1 Corinthians 1:26

1:26 Think about the circumstances of your call, ¹  brothers and sisters. ²  Not many were wise by human standards, ³  not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. ⁴ 

1 Corinthians 8:5

8:5 If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

1 Corinthians 11:30

11:30 That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. ⁵ 

1 Corinthians 16:9

16:9 because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me, ⁶  but there are many opponents.

1 Corinthians 10:17

10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread.

¹ tn Grk “Think about your calling.” “Calling” in Paul’s writings usually refers to God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. The following verses show that “calling” here stands by metonymy for their circumstances when they became Christians, leading to the translation “the circumstances of your call.”

² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

³ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

⁴ tn The Greek word ευγενής (eugenh") refers to the status of being born into nobility, wealth, or power with an emphasis on the privileges and benefits that come with that position.

⁵ tn Grk “are asleep.” The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

⁹ tn Grk “for a door has opened wide to me, great and effective.”