1 Corinthians 1:14-15

1:14 I thank God ¹  that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 1:15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name!

1 Corinthians 2:5

2:5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.

1 Corinthians 4:18

4:18 Some have become arrogant, ²  as if I were not coming to you.

1 Corinthians 5:9

5:9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

1 Corinthians 7:1

Celibacy and Marriage

7:1 Now with regard to the issues you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ³ 

1 Corinthians 8:9

8:9 But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the weak.

1 Corinthians 9:6

9:6 Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work?

1 Corinthians 9:8

9:8 Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, ⁴  or does the law not say this as well?

1 Corinthians 10:12

10:12 So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall.

1 Corinthians 10:22

10:22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? ⁵ 

1 Corinthians 11:32

11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world.

1 Corinthians 14:39

14:39 So then, brothers and sisters, ⁶  be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid anyone from speaking in tongues. ⁷ 

1 Corinthians 15:33

15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ⁸ 

1 Corinthians 15:36

15:36 Fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies.

[1:14]  ¹ tc The oldest and most important witnesses to this text, as well as a few others (א* B 6 1739 sa^ms bo^pt), lack the words τῷ θεῷ (tw qew, “God”), while the rest have them. An accidental omission could well account for the shorter reading, especially since θεῷ would have been written as a nomen sacrum (eucaristwtwqMw). However, one might expect to see, in some mss at least, a dropping of the article but not the divine name. Internally, the Pauline introductory thanksgivings elsewhere always include τῷ θεῷ after εὐχαριστῶ (eucaristw, “I thank”; cf. Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Phil 1:3; Phlm 4; in the plural, note Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2). However, both the fact that this is already used in 1 Cor 1:4 (thus perhaps motivating scribes to add it ten verses later), and that in later portions of his letters Paul does not consistently use the collocation of εὐχαριστῶ with τῷ θεῷ (Rom 16:4; 1 Cor 10:30), might give one pause. Still, nowhere else in the corpus Paulinum do we see a sentence begin with εὐχαριστῶ without an accompanying τῷ θεῷ. A decision is difficult, but on balance it is probably best to retain the words.

[4:18]  ² tn Grk “puffed up”; “inflated.”

[7:1]  ³ tn Grk “It is good for a man not to touch a woman,” a euphemism for sexual relations. This idiom occurs ten times in Greek literature, and all of the references except one appear to refer to sexual relations (cf., e.g., Josephus, Ant. 1.8.1 [1.163]; Gen 20:6 [LXX]; Prov 6:29 [LXX]). For discussion see G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 275. Many recent interpreters believe that here again (as in 6:12-13) Paul cites a slogan the Corinthians apparently used to justify their actions. If this is so, Paul agrees with the slogan in part, but corrects it in the following verses to show how the Corinthians misused the idea to justify abstinence within marriage (cf. 8:1, 4; 10:23). See also G. D. Fee, “1 Corinthians 7:1 in the NIV,” JETS 23 (1980): 307-14.

[9:8]  ⁴ tn Or “only according to human authority”; Grk “saying these things according to men.”

[10:22]  ⁵ tn The question in Greek expects a negative answer (“We are not stronger than he is, are we?”).

[14:39]  ⁶ tc ‡ μου (mou, “my”) is found after ἀδελφοί (adelfoi) in a number of significant witnesses (א A B* D¹ 048 326 1175 2464 al), but lacking in most other witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ B² D* F G Ψ 0243 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Every other time Paul says “So then, brothers (and sisters)” he adds “my” (ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου; {wste, adelfoi mou). There is no good reason why scribes would intentionally omit “my” here but not elsewhere. Thus, the longer reading is in conformity with Paul’s general style and as such seems to be scribally motivated. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[14:39]  ⁷ tn Grk “speaking in tongues.” The words “anyone from” are supplied for the sake of clarity.

[15:33]  ⁷ sn A quotation from the poet Menander, Thais 218, which Paul uses in a proverbial sense.