1 Corinthians 9

Introduction

In chapter 9, Paul turns from the issue of food offered to idols (chapter 8) to his own apostolic practice as a case study in voluntarily surrendering one's rights for the sake of others. The transition is not a digression but a powerful illustration of the very principle he has just laid down: that the "strong" should be willing to limit their freedom rather than cause a brother or sister to stumble. Paul demonstrates that he himself has done exactly this -- on a far grander scale. He possesses undeniable apostolic credentials, including having seen the risen Lord and having founded the Corinthian church itself. From these credentials flow concrete rights: the right to material support, to a believing spouse, and to be free from manual labor. Yet Paul has deliberately refused to exercise any of these rights in Corinth.

The chapter builds through a series of arguments -- from common sense (vv. 7), from Scripture (vv. 8-10), from temple practice (v. 13), and from the Lord's own command (v. 14) -- all establishing the legitimacy of financial support for gospel workers. But the force of this accumulation is inverted: the stronger Paul proves his right, the more remarkable his refusal becomes. His boast is precisely that he preaches free of charge, and he would rather die than lose this distinction. In the chapter's final movement, Paul broadens from the specific issue of financial support to his entire missionary strategy of cultural flexibility -- becoming "all things to all people" -- and then closes with the athletic metaphor of the disciplined runner and boxer. The chapter thus serves as Paul's personal exhibit A of the love-driven self-limitation he demands from the Corinthians in the matter of idol food, while simultaneously defending his apostleship against those in Corinth who questioned it.

Paul's Apostolic Credentials (vv. 1-6)

BSB

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord? Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who scrutinize me: Have we no right to food and to drink? Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?

Translation

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I certainly am to you -- for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who examine me: Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a sister as a wife, as do the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who do not have the right to refrain from working?

Notes

• ἐλεύθερος (eleutheros, "free") -- Paul opens with a rapid-fire volley of four rhetorical questions, each expecting an affirmative answer (signaled by the negative particles ouk and ouchi). The word eleutheros ("free") picks up the theme of freedom from 8:9, where Paul warned that the Corinthians' exousia ("right, freedom") was becoming a stumbling block. By placing freedom first, Paul connects his autobiographical argument directly to the issue of idol food: he too is free, but he exercises that freedom differently than they do. In the Greco-Roman world, eleutheros carried deep connotations of social status and civic privilege -- a free person as opposed to a slave. Paul will dramatically invert this in verse 19, where he freely makes himself a doulos ("slave") to all.

• ἑόρακα (heoraka, "I have seen") -- The perfect tense of horaō ("to see") indicates a past event with continuing significance. Paul is referring to his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-6; cf. 15:8, where Paul lists himself last among resurrection witnesses). This visionary encounter is not merely a personal experience but the basis of Paul's apostolic commission. The other apostles had seen the risen Jesus during the forty days before the ascension; Paul's claim is that his Damascus road experience was equally valid as an apostolic qualification. The perfect tense underscores that the effects of that seeing persist -- it was not a fleeting vision but a permanently transformative encounter.

• σφραγίς (sphragis, "seal") -- A sphragis was an impression made in wax or clay by a signet ring, used to authenticate documents, mark ownership, or guarantee the contents of a sealed container. Paul says the Corinthians themselves are the seal -- the authenticating mark -- of his apostleship. The logic is simple but devastating to his critics: the very existence of the Corinthian church proves that Paul is a genuine apostle, since God does not produce fruit through false messengers. The word appears elsewhere for the Holy Spirit as God's seal on believers (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30). Here it is the church itself that functions as the visible, undeniable proof of Paul's apostolic calling.

• ἀπολογία (apologia, "defense") -- This is a legal term for a formal defense speech in a courtroom (apologia gives us "apologetics"). Paul is not merely explaining himself; he is mounting a legal defense before those who ἀνακρίνουσιν (anakrinousin, "examine, investigate, cross-examine") him -- the same forensic verb used in 4:3-4 for judicial scrutiny. The implication is that there are people in Corinth who are putting Paul on trial, questioning his apostolic legitimacy. The word anakrinō was used in Athenian courts for the preliminary examination of a case before trial. Paul's "defense" in verses 3-27 is thus a sustained legal argument, building his case from multiple lines of evidence.

• ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα (adelphēn gynaika, "a sister as a wife") -- The phrase literally reads "a sister-woman" or "a sister-wife." The word ἀδελφή (adelphē, "sister") specifies that the wife in question is a believing Christian, a "sister" in the faith. The verb περιάγειν (periagein, "to lead around, to take along on travels") indicates that other apostles traveled with their wives at the expense of the churches they visited. Paul mentions three groups who exercised this right: the other apostles generally, the brothers of the Lord (James, Joses, Simon, and Judas -- Matt 13:55), and Cephas (Peter) specifically. The mention of Cephas by name is pointed, since he was apparently a figure of particular authority in Corinth (cf. 1:12). Paul's argument is: if even Peter exercises this right, surely I possess it too -- I simply choose not to use it.

• Βαρνάβας (Barnabas) -- The mention of Barnabas is striking because Paul and Barnabas had parted ways before Paul's Corinthian ministry (Acts 15:36-41). Yet Paul groups himself with Barnabas as the only two apostles who worked for their own living rather than accepting church support. This suggests the Corinthians knew of Barnabas and his practice, and it implies that Barnabas's policy of self-support was well known in the early church. The rhetorical question expects the answer "no" -- it should not be the case that only Paul and Barnabas are denied a right that every other apostle exercises. The word ἐξουσία (exousia, "right, authority") appears six times in this chapter (vv. 4, 5, 6, 12, 18), forming the chapter's structural keyword: Paul's whole argument concerns the possession and voluntary non-use of legitimate authority.

Arguments for Apostolic Support (vv. 7-14)

BSB

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?

Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Isn't He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right to your support, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings? In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Translation

Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk of the flock?

Am I saying these things on merely human authority? Does not the Law also say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses: "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing." Is God concerned about oxen? Or is he speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope, and the one who threshes ought to thresh in the hope of sharing in the harvest.

If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too great a thing if we reap material things from you? If others share in this right over you, do not we even more? But we have not made use of this right. Rather, we endure all things so that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those who perform the sacred rites eat from the temple, and those who attend to the altar share in the altar's offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should live from the gospel.

Notes

• ὀψωνίοις (opsōniois, "wages, rations, expense") -- The word opsōnion originally meant a soldier's ration allowance or pay. It derives from opson ("cooked food, provisions") and was the technical term for military compensation. Paul uses three analogies from everyday life -- soldier, vinedresser, shepherd -- each of which makes the same self-evident point: workers have a right to benefit from their labor. The rhetorical force lies in the absurdity of the alternative: no one expects a soldier to fund his own campaign. In Romans 6:23, Paul uses the same word metaphorically: "the wages (opsōnia) of sin is death." The military metaphor is especially apt for Paul, who elsewhere describes his ministry in military language (2 Cor 10:3-5; 1 Tim 1:18; 2 Tim 2:3-4).

• Οὐ κημώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα (Ou kēmōseis boun aloōnta, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing") -- Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4, a law that prohibited tying shut the mouth of an ox as it walked in circles over grain to separate the kernels from the husks. The ox was entitled to eat as it worked. Paul's interpretive move is bold: he argues that this law was written not primarily for the benefit of animals but for the benefit of human laborers. The verb φιμόω (phimoō, the lexical form behind kēmōseis) means "to muzzle, to silence." Jesus uses the same word to silence demons (Mark 1:25) and the storm (Mark 4:39). Paul's hermeneutical principle here -- that Old Testament laws about animals contain deeper applications to human situations -- was common in Jewish interpretation. He is not denying God's care for animals but insisting that the principle extends further: if even oxen must not be denied the fruit of their labor, how much more should gospel workers receive material support?

• τὰ πνευματικά ... τὰ σαρκικά (ta pneumatika ... ta sarkika, "spiritual things ... fleshly/material things") -- Paul draws a contrast between what he sowed (spiritual things -- the gospel) and what he might reasonably reap (material things -- food, money, lodging). The adjective σαρκικός (sarkikos, "pertaining to the flesh, material") is not pejorative here; it simply means "belonging to the physical realm." The word elsewhere in this letter carries negative connotations of immaturity (3:1, 3), but here it is neutral -- material support for gospel workers is entirely legitimate. The agricultural metaphor of sowing and reaping runs throughout Paul's letters (Gal 6:7-8; 2 Cor 9:6) and echoes Jesus's own teaching (Matt 13; John 4:36-38).

• στέγομεν (stegomen, "we endure, we bear up under") -- The verb stegō means "to cover, to contain, to endure." It appears in 13:7, where love "bears all things" (panta stegei). The word originally referred to covering something with a roof (a stegē) to protect it, and came to mean bearing up under pressure, keeping something contained rather than letting it burst out. Paul and his team endure all kinds of hardship -- including manual labor (cf. Acts 18:3, where Paul worked as a tentmaker in Corinth) -- rather than risk creating any ἐνκοπή (enkopē, "hindrance, obstacle, cutting into") for the gospel. The word enkopē is a military term for breaking up a road to impede an advancing army. Paul will not allow his legitimate right to create a roadblock for the gospel's advance.

• ἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι ... θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες (hiera ergazomenoi ... thysiastēriō paredreuontes, "those who perform sacred rites ... those who attend to the altar") -- Paul draws his fourth argument from temple practice. The verb παρεδρεύω (paredreuō, "to sit beside, to attend constantly, to serve") is rare in the New Testament (only here) and pictures the priest stationed at the altar as a constant attendant. The principle was universal in the ancient world: both Jewish priests (Num 18:8-32; Deut 18:1-4) and pagan temple functionaries lived off the offerings brought to the temple. Paul is not endorsing pagan worship but drawing on a principle both Jews and Gentiles would recognize. The verb συμμερίζονται (symmerizontai, "they share, they divide among themselves") emphasizes that the priests partake of the offerings -- what is given to God is shared with those who serve God.

• ὁ Κύριος διέταξεν (ho Kyrios dietaxen, "the Lord commanded") -- Paul's final and climactic argument is not from analogy but from direct command. The verb διατάσσω (diatassō, "to arrange, to prescribe, to command") is a strong word of authoritative ordering. Paul refers to Jesus's instruction in Luke 10:7 / Matthew 10:10, where Jesus told his disciples that "the worker deserves his wages." This is remarkable: Paul places the Lord's own command last in the chain of arguments -- after common sense, after Scripture, after temple practice -- and then in the very next verse announces that he has not used any of these rights. The accumulation of authority behind the right makes the voluntary renunciation all the more stunning.

• ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ζῆν (ek tou euangeliou zēn, "to live from the gospel") -- The infinitive zēn ("to live") is the present active infinitive of zaō, indicating an ongoing pattern of livelihood, not a one-time payment. The preposition ek ("from, out of") indicates the source of sustenance. Those who proclaim the gospel should derive their daily living from the gospel ministry itself. This establishes a permanent principle for church practice -- not just for the original apostles but for all who devote themselves to gospel proclamation. Paul will later affirm this principle for elders in 1 Timothy 5:17-18, where he quotes both Deuteronomy 25:4 and Jesus's saying side by side.

Paul's Voluntary Renunciation (vv. 15-18)

BSB

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility. What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.

Translation

But I have not made use of any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that it should be done this way for me -- for it would be better for me to die than for anyone to empty my boast. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, since a necessity is laid upon me. For woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Notes

• κέχρημαι (kechrēmai, "I have made use of") -- The perfect middle/passive of chraomai ("to use, to make use of") emphasizes the settled, ongoing nature of Paul's decision: he has not used these rights, and the effects of that decision persist to the present. This is not a temporary policy but a permanent commitment. The verb appears again in verse 18 in the compound form καταχρήσασθαι (katachrēsasthai, "to use fully, to use up"), where the prefix kata- intensifies the meaning. Paul does not want to "use up" or "exhaust" his right in the gospel -- he wants to preserve it by not exercising it.

• κενώσει (kenōsei, "will empty, will nullify") -- The verb kenoō means "to empty, to make void, to render without effect." This is the same root found in the great christological hymn of Philippians 2:7, where Christ "emptied himself" (ekenōsen) by taking the form of a servant. Paul's boast is not empty pride but the particular distinction of preaching without charge. If anyone were to force financial support on him, they would "empty" that boast of its content. The intensity of Paul's language is remarkable: he says it would be καλόν (kalon, "good, better") for him to die rather than lose this distinction. This is not hyperbole in the ordinary sense -- Paul's identity as an apostle is so bound up with this voluntary self-limitation that losing it would be a kind of death.

• ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται (anankē gar moi epikeitai, "for a necessity is laid upon me") -- The noun ἀνάγκη (anankē, "necessity, compulsion, constraint") refers to an obligation that cannot be escaped. The verb ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai, "to lie upon, to press upon, to be imposed") pictures this necessity as a weight resting on Paul. He was commissioned by the risen Christ on the Damascus road; preaching is not optional for him. Since preaching itself is compulsory, it cannot be the basis of a boast. Paul's logic is subtle: a slave who does what he is commanded earns no special credit. The boast must lie elsewhere -- in something Paul does beyond and above the bare obligation.

• ἑκών ... ἄκων (hekōn ... akōn, "willingly ... unwillingly") -- These two adjectives create a striking conditional pair. ἑκών (hekōn, "willing, voluntary") and ἄκων (akōn, "unwilling, involuntary") are found in Greek moral philosophy, particularly in discussions about virtue and compulsion. Paul's argument is: if he preaches voluntarily (as a free choice), he earns a reward. But even if he preaches involuntarily (under divine compulsion), he has still been entrusted with a οἰκονομία (oikonomia, "stewardship, management, administration") -- the same word family as oikonomos ("steward") in 4:1-2. Whether willing or unwilling, Paul is a steward. But his reward -- the extra, the voluntary addition -- comes from preaching without charge.

• ἀδάπανον (adapanon, "free of charge, without cost") -- This adjective, found only here in the New Testament, is composed of the alpha-privative (a-, "without") and dapanē ("cost, expense"). Paul's reward is paradoxical: it consists in refusing a reward. His misthos ("wage, reward") is to forgo his misthos. The gospel itself must be offered without financial barriers. This principle had practical implications in Corinth, a commercial city where traveling philosophers and sophists routinely charged fees for their lectures. Paul's refusal to charge distinguished him from these itinerant teachers and demonstrated that the gospel was fundamentally different from philosophical instruction offered for profit.

• καταχρήσασθαι (katachrēsasthai, "to use fully, to use up") -- The compound verb katachraomai intensifies the simple chraomai ("to use") with the prefix kata- ("down, fully, completely"). Paul does not say he has no right (exousia) in the gospel; he says he will not fully exploit that right. The distinction is important: Paul is not surrendering his rights in principle but choosing not to exercise them in practice. This mirrors the argument he has been making to the "strong" in chapter 8: they have the right (exousia) to eat idol food, but they should choose not to exercise it when doing so would harm others. Paul's own practice is the living embodiment of the principle.

All Things to All People (vv. 19-23)

BSB

Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Translation

For though I am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, so that I might gain the greater number. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain Jews. To those under the Law I became as one under the Law -- though I myself am not under the Law -- so that I might gain those under the Law. To those outside the Law I became as one outside the Law -- not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ -- so that I might gain those outside the Law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some.

And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow sharer in it.

Notes

• ἐλεύθερος ... ἐδούλωσα (eleutheros ... edoulōsa, "free ... I enslaved") -- Paul creates a stunning paradox by placing these two words in sharp contrast. The adjective eleutheros ("free") opened the chapter in verse 1; now it returns. But the verb δουλόω (douloō, "to enslave, to make a slave of") is jarring in this context. A free person who voluntarily enslaves himself overturns the entire social order of the ancient world. The aorist tense (edoulōsa) points to a decisive act: Paul made a once-for-all decision to place himself in servitude to everyone. The reflexive pronoun ἐμαυτόν (emauton, "myself") emphasizes that no one did this to him -- it was a free, voluntary act. This is the Christological pattern of Philippians 2:6-7 lived out: Christ, being in the form of God, took the form of a doulos; Paul, being free, makes himself a doulos.

• κερδήσω (kerdēsō, "I might gain, I might win") -- The verb kerdainō ("to gain, to profit, to win over") appears five times in verses 19-22, creating a drumbeat of missionary purpose. The word belongs to the commercial sphere -- it means "to make a profit." Paul uses it in Philippians 3:8 for "gaining" Christ. Here, the "profit" Paul seeks is people -- winning them to the gospel. The subjunctive mood (kerdēsō) indicates purpose and possibility, not certainty: Paul's cultural flexibility does not guarantee results, but it removes unnecessary barriers. The accumulation of the word creates an almost breathless urgency: gain Jews, gain those under the Law, gain those outside the Law, gain the weak -- and the climactic summary in verse 22: "save some."

• τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον (tois hypo nomon hōs hypo nomon, "to those under the Law as one under the Law") -- Paul distinguishes between "Jews" and "those under the Law," suggesting these may be overlapping but not identical categories. "Those under the Law" may include Gentile God-fearers who had adopted Torah observance. The crucial parenthetical -- μὴ ὢν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ νόμον (mē ōn autos hypo nomon, "not being myself under the Law") -- reveals Paul's theological conviction: as a believer in Christ, he is no longer under the Mosaic covenant as a binding legal system (cf. Gal 2:19; Rom 6:14; 7:4-6). Yet he can still voluntarily observe Jewish customs when among Jews -- as when he circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) or took a Nazirite vow (Acts 21:23-26). Adaptation is not deception; it is love expressed through cultural sensitivity.

• ἄνομος ... ἔννομος Χριστοῦ (anomos ... ennomos Christou, "outside the Law ... under the law of Christ") -- When Paul says he became ἄνομος (anomos, "lawless, without the Law") to those without the Law, he immediately qualifies: he is not ἄνομος Θεοῦ (anomos Theou, "lawless in relation to God") but ἔννομος Χριστοῦ (ennomos Christou, "in-lawed to Christ" or "under the law of Christ"). The adjective ennomos literally means "within law" -- the opposite of anomos. Paul coins a striking phrase: the "law of Christ." This is not the Mosaic Torah but the new principle of life governed by Christ's lordship, which Paul elsewhere calls "the law of the Spirit of life" (Rom 8:2) and "the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2). Paul's freedom from the Mosaic Law does not mean moral anarchy; he is bound to Christ. Among Gentiles, Paul did not impose Jewish food laws, sabbath observance, or circumcision -- yet he was never morally unrestrained.

• τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν ἀσθενής (tois asthenesin asthenēs, "to the weak I became weak") -- The word ἀσθενής (asthenēs, "weak") directly connects this passage to chapter 8, where the "weak" (asthenēs, 8:7, 9, 10, 11, 12) were those whose consciences were troubled by idol food. Paul does not stand aloof from the weak with the superiority of one who "knows" better; he enters into their experience. He restricts his own behavior to match theirs. This is the practical application of 8:13: "If food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again." Paul's adaptation to the weak is not condescension but genuine solidarity.

• συνκοινωνός (synkoinōnos, "fellow sharer, co-participant") -- Paul's ultimate purpose in verse 23 is not merely instrumental (winning converts) but participatory: he wants to become a συνκοινωνός (synkoinōnos) of the gospel. The prefix syn- ("together with") and the root koinōnos ("sharer, partner") create a compound meaning "one who shares together." Paul does not stand outside the gospel as a mere distributor; he shares in it as a recipient. The gospel he proclaims also saves him. This prevents any reading of Paul's adaptability as mere strategy -- it is rooted in his own need for and participation in the very gospel he preaches.

The Disciplined Athlete (vv. 24-27)

BSB

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable. Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Translation

Do you not know that those who run in a stadium all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Therefore I run in this way -- not without a clear aim. I box in this way -- not as one beating the air. Rather, I strike my body hard and bring it into subjection, lest after having preached to others, I myself should be found disqualified.

Notes

• σταδίῳ (stadiō, "stadium, racecourse") -- The stadion was a Greek unit of measure (about 600 feet) and the name for the track on which the foot race was run. The Isthmian Games, second only to the Olympics in prestige, were held every two years near Corinth at the sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia. Paul's audience would have been intimately familiar with these athletic competitions -- many would have attended them. The archaeological remains of the Isthmian stadium have been excavated just seven miles east of Corinth. Paul's athletic metaphor was thus not abstract but grounded in the Corinthians' lived experience. The word βραβεῖον (brabeion, "prize") appears only here and in Philippians 3:14 in the New Testament. It referred to the award given to the victor, and at the Isthmian Games this was a wreath of withered celery (later pine).

• ἐγκρατεύεται (enkrateuetai, "exercises self-control") -- The verb enkrateuomai means "to exercise mastery over oneself, to practice self-discipline." It comes from en ("in") and kratos ("power, strength") -- having power over oneself. Athletes preparing for the Isthmian Games underwent ten months of strict training that regulated diet, sleep, and sexual activity. The word appears only here and in 7:9 in the New Testament, where Paul used it in the context of sexual self-control. The connection is important: the same discipline Paul urged on the unmarried in chapter 7 he now applies to the whole Christian life. The phrase πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται (panta enkrateuetai, "exercises self-control in all things") emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the athlete's discipline -- nothing is exempt.

• φθαρτὸν στέφανον ... ἄφθαρτον (phtharton stephanon ... aphtharton, "perishable crown ... imperishable") -- The στέφανος (stephanos, "crown, wreath") at the Isthmian Games was made of withered celery or pine -- literally a perishable, wilting crown. Paul contrasts this with the ἄφθαρτον (aphtharton, "imperishable, incorruptible") crown awaiting believers. The adjective aphthartos is the alpha-privative of phtheirō ("to corrupt, to destroy"). Paul uses this word family extensively in chapter 15 for the resurrection body (15:42, 50, 52, 53, 54). The implicit argument is powerful: if pagan athletes endure such rigorous discipline for a crown that rots, how much more should Christians discipline themselves for a crown that never fades? Peter uses the same image: "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" (1 Pet 1:4); "you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pet 5:4).

• ἀδήλως (adēlōs, "uncertainly, without a clear aim") -- This adverb, found only here in the New Testament, means "in an unclear, uncertain manner." It comes from a- (negation) and dēlos ("clear, evident"). Paul does not run ἀδήλως -- he runs with a fixed goal in sight. The negative statement is a litotes (understatement for emphasis): Paul runs with absolute clarity of purpose. Similarly, he does not box ὡς ἀέρα δέρων (hōs aera derōn, "as one beating the air"). The verb πυκτεύω (pykteuō, "to box, to fight with fists") appears only here in the New Testament. A boxer beating the air is shadowboxing -- making motions without landing any blows. Paul's blows land; his discipline is real, not theatrical.

• ὑπωπιάζω (hypōpiazō, "I strike under the eye, I give a black eye, I discipline severely") -- This vivid verb literally means "to hit under the eye" (hypo + ōps, "eye"), i.e., to give someone a black eye. In boxing, a blow under the eye was particularly punishing. Paul metaphorically punches his own body into submission. The word appears only here and in Luke 18:5, where the persistent widow fears the unjust judge might "wear out" or "batter" her with his refusals. Paul's language is deliberately violent: he does not pamper or indulge his body but treats it roughly, as a boxer treats an opponent. The companion verb δουλαγωγῶ (doulagōgō, "I bring into subjection, I treat as a slave") is equally forceful -- composed of doulos ("slave") and agō ("to lead"). Paul leads his body around like a slave. This echoes the edoulōsa ("I enslaved myself") of verse 19, but now the slavery is directed inward.

• ἀδόκιμος (adokimos, "disqualified, failing the test, rejected") -- The adjective adokimos is the opposite of dokimos ("tested, approved, genuine"). In athletic contexts, it could refer to a competitor disqualified for breaking the rules. Paul's concern is sobering: after having served as a κήρυξ (kēryx, "herald, preacher") to others -- the very official who announced the rules and summoned the athletes to compete -- he himself might be found adokimos. The word does not necessarily mean loss of salvation, but it carries the weight of being rejected, found unfit, failing to meet the standard. Paul uses the same word in 2 Corinthians 13:5-7 and Romans 1:28. This closing warning returns the chapter to its function within the larger argument: Paul practices rigorous self-discipline not because his salvation depends on his works, but because spiritual complacency is a real and present danger. The Corinthians, who are exercising their "rights" without any self-restraint, should take note.