1 COR 5:1 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Actually, we’ve been hearing that there’s sexual immorality there among you all, and so bad that even non-believers don’t do it: a man is sleeping with his step-mother![ref]

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

ULT It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such immorality which is not even among the Gentiles—that someone has his father’s wife.

UST I have learned that you are in fact allowing people from your group to have improper sex. Even those who do not worship God do not allow some of the things that you allow. The worst thing that I have learned is that a man from your group is having sex with his stepmother.

BSB {It is} actually reported [that there is] sexual immorality among you, and [of a kind] that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has [his] father’s wife.

MSB {It is} actually reported [that there is] sexual immorality among you, and [of a kind] that is not even named[fn] among pagans: A man has [his] father’s wife.

5:1 CT that exists not even or that is intolerable

BLB Sexual immorality is actually reported among you, and sexual immorality such as is not even among the pagans, so as for one to have the wife of the father.

AICNT It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even [[named]][fn] among the Gentiles, so that one has his father's wife.

5:1, named: Some manuscripts include. 𝔓68 BYZ TR ‖ Absent from 𝔓46 ℵ(01) A(02) B(03) C(04) D(05)

OEB There is a wide-spread report respecting a case of immorality among you, and that, too, of a kind that does not occur even among the Gentiles – a man, I hear, is living with his father’s wife!

WEBBE It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality amongst you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named amongst the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife.

LSV Whoredom is actually heard of among you, and such whoredom as is not even named among the nations—as that one has the wife of the father!

FBV I hear reports that sexual immorality is happening among you, immorality that even the foreigners don't practice. A man is living with his father's wife!

TCNT It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, a kind of fornication that is not even [fn]named among the Gentiles, for a man has his father's wife.

5:1 named 95.5% ¦ — CT 3.3%

T4T Now I want to discuss another matter. It has been {People have} reported to me, and I believe that it is true, that some people among you have been acting in a sexually immoral way, in a way that is so bad that not even ◄pagans/people who do not know about God► act that way. People tell me that a man is living with his stepmother (OR, his father’s other wife).

LEB It is reported everywhere that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind which does not even exist among the Gentiles, so that someone has the wife of his father.

BBE It is said, in fact, that there is among you a sin of the flesh, such as is not seen even among the Gentiles, that one of you has his father's wife.

Moff It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality such as is unknown even among pagans — that a man has taken his father's wife!

Wymth It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and of a kind unheard of even among the Gentiles—a man has his father's wife!

ASV It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father’s wife.

DRA It is absolutely heard, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as the like is not among the heathens; that one should have his father’s wife.

YLT Whoredom is actually heard of among you, and such whoredom as is not even named among the nations — as that one hath the wife of the father! —

Drby It is universally reported [that there is] fornication among you, and such fornication as [is] not even among the nations, so that one should have his father's wife.

RV It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father’s wife.
(It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath/has his father’s wife. )

SLT In general is fornication heard among you, and such fornication which is not named in the nations, for any to have his father’s wife.

Wbstr It is reported commonly that there is lewdness among you, and such lewdness as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

KJB-1769 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

KJB-1611 ¶ It is reported commonly, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication, as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles, that one should haue his fathers wife.
(¶ It is reported commonly, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication, as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles, that one should have his fathers wife.)

Bshps There goeth a common saying that there is fornication among you, & suche fornication as is not named among the gentiles: that one shoulde haue his fathers wyfe.
(There goeth/goes a common saying that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not named among the gentiles: that one should have his fathers wife.)

Gnva It is heard certainely that there is fornication among you: and such fornication as is not once named among the Gentiles, that one should haue his fathers wife.
(It is heard certainly that there is fornication among you: and such fornication as is not once named among the Gentiles, that one should have his fathers wife. )

Cvdl There goeth a commen reporte, that there is whordome amoge you, and soch whordome, as is not once named amoge the Heythen, that one shulde haue his fathers wife.
(There goeth/goes a commen reporte, that there is whoredom/prostitution among you, and such whoredom/prostitution, as is not once named among the Heathen, that one should have his fathers wife.)

TNT There goeth a commen sayinge that ther is fornicacion amonge you and soche fornicacion as is not once named amonge the gentyls: that one shuld have his fathers wyfe.
(There goeth/goes a commen saying that there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not once named among the gentiles: that one should have his fathers wife. )

Wycl In al maner fornycacioun is herd among you, and siche fornycacioun, which is not among hethene men, so that summan haue the wijf of his fadir.
(In all manner fornication is herd among you, and such fornication, which is not among heathen men, so that summan have the wife of his father.)

Luth Es gehet ein gemein Geschrei, daß Hurerei unter euch ist, und eine solche Hurerei, da auch die Heiden nicht von zu sagen wissen, daß einer seines Vaters Weib habe.
(It goes a mean/nasty shouting(n), that fornication under you is, and a/one such fornication, there also the heathens not from to/for say realise, that one/a his father woman have.)

ClVg Omnino auditur inter vos fornicatio, et talis fornicatio, qualis nec inter gentes, ita ut uxorem patris sui aliquis habeat.[fn]
(Allno hearingr between you(pl) fornicatio, and such fornicatio, such_as but_not between people/nations, so/thus as wife of_the_father self someone have. )

5.1 Omnino auditur. Incipit agere de fornicatione, et redarguit illum fornicatorem qui uxorem patris tenebat, et eos qui eum tolerabant. Erant enim et ipsi comparticipes, dum paterentur reum tam ingentis peccati secum incorreptum convenire. Non solum ergo illum reum mortis, sed etiam inhærentes illi, non esse immunes a crimine demonstravit.

5.1 Allno hearingr. It_begins to_act from/about fornication, and redarguit him fornicatorem who/which wife of_the_father tenebat, and them who/which him tolerabant. They_were because and themselves comparticipes, while to_sufferntur guilty tam ingentis of_sin with_him incorreptum to_meet. Not/No only therefore him guilty of_death, but also inhærentes them, not/no to_be immunes from crime demonstravit.

UGNT ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν.
(holōs akouetai en humin porneia, kai toiautaʸ porneia haʸtis oude en tois ethnesin, hōste gunaika tina tou patros eⱪein.)

SBL-GNT Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ⸀ἔθνεσιν, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν.
(Holōs akouetai en humin porneia, kai toiautaʸ porneia haʸtis oude en tois ⸀ethnesin, hōste gunaika tina tou patros eⱪein.)

RP-GNT Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία, ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν.
(Holōs akouetai en humin porneia, kai toiautaʸ porneia, haʸtis oude en tois ethnesin onomazetai, hōste gunaika tina tou patros eⱪein.)

TC-GNT Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία, ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν [fn]ὀνομάζεται, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν.
(Holōs akouetai en humin porneia, kai toiautaʸ porneia, haʸtis oude en tois ethnesin onomazetai, hōste gunaika tina tou patros eⱪein. )

5:1 ονομαζεται 95.5% ¦ — CT 3.3%

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–13: Paul commanded the believers to punish the immoral church member

Someone had told Paul that one of the men in the church in Corinth had been having sexual relations with his father’s wife, that is, his step-mother. Paul wrote that the believers must punish this man by expelling him from the church. They should not allow this man to meet with them when they gathered to worship God together. Paul urged the Corinthians to keep away from people who called themselves believers but continually committed grave sins. The main point of this section is that the Corinthians were to judge and discipline the man within their fellowship who was sinning.

Paragraph 5:1–5

Paul introduced a new problem in the church at Corinth. One of the believers was behaving immorally. Paul urged the others to expel him from the church.

5:1a

It is actually reported that

¶ Some people have told me that
¶ I have heard people talking about you.

It is…reported that: Paul was living in the city of Ephesus when he heard some bad news about the church group in Corinth. He did not tell the Corinthian believers who it was that had told him this bad news. This is a passive verb phrase. There are several ways to translate it:

using a passive verb. For example:
It is…being said that (NCV)
using an active verb. For example:
people are saying that
I have heard (CEV)
people have told me that
the word/report going around is that

Use the verb form that is natural in your language. If it is natural to report what Paul had heard as direct speech, refer to the General Comment at the end of 5:1d.

actually: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as actually.

It intensifies the verb “reported” and expresses surprise and shock. For example:
Now, it is actually being said that… (GNT) (BSB, NIV, NLT, NET, ESV, NASB, RSV, GNT, REB, NCV)
It means “commonly, everywhere” and indicates where the news was reported. For example:
It is widely reported that (NJB) (NJB, KJV)

CEV and GW do not explicitly translate this word. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Another way to express surprise and shock is to follow the model of the NLT:

I can hardly believe the report about… (NLT)

5:1b

there is sexual immorality among you,

someone in your group is having a sinful sexual relationship.
They say that one of you is sinning with a woman.

there is sexual immorality among you: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sexual immorality is a general term for sinful sexual behavior. It can refer to any situation in which people who are not married to one another have sexual relations.

In some languages it may not be possible to talk about immorality in the abstract. It may be necessary to say that one or more people are behaving in this way. Since the context shows that Paul was thinking primarily of one man, you may be able to translate this as:

one of you is behaving immorally

one of you is sinning sexually

among you: Paul was indicating that it was someone in the Corinthians’ church group who was committing this sin. A man who said that he was a follower of Christ was breaking God’s laws about sexual purity and marriage.

5:1c

and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans:

His sin is so serious/wicked that even heathen people do not practice/permit it.
It is so wrong/sinful that even those who do not know God do not do/allow it.

of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: Paul told how bad the specific immorality occurring in the Corinthian church was. He said that it was so bad that even people who did not know the true God did not commit this kind of sin. In some languages it may be necessary to define what kind of sin Paul was referring to. For example:

such incest as is intolerable even among pagans

The Greek text is more literally “of such a kind not among the pagans.” The BSB has supplied the word intolerable. It is possible to supply other words, such as, for example, “is not permitted.” Paul did not mean that this sin never occurred anywhere else. He meant that it was rare and that when it did happen, people condemned it as evil. They did not view it as acceptable. Someone who behaved like this would be punished. If a literal translation would suggest that this never happened among pagans, you may need to say something like:

you are behaving worse than the Gentiles (CEV)

Even the pagans do not accept/practice such immorality!

In the OT God told the Jewish people that it was forbidden for a man to have sexual intercourse with any woman who used to be married to his father. See Leviticus 18:8; Deuteronomy 22:30; Deuteronomy 27:20. The Greeks and Romans agreed that it was wrong for people to marry or sleep with their close relatives, whether they were blood relatives or related through marriage.

pagans: The Greek word that the BSB translates as pagans refers to people who were not Jewish. They were called "pagans" because they did not worship the one true God.

Here is another other way to translate this word:

people who do not know God (NCV)

5:1d

A man has his father’s wife.

One of you is living/cohabiting/sleeping with a woman who used to be his father’s wife.
What I am referring to is this: A man in your group has been having sexual relations with his stepmother.

A man has his father’s wife: This verse part indicates specifically the type of sexual immorality that Paul had heard about: a man in their group had a sexual relationship with his father’s wife. Perhaps this man’s father had divorced his wife, or perhaps the father had died. We do not know.

has his father’s wife: The phrase has his father’s wife is in the present tense. This probably indicates that the man did not have sex with his father’s wife just one time. She was probably his regular sexual partner.

Paul used a euphemism here. A euphemism is talking about something in a polite way. When Paul said “a man has his father’s wife,” he meant “a man is having sex with his father’s wife.” Paul knew that the people in Corinth would understand what he meant. Consider how people talk about this in your language. Translate this in such a way that people can read it aloud in church without it sounding crude or embarrassing.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

has taken his step-mother

is living with his father’s wife (RSV)

is sleeping with his stepmother (GNT)

his father’s wife: The phrase his father’s wife refers to the man’s step-mother. The man was not having sex with his own mother. This man’s father must have had more than one wife.

General Comment on 5:1a-d

This verse records something that Paul had heard and his own comment on it. In some languages it may be natural to use direct speech for the words that Paul had heard. In those languages it may be necessary to reorder the information and put Paul’s own comment at the end of the verse. For example:

^1aPeople have told me, ^1b“Someone in the church in Corinth is doing what is immoral. ^1cHe is sleeping with his father’s wife!” ^1dEven the pagans do not accept such incestuous behavior!

^1aSome people have said to me, ^1d“In the Corinthian church there is a man who is living with his stepmother.” ^1bThis sexual immorality is ^1cso bad that it does not even occur among the heathen!

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

ὅλως ἀκούεται

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία καί τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδέ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὥστε γυναῖκα τινά τοῦ πατρός ἔχειν)

Here, actually could: (1) emphasize that something is really true. Alternate translation: [It is really reported that] (2) emphasize that many people know about what is going on in the Corinthian church. Alternate translation: [It is everywhere reported that] or [It is reported by many people that]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ὅλως ἀκούεται

Here Paul intentionally uses a passive form to avoid stating who told him about the sexual immorality. If your language does not use this passive form, you can express the idea by making Paul the subject of a verb such as “learn” or by using a form that avoids naming a person. Alternate translation: [Some people have actually reported to me that]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

among you_all sexual_immorality among (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία καί τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδέ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὥστε γυναῖκα τινά τοῦ πατρός ἔχειν)

Here Paul repeats sexual immorality in order to emphasize how shocked and upset he is that people among the Corinthians are committing sexual sins. If your language does not use repetition in this way, you can combine these two statements and express Paul’s shock in another way. Alternate translation: [there is sexual immorality among you that even the Gentiles condemn] or [you overlook flagrant sexual immorality, a kind which even the Gentiles do not accept]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

which_‹is› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία καί τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδέ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὥστε γυναῖκα τινά τοῦ πατρός ἔχειν)

While Paul does not explicitly say why this immorality is not among the Gentiles, the Corinthians would have understood him to mean that the Gentiles do not permit such behavior and prohibit it by law or social practice. If this information would not be implied in your language, you could include a word or phrase that indicates that Paul refers to the attitude of Gentiles towards this kind of sexual immorality. Alternate translation: [which even the Gentiles avoid] or [which even the Gentiles find shocking]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

the pagans

Here Paul does not use the Gentiles primarily to refer to non-Jews, since there were non-Jewish members of the church. Rather, Paul uses the Gentiles to describe anyone who does not worship the true God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the Gentiles with a word or phrase that identifies those who do not worship or serve God. Alternate translation: [the pagans]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν

In Paul’s culture, if man has a woman, it refers to a long-term sexual relationship. Often this would be a marriage, but it could also be a sexual relationship without marriage. Here, it is not clear whether the person (someone) marries his father’s wife or not. What is clear is that he is in a long-term sexual relationship with his father’s wife. If possible use a word or phrase that indicates this kind of general relationship. Alternate translation: [someone is living with his father’s wife] or [someone is sleeping with his father’s wife]

Note 7 topic: translate-kinship

γυναῖκά & τοῦ πατρὸς

Here, his father’s wife identifies a woman who is married to a man’s father but who is not the man’s mother. If your language has a specific word for this relationship, you could use it here. If your language does not have a word for this relationship, you can describe the relationship with a phrase, much like the ULT does. Alternate translation: [his father’s wife who is not his mother]

Parallel 1 COR 5:1