasize the unity that these two people have when they have sex, which is as close as if they had only one body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this figure of speech with a comparable metaphor or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: “shares all things with her” or “is united to her”

Note 7 topic: writing-quotations

γάρ, φησίν,

for ˱he˲_/is/_saying

In Paul’s culture, For it says is a normal way to introduce a quotation from an important text, in this case, the Old Testament book titled “Genesis” (See: Genesis 2:24). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that Paul is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: “For it can be read in the Old Testament” or “For in the book of Genesis we read”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

ἔσονται & φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν

will_be & ˱he˲_/is/_saying the two into flesh one

If you do not use this form in your language, you could translate these statements as indirect quotes instead of as direct quotes. Alternate translation: “it says that the two will become as one flesh”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἔσονται & οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν

will_be & the two into flesh one

The passage that Paul quotes here comes from the book of Genesis. The story is about God creating Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. When God brings Eve, the woman, to the man named Adam, the narrative comments that this is why “a man will leave his father and his mother, and he will cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Paul quotes the end of this sentence here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express what this quote refers to, you could include a footnote explaining the context. Additionally by clarifying what the word two refers to. Alternate translation: “A man and a woman will become as one flesh”

Parallel 1COR 6:16