1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians · Chapter 4

1 Corinthians 4:1

1Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.2Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.4For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.6And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.7For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?8Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.9For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.10We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.11Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;12And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:13Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.15For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.17For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.21What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
SoΟὕτωςHoutōsG3779
thus(-ly)

οὕτως (ohutō, ohutōs) οὕτως, rarely (Bl., §5, 4; WH, App., 146f.) οὕτω, adv. (οὗτος), [in LXX chiefly for כֵּן ;] in this way, so, thus; 1. referring to what precedes: Mat.5:16 6:30, Mrk.10:43 14:59, Luk.1:25 2:48 15:7, Jhn.3:8, Rom.1:15, 1Co.8:12, al.; οὕτως καί, Mat.17:12, Mrk.13:29, al.; pleonastically, resuming a ptcp. (cl.; see Bl., §74, 6), Act.20:11 27:17. 2. Referring to what follows: Mat.1:18 6:9, Luk.19:31, Jhn.21:1, 1Pe.2:15; bef. quotations from OT, Mat.2:5, Act.7:6, 1Co.15:45, Heb.4:4. 3. C. adj. (marking intensity): Heb.12:21, Rev.16:18; similarly with adv., Gal.1:6 (cl.). …

usἡμᾶςhēmasG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

should regardλογιζέσθωlogizesthōG3049
to count

λογίζομαι (logizomai) λογίζομαι (λόγος), [in LXX chiefly for חָשַׁב ;] 1. prop., of numerical calculation, to count, reckon: with accusative before μετά, Mrk.15:23 (LXX) (Rec., R, mg.), Luk.22:37. 2. Metaphorical, without reference to numbers, by a reckoning of characteristics or reasons; (a) to reckon, take into account: with accusative of thing(s), 1Co.13:5; id. before dative of person(s), Rom.4:3 (LXX), Rom.4:4, 6 4:8" (LXX), 2Co.5:19, 2Ti.4:16; before εἰς (cf. Heb. ל חָשַׁב; Bl., § 33, 3), Act.19:27, Rom.2:26 4:3, 5 4:9-11, 22-24 9:8 Gal.3:6" (LXX), Jas.2:23 (LXX); …

a manἄνθρωποςanthrōposG0444
a human

ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) ἄνθρωπος, -ου, ὁ, [in LXX chiefly for אִישׁ ,אָדָם, also for אֱנוֹשׁ, etc. ;] man: 1. generically, a human being, male or female (Lat. homo): Jhn.16:21; with art., Mat.4:4 12:35, Mrk.2:27, Jhn.2:25, Rom.7:1, al; disting. from God, Mat.19:6, Jhn.10:33, Col.3:23, al.; from animals, etc., Mat.4:19, Luk.5:10, Rev.9:4, al.; implying human frailty and imperfection, 1Co.3:4; σοφία ἀνθρώπων, 1Co.2:5; ἀνθρώπων ἐπιθυμίαι, 1Pe.4:2; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖν, 1Co.3:3; κατὰ ἄ. λέγειν (λαλεῖν), Rom.3:5, 1Co.9:8; κατὰ ἄ- λέγειν, Gal.3:15 (cf. 1Co.15:32, Gal.1:11); by meton., of man's nature or condition, ὁ …

asὡςhōsG5613
as/when

ὡς (hōs) ὡς, adverbial form of the relative pron. ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. I. As relat. adv. of manner, as, like as, just as, even as; 1. with a demonstrative, like οὕτως, expressed or understood: οὕτως . . . ὡς, Mrk.4:26, 1Co.3:15, Eph.5:28, Jas.2:12, al.; ὡς . . . οὕτως, Act.8:32, 1Co.7:17, al.; elliptically (sc. οὕτως, οὕτω), with nom., Mat.6:29, al.; with accusative, Mat.19:19, Mrk.12:31, al.; with prep., Mat.26:55, Mrk.14:48, Luk.22:52, Jhn.7:10, al.; with verb., Jhn.15:6, 2Co.3:1, Eph.2:3, 1Th.5:6, al.; with ptcp. (the ptcp. however not having the special force wh. it has in cl.; see Bl., §73, 5; 74, 6), Mat. …

servantsὑπηρέταςhupēretasG5257
servant

ὑπηρέτης (hupēretēs) ὑπηρέτης, -ου, ὁ (ὑπό + ἐρέτης, a rower) [in LXX: Pro.14:35 (עֶבֶד), Wis.6:4, al. ;] prop., an under rower; hence, generally, a servant, attendant, minister: of a magistrate's attendant, Mat.5:25; of officers of the Synagogue or Sanhedrin, Mat.26:58, Mrk.14:54, 65, Luk.4:20, Jhn.7:32, 45-46 18:3, 12 18:22 19:6, Act.5:22, 26; of the attendants of kings, οἱ ὑ. οἱ ἑμοί Jhn.18:36; of Christian ministers, Act.13:5 26:16; ὑπηρέται λόγου, Luk.1:2; Χριστοῦ, 1Co.4:1; δοῦλοι κ. ὑ., Jhn.18:18.† SYN.: see: διάκονος (AS)

of ChristΧριστοῦChristouG5547
Christ

Χριστός (Christos) χριστός (Χρ-), -ή, -όν (χρίω), [in LXX for מָשִׁיחַ and cogn. forms ;] 1. 1. as adj., (a) of things, anointing, to be used as ointment (Æsch., Eur., al.; τ. ἔλαιον τὸ χ., Lev.21:10); (b) of persons, anointed (ὁ ἰερεὺς ὁ χ., Lev.4:5; οἱ χ. ἰευρεῖς, 2Ma.1:10): ὁ χ. τοῦ κυρίου or Θεοῦ (1Ki.2:10, Psa.2:2, al.), of the Messiah (Aram., מְשִׁיחָא; cf. Dalman, Words, 289 ff.), Luk.2:11, 26 Jhn.1:41, Act.2:36 4:26, al. …

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

stewardsοἰκονόμουςoikonomousG3623
manager

οἰκονόμος (oikonomos) οἰκονόμος, -ου, ὁ (οἶκος + νέμω, to manage) [in LXX chiefly for עַל ;] 1. prop., the manager of a household or estate, a house- or land-steward (usually a slave or freedman): Luk.12:42 16:1, 3 16:8, 1Co.4:2, Gal.4:2; ὀ οἰ. τ. πόλεως (RV, treasurer; cf. I Est.4:49), Rom.16:23. 2. Metaphorical (in wider sense; cf. οἰκονομία), an administrator, a steward: of Christian ministers, 1Co.4:1, Tit.1:7; of Christians generally, 1Pe.4:10.† (AS)

of the mysteriesμυστηρίωνmustēriōnG3466
mystery

μυστήριον (mustērion) μυστήρισν, -ου, τό (μυέω), [in LXX: Dan LXX TH Dan.2:18 ff. (רָז), Tob.12:7, 11, Jdth.2:2, Wis.2:22 6:22 14:15, 23, Sir.3:18 22:22 27:16-17, 21, 2Ma.13:21 * ;] 1. that which is known to the μύστης (initiated), a mystery or secret doctrine, mostly in pl., τὰ μ. (Æsch., Hdt., al.). 2. In later writers (Menand., Incert., 168), that which may not be revealed (not, however, as in the modern sense, intrinsically difficult to understand), a secret or mystery of any kind (To, Jth, 2Mac, ll, with). …

of God.θεοῦ.¶theouG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.