1 Corinthians 6

Brother goes to law with brother, before unbelievers — when the holy ones will judge the world and angels. Having lawsuits at all is already a defeat. The unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom — a list of ten. But you were washed, sanctified, justified. ‘All things are lawful for me’ — but not all profitable. The body is for the Lord. Members of Christ made members of a prostitute? Joined to a prostitute, one body; joined to the Lord, one spirit. Flee sexual immorality — the body is the Spirit’s sanctuary; you were bought with a price.

Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων;

Does any of you, having a matter against the other, dare to go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the holy ones?

Why this rendering

1Cor.6.1 Observation

Syntactic observation

Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων … οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρινοῦσιν … ἀνάξιοί ἐστε κριτηρίων ἐλαχίστων — dare to go to law before the unrighteous … the holy ones will judge the world … are you unworthy of the smallest courts? κρίνω comes six times in vv.1-6 in three shades — middle κρίνεσθαι (vv.1, 6, ‘go to law’: to stand in court), active κρινοῦσιν (vv.2-3, ‘judge’: the holy ones judging world and angels), passive κρίνεται (v.2, ‘be judged’). Korean gives each shade its own word and loses the one verb; English keeps go to law / judge, two. The same root’s κριτήριον (court; 6:2, 4; Jas 2:6) and v.7’s κρίμα (lawsuit; in Rom 2:2 ‘judgement’) belong to the paragraph — five words stand on the root of κρίνω. ἀνάξιος occurs only here in the New Testament, the negation of ἄξιος (worthy).

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“go to law / judge / be judged” — site rules by shade

Basis Adds the middle ‘go to law’ to the existing rule (judge for people, judge in the final sense for God and the end).

“judge” for all six

Basis One verb, one word.

Rejected ‘Judge before the unrighteous’ loses the courtroom, and ‘the holy ones judge the world’ loses the final judgement — Korean cannot hold both in one word.

Lost in translation

κρίνω six times, κριτήριον, κρίμα — one root scattered over go to law / judge / court / lawsuit.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

⸀ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρινοῦσιν; καὶ εἰ ἐν ὑμῖν κρίνεται ὁ κόσμος, ἀνάξιοί ἐστε κριτηρίων ἐλαχίστων;

Or do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy of the smallest courts?

οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν, μήτιγε βιωτικά;

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, then, matters of this life!

βιωτικὰ μὲν οὖν κριτήρια ἐὰν ἔχητε, τοὺς ἐξουθενημένους ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, τούτους καθίζετε;

If then you have courts for matters of this life, do you seat those who are treated with contempt in the assembly?

πρὸς ἐντροπὴν ὑμῖν λέγω. οὕτως οὐκ ἔνι ἐν ὑμῖν ⸂οὐδεὶς σοφὸς⸃ ὃς δυνήσεται διακρῖναι ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ⸀ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ,

I say this to your shame. So is there among you not one wise man who will be able to decide between his brothers?

ἀλλὰ ἀδελφὸς μετὰ ἀδελφοῦ κρίνεται, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ἀπίστων;

But brother goes to law with brother — and this before unbelievers?

ἤδη μὲν ⸀οὖν ὅλως ἥττημα ὑμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι κρίματα ἔχετε μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν· διὰ τί οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἀδικεῖσθε; διὰ τί οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἀποστερεῖσθε;

Already, then, it is altogether a defeat for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

ἀλλὰ ὑμεῖς ἀδικεῖτε καὶ ἀποστερεῖτε, καὶ ⸀τοῦτο ἀδελφούς.

But you wrong and defraud — and this your brothers.

Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι ⸂θεοῦ βασιλείαν⸃ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be led astray: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor the soft nor men who lie with men,

Why this rendering

1Cor.6.9 Observation

Syntactic observation

μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες — do not be led astray: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor the soft nor men who lie with men, nor thieves … Of the ten nouns six repeat the list of 5:10-11 and four are new — μοιχός (adulterer; Luke 18:11), μαλακός, ἀρσενοκοίτης, κλέπτης (thief; Matt 6:19). μαλακός is the word of Matt 11:8, ‘soft garments’ — the text calls people ‘soft’ and does not say in what; this edition keeps the word, ‘the soft’, since ‘effeminate’ or ‘catamite’ is a judgement made outside the word. ἀρσενοκοίτης (here and 1 Tim 1:10) is a compound of ἄρσην (male) and κοίτη (bed; Rom 9:10, Luke 11:7), so ‘men who lie with men’ shows both parts. πλανᾶσθε is the passive of Matt 22:29, ‘you are led astray’. The list is framed in vv.9-10 by ‘will not inherit the kingdom of God’ (κληρονομέω; Matt 5:5).

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“the soft” — μαλακός as in Matt 11:8

Basis The text writes one word, ‘soft’; what is soft it does not say.

“effeminate / catamites”

Basis The familiar interpretations.

Rejected It puts a judgement from outside the word inside it — the link to Matt 11:8 is cut, and the versions’ disagreement shows the word itself does not settle it.

Lost in translation

The κοίτη (bed) in ἀρσενοκοίτης — one word with Rom 9:10 ‘having a bed’; ‘lie with’ keeps the bed.

Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

οὔτε ⸂κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται⸃, ⸀οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν ⸀θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν.

nor thieves nor the greedy, not drunkards, not revilers, not the ravenous will inherit the kingdom of God.

καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε· ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ⸀Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.

And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit of our God.

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν· ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει. πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν· ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος.

“All things are lawful for me” — but not all things are profitable. “All things are lawful for me” — but I will not be brought under the authority of anything.

τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ, καὶ ἡ κοιλία τοῖς βρώμασιν· ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ ταύτην καὶ ταῦτα καταργήσει. τὸ δὲ σῶμα οὐ τῇ πορνείᾳ ἀλλὰ τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ ὁ κύριος τῷ σώματι·

Foods are for the belly and the belly for foods, but God will abolish both the one and the other. But the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body;

ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ τὸν κύριον ἤγειρεν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξεγερεῖ διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ.

and God both raised the Lord and will raise us up through his power.

οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν; ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; μὴ γένοιτο.

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 not be!

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

⸀ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν; Ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.

Or do you not know that the one joined to a prostitute is one body? For, it says, ‘the two will become one flesh.’

Why this rendering

1Cor.6.16 Observation

Syntactic observation

ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν; Ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. ὁ δὲ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν — the one joined to a prostitute is one body … ‘the two will become one flesh’ … the one joined to the Lord is one spirit. κολλάομαι is the verb of Matt 19:5, ‘shall be joined to his wife’, and the quotation (Gen 2:24) is the sentence of Matt 19:5 and Mark 10:8 — where σάρξ was rendered 몸 in Korean (the J18 site rule for ‘one flesh’), so here too; thus σῶμα (body) and σάρξ (one flesh) fall on one Korean word in v.16, while English body / flesh keeps them apart. φησίν has no subject — Scripture or God, the text does not say — so ‘it says’ leaves it open. ἄρας in v.15 (αἴρω, take) is the verb of 5:2 ‘taken away’. The slogan of v.12, ‘all things are lawful for me’ (ἔξεστιν; Matt 12:12 ‘lawful’), is quoted twice and turned twice.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“one flesh” — the genitive kept as in Matt 19:5

Basis The same Genesis sentence stands in three places, all ‘one flesh’.

“one flesh” (Korean 육신)

Basis Following the general σάρξ = 육신 rendering.

Rejected It would split from Matt 19:5 and Mark 10:8 — one quotation in two shapes.

Lost in translation

σῶμα ↔ σάρξ in v.16 — body / flesh kept apart.

Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

ὁ δὲ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν.

But the one joined to the Lord is one spirit.

φεύγετε τὴν πορνείαν· πᾶν ἁμάρτημα ὃ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ πορνεύων εἰς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει.

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man may do is outside the body, but the one committing sexual immorality sins against his own body.

ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὸ σῶμα ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου πνεύματός ἐστιν, οὗ ἔχετε ἀπὸ θεοῦ; καὶ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν,

Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? And you are not your own,

ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς· δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ⸀ὑμῶν.

for you were bought with a price. Glorify God, then, in your body.