1 COR 6:15 Parallel Verse View

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

OET (OET-RV) Surely you all know that your bodies are parts of messiah’s body? Because of that, you shouldn’t take your body back and then join it to a prostitute’s body. May it never happen!

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
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 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Therefore, having taken away the members of Christ, should I make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

UST Surely you know that your bodies belong to the Messiah, just as if you were his body parts. Because of that, you should not take your body back and then give it to a prostitute, so that your body belongs to her, just as if you were her body parts. Never do that!

BSB Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite [them] with a prostitute? Never!

BLB Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken then the members of the Christ, shall I make them members of a prostitute? Never may it be!

AICNT Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

OEB Don’t you know that your bodies are Christ’s members? Am I, then, to take the members that belong to the Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? Heaven forbid!

WEBBE Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

WMBB Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

NET Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

LSV Have you not known that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken, then, the members of the Christ, will I make [them] members of a prostitute? Let it not be!

FBV Don't you know your bodies are parts of Christ's body? Should I take the parts of Christ's body and join them to a prostitute? Absolutely not!

TCNT Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Certainly not!

T4T You should keep in mind that your bodies belong to Christ. [RHQ] So, should I or any other believer [RHQ] take our body, which belongs to Christ, and join it sexually to a prostitute? No, certainly not!

LEB Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Therefore, shall I take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

BBE Do you not see that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? how then may I take what is a part of the body of Christ and make it a part of the body of a loose woman? such a thing may not be.

Moff Do you not know your bodies are members of Christ? Am I to take Christ's members and devote them to a harlot? Never!

Wymth Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? No, indeed.

ASV Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.

DRA Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

YLT Have ye not known that your bodies are members of Christ? having taken, then, the members of the Christ, shall I make [them] members of an harlot? let it be not!

Drby Do ye not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then, taking the members of the Christ, make [them] members of a harlot? Far be the thought.

RV Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.
(Know ye/you_all not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid. )

SLT Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? having taken the members of Christ, shall I make members of a harlot? It may not be.

Wbstr Know ye not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? By no means.

KJB-1769 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
(Know ye/you_all not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. )

KJB-1611 Know yee not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps Knowe ye not that your bodies are the members of Christe? Shall I then take the members of Christe, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbyd.
(Know ye/you_all not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbyd.)

Gnva Knowe yee not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
(Know ye/you_all not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. )

Cvdl Knowe ye not that youre bodies are the mebres of Christ? Shal I now take the membres of Christ, and make them the membres of an harlot? God forbyd.
(Know ye/you_all not that your(pl) bodies are the mebres of Christ? Shall I now take the membres of Christ, and make them the membres of an harlot? God forbyd.)

TNT Ether remember ye not that youre bodyes are the members of Christ? Shall I now take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbyd.
(Ether remember ye/you_all not that your(pl) bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I now take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbyd. )

Wycl Witen ye not, that youre bodies ben membris of Crist? Schal Y thanne take the membris of Crist, and schal Y make the membris of an hoore? God forbede.
(Witen ye/you_all not, that your(pl) bodies been membris of Christ? Schal I then take the membris of Christ, and shall I make the membris of an whore? God forbede.)

Luth Wisset ihr nicht, daß eure Leiber Christi Glieder sind? Sollte ich nun die Glieder Christi nehmen und Hurenglieder daraus machen? Das sei ferne!
(Know you(pl)/their/her not, that your(pl) bodies Christi limbs are? Shoulde I now the limbs Christi take and whores(n)glieder from_it make? The be distant!)

ClVg Nescitis quoniam corpora vestra membra sunt Christi? Tollens ergo membra Christi, faciam membra meretricis? Absit.[fn]
(You_don't_know since/because bodies your members are Christi? Taking_off therefore members Christi, I_will_do members prostitute? Absit. )

6.15 Corpora. Non potest non esse sanctum corpus, quo sanctificatus utitur Spiritus. Membra sunt, etc. Sicut membra omnia quæ una eademque anima reguntur, unum corpus sunt, ita omnes qui eodem Spiritu sancto vivificantur, unum in Christo corpus efficiuntur. Christi. Quia corpus accepit, et corporum caput est.

6.15 Corpora. Not/No can not/no to_be holy body, where sanctified uses Spirit. Membra are, etc. Like members everything which together the_sameque the_soul reguntur, one body are, so/thus everyone who/which the_same By_Spirit holy aliveficantur, one in/into/on to_Christ/Messiah body they_are_made. Christi. Because body he_received, and of_bodies the_head it_is.

UGNT οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν? ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη? μὴ γένοιτο!
(ouk oidate, hoti ta sōmata humōn melaʸ Ⱪristou estin? aras oun ta melaʸ tou Ⱪristou, poiaʸsō pornaʸs melaʸ? maʸ genoito!)

SBL-GNT οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν; ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; μὴ γένοιτο.
(ouk oidate hoti ta sōmata humōn melaʸ Ⱪristou estin; aras oun ta melaʸ tou Ⱪristou poiaʸsō pornaʸs melaʸ; maʸ genoito.)

RP-GNT Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη χριστοῦ ἐστιν; Ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; Μὴ γένοιτο.
(Ouk oidate hoti ta sōmata humōn melaʸ ⱪristou estin; Aras oun ta melaʸ tou ⱪristou poiaʸsō pornaʸs melaʸ; Maʸ genoito.)

TC-GNT Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν; Ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; Μὴ γένοιτο.
(Ouk oidate hoti ta sōmata humōn melaʸ Ⱪristou estin; Aras oun ta melaʸ tou Ⱪristou poiaʸsō pornaʸs melaʸ; Maʸ genoito. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:12–20: Believers must live pure lives because they belong to the Lord

In 6:12–20 Paul talked about another problem in the church in Corinth. He had heard that some people in Corinth were behaving immorally. It appears that some of the Christians there were saying that it was all right for them to live as they pleased, because God would save and forgive them. They were saying that it did not matter what they did with their bodies. Paul said that they were wrong. In this section he told them why as believers they should honor God in everything they did.

Paragraph 6:12–17

In this paragraph Paul wrote that it is wrong for Christians to behave immorally, that is, to disobey God’s laws about sex. It seems some believers in Corinth had misunderstood what Paul had taught them. Paul had taught that a believer does not have to obey Jewish rules and rituals in order to become acceptable to God. But the Corinthians thought that since Christians do not have to keep the Jewish law, they could do whatever they wanted. Paul said that immoral behavior is wrong because our bodies belong to the Lord and he sent his Spirit to live in our bodies.

6:15a

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself?
You surely remember/know that your bodies are like parts/components of Christ’s body.
When you think/say that behaving immorally is all right, you show that you have forgotten that your bodies are like limbs and organs of the body of Christ.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?: This is the first of several rhetorical questions. Paul used this question to remind the believers of an important teaching they had forgotten or were ignoring. There are two ways to translate this verse part:

as a rhetorical question. For example:
Do I need to remind you that your bodies are members of Christ?
as a statement. For example:
Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself. (NCV)

You should translate this verse part in a way that is natural for reminding people of something they seemed to have forgotten.

your bodies are members of Christ: This is a metaphor. The picture is that of various body parts together forming Christ’s body. This illustrates how believers are united with Christ. Not just our soul (inner being) is joined to Christ, but our whole person, including our body, belongs to Christ. Other ways of translating this include:

your bodies are part of the body of Christ (CEV)

your bodies are limbs and organs of Christ (REB)

your bodies: In the Greek culture of Paul’s time, people thought that the inner part of a person, his spirit, went on living somewhere after he died, but that a person’s body finished and came to nothing. They thought that there was no resurrection of the body (compare Matthew 22:23). Paul used the metaphor about being members of Christ to show that a believer’s body is significant. A believer must not use his body to do anything sinful. A believer is responsible to Christ for what he does with his body.

6:15b

Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

So should I take this body, a part of Christ, and make it one with a prostitute? Absolutely not!
So then, because my body is joined together with Christ, it is not proper/right for me to join it to a prostitute’s body! I should never think of such a thing!
Since our bodies are joined to Christ, it is unthinkable that we should unite them to prostitutes!

Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?: This is also a rhetorical question. Paul himself went on to provide the question to this question: “Never!” There are two ways of translating this verse part:

as a rhetorical question. For example:
Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? (NET)
as a statement. For example:
It is not right/proper for me to take my body and join it to a prostitute’s body.
So I must never take the parts of Christ and join them to a prostitute! (NCV)

Translate this in a way that is strong/emphatic to show Paul’s strong emotion.

Shall I then take: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as Shall I…take here means “Should I…take.” Paul means that he should not do this, and nor should anyone else. This is a general principle. What Paul said here is true of anyone who is a believer. In some languages it may be better to use a different subject, such as “we” or “any Christian.” For example:

Should we^(incl) take…

Should a believer take…

take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as take means “to remove, take away.” Paul was saying that when a believer has sex with a prostitute, it is as though he has taken his body away from Christ and joined it to a prostitute instead. A person cannot be joined together with Christ and with a prostitute at the same time. It is either one or the other.

the members of Christ: When Paul says members of Christ here, he is referring to the bodies of believers. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit:

our ^(incl) bodies, which are united to Christ,

prostitute: The Greek word that the BSB translates as prostitute refers to a woman who makes a living by having sex with various men she is not married to. Be careful to use a word that is polite enough that people can read your translation aloud in church without being embarrassed. If in your language and culture there is no word for prostitute, you may need to substitute a more general term for an immoral woman.In 6:15b and 6:16a Paul was talking primarily to the Christian men in Corinth. He said it was wrong for a Christian man to have sex with a prostitute. He did not say anything about what is right or wrong for Christian women. But what Paul said about sexual immorality (6:13c, 6:18a), about our bodies belonging to the Lord (6:13d-e, 6:15a), and about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19–20), is true of both men and women believers.

Never!: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Never! is very strong. It means “May it never be!” or “Don’t even think of such a thing!” Other ways to translate it include:

That’s unthinkable! (GW)

Out of the question! (NJB)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

μέλη Χριστοῦ & τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ & πόρνης μέλη

members ˱of˲_Christ & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τά σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστίν ἄρας Οὖν τά μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη Μή γένοιτο)

Here Paul speaks as if the Corinthians were members, which are body parts, that belong either to Christ or to a prostitute. He speaks in this way to indicate how closely joined the Corinthians are either to Christ or to a prostitute. This union is as close as the union between a finger and the body to which it belongs. 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: [united to Christ … people who are united to Christ … unite with a prostitute]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τά σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστίν ἄρας Οὖν τά μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη Μή γένοιτο)

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 with a strong affirmation. Alternate translation: [You should know that your bodies are members of Christ.]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἄρας & τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ

˓having˒_taken_away & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τά σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστίν ἄρας Οὖν τά μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη Μή γένοιτο)

Here Paul speaks about taking away the members of Christ as if, like cutting off a finger, he could remove a body part from Christ. He speaks in this way to show how bad it is to remove a person from union with Christ. It is as bad as cutting off a finger, arm, or leg from a person’s 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: [having removed people from union with Christ]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἄρας & τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη?

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 “no, you should not.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this question with a strong negation. Alternate translation: [I should never take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute.]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ποιήσω

˱I˲_˓may˒_make_‹them›

Here Paul speaks in the first person because he is using himself as an example. If it would be helpful in your language, you could include a word or phrase that clarifies that Paul is treating himself as an example, or you could use a form that would naturally provide an example in your language. Alternate translation: [should I, for example, make them]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

μὴ γένοιτο

Here, May it never be! gives Paul’s own response to his question. The phrase is one of the strongest negatives Paul could use. Use a strong word or phrase that answers a question with a no. Alternate translation: [Never!] or [Absolutely not!]

Parallel 1 COR 6:15

Section 6:12–20: Believers must live pure lives because they belong to the Lord

Paragraph 6:12–17

6:15a

6:15b

Parallel 1 COR 6:15