2 Corinthians 6:15

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

Legacy Standard Bible
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus and the devil ain't pards, so how can you still ride with someone who sneers at God and his ways.

Bible in Basic English
And what agreement is there between Christ and the Evil One? or what part has one who has faith with one who has not?

Darby Translation
and what consent of Christ with Beliar, or what part for a believer along with an unbeliever?

Christian Standard Bible®
What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

World English Bible
What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath a believer with an infidel?

Weymouth's New Testament
Where can harmony between Christ and Belial be found? Or what participation has a believer with an unbeliever?

King James Version (1611)
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that beleeueth, with an infidel?

Literal Translation
And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How agreeth Christ with Belial? Or what parte hath the beleuer with the infydele?

Mace New Testament (1729)
what concord can Christ maintain with Belial? what concern has a believer with an infidel?

Amplified Bible
What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

American Standard Version
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?

Revised Standard Version
What accord has Christ with Be'lial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
What cocorde hath Christ with beliall? Ether what parte hath he yt beleveth with an infidele?

Update Bible Version
And what concord has Christ with Belial? or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?

Webster's Bible Translation
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Young's Literal Translation
and what fellowship to light with darkness? and what concord to Christ with Belial? or what part to a believer with an unbeliever?

New Century Version
How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a nonbeliever?

New English Translation
And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?

Berean Standard Bible
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Contemporary English Version
Is Christ a friend of Satan? Can people who follow the Lord have anything in common with those who don't?

Complete Jewish Bible
What harmony can there be between the Messiah and B'liya‘al? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

English Standard Version
What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

Geneva Bible (1587)
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidell?

George Lamsa Translation
Or what accord has Christ with Satan? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?

Hebrew Names Version
What agreement has Messiah with Beliya`al? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?

International Standard Version
What harmony exists between Christ and Beliar,[fn] or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common?

Etheridge Translation
15 Or what concord [fn] hath the Meshiha with Satana ? Or what portion hath the believer with the unbeliever ?

Murdock Translation
or what concord hath the Messiah with Satan? or what part hath a believer with an unbeliever?

New King James Version
And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

New Living Translation
What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

New Life Bible
How can Christ get along with the devil? How can one who has put his trust in Christ get along with one who has not put his trust in Christ?

English Revised Version
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?

New Revised Standard
What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And what concord hath Christ with Beliar? Or what part hath a believer with an unbeliever?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?

King James Version
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Lexham English Bible
And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what share does a believer have with an unbeliever?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Or what concorde hath Christe with belyall? Eyther what part hath he that beleueth, with an infidell?

Easy-to-Read Version
How can there be any unity between Christ and the devil? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

New American Standard Bible
Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?

Good News Translation
How can Christ and the Devil agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and what acording of Crist to Belial? or what part of a feithful with the vnfeithful?

Contextual Overview

¹¹Dear, dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! ¹⁴Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: "I'll live in them, move into them; I'll be their God and they'll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good," says God. "Don't link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. I'll be a Father to you; you'll be sons and daughters to me." The Word of the Master, God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what concord: 1 Samuel 5:2-4, 1 Kings 18:21, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 1 Corinthians 10:21

or: Ezra 4:3, Mark 16:16, Acts 8:20, 1 John 5:11-13

an: 1 Timothy 5:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:2 - strange Exodus 23:32 - shalt make Deuteronomy 13:13 - the children Judges 6:25 - even Judges 19:22 - sons of Belial 1 Samuel 2:12 - sons of Belial 2 Kings 3:13 - What Ecclesiastes 2:3 - and to lay Zechariah 2:10 - and I Matthew 12:30 - that is Luke 22:55 - Peter John 18:18 - Peter

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 3:11
Og king of Bashan was the last remaining Rephaite. His bed, made of iron, was over thirteen feet long and six wide. You can still see it on display in Rabbah of the People of Ammon.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And what concord hath Christ with Belial?.... The word "Belial" is an Hebrew word, and is only used in this place in the New Testament, but often in the Old; this word is differently read and pronounced, some copies read it "Beliar", and accordingly in the Ethiopic version it is "Belhor", and by Jerom read i Belvir"; but he observes, that it is more rightly called Belial": in some copies it is "Belias", and so Tertullian k read it; and Jerom l says, that most corruptly read it "Belias", for "Belial": some derive it from בלי, "Beli", and עלה, "Alah", and signifies "without ascent"; one in a very low condition, of low life, that never rises up, and comes to any thing; to which Kimchi's etymology of the word seems to agree, who says m, that Belial is a wicked man, בל יעלה ובל יצליח, "who does not succeed, and does not prosper": others say it signifies n one that is

בלי עול, "Beli Ol, without a yoke", without the yoke of the law; so Jarchi explains children of Belial, in Deuteronomy 13:13 without yoke, who break off the yoke of God; and so say o the Talmudists,

"children of Belial, are children that break off עול שמים, "the yoke of heaven" (i.e. the law) from their necks;''

lawless persons, who are under no subjection to God or man: others p derive it from יעל, "Jaal", and בלי, "Beli", and so it signifies one that is unprofitable, does no good, and is good for nothing; and it is applied in Scripture to any wicked person, or thing; it is commonly rendered by the Chaldee paraphrast, a "wicked man"; and by Aquila and Suidas it is interpreted, "an apostate", and so it is rendered here in the Arabic version; sometimes the corruption of nature is called "Belial" by the Jews q, than which nothing can be more contrary to Christ; it is also a name of the devil; by Hesychius, "Beliar" is interpreted "a dragon", by which name the devil is sometimes called; and here the Syriac version is, "what concord hath Christ with Satan?" most interpreters by Belial understand the devil, who has cast off the yoke of obedience to God, and is unprofitable, yea, noxious and hurtful to men; between whom and Christ there is no concord, but a perpetual enmity; and as there is no concord between Christ personal, and Belial the devil, so what can there be between Christ mystical the church, which goes by the name of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:12 and wicked men, the sons of Belial; who have cast away the law of the Lord, are not subject to the law of God, nor can they be, and are become unprofitable to themselves, and others?

or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? such have no part, and shall have no part or portion in one and the same thing; the believer's part and portion are God, Christ, and an eternal inheritance; the unbeliever's part and portion will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; and therefore what part, society, or communion, can they have with one another?

i De Nominibus Hebraicis, fol. 106. K. k De Corona, c. 10. l Comment. in Ephes. iv. 27. m Sepher Shorashim, rad. בל. n Hieronym Quaestasive Trad. Heb. in Lib. Reg. fol. 74. I. Tom. 3. & in Ephes. iv. 27. R. Abraham Seba in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 141. 4. & 142. 2. o T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 111. 2. p Philip Aquinas, Schindler, Cocceius, &c. q Tzeror Hammor, fol. 148. 3. & 149. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And what concord - (συμφώνησις sumphōnēsis). Sympathy, unison. This word refers properly to the unison or harmony produced by musical instruments, where there is a chord. What accordance, what unison is there; what strings are there which being struck will produce a chord or harmony? The idea is, then, there is as much that is discordant between Christ and Belial as there is between instruments of music that produce only discordant and jarring sounds.

Hath Christ - What is there in common between Christ and Belial, implying that Christians are governed by the principles, and that they follow the example of Christ.

Belial - Βελίαλ Belial or Βελίαρ Beliar, as as it is found in some of the late editions. The form Beliar is Syriac. The Hebrew word בּליּצל b^eliya‛al means literally without profit; worthlessness; wickedness. It is here evidently applied to Satan. The Syriac translates it “Satan.” The idea is, that the persons to whom Paul referred, the pagan, wicked, unbelieving world, were governed by the principles of Satan, and were “taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:26 compare John 8:44), and that Christians should be separate from the wicked world, as Christ was separate from all the feelings, purposes, and plans of Satan. He had no participation in them; he formed no union with them; and so it should be with the followers of the one in relation to the followers of the other.

Or what part - (μερὶς meris). Portion, share, participation, fellowship. This word refers usually to a division of an estate; Luke 10:42; Acts 8:21 note; Colossians 1:12 note. There is no participation; nothing in common.

He that believeth - A Christian; a man the characteristic of whom it is that he believes on the Lord Jesus.

With an infidel - A man who does not believe - whether a pagan idolater, a profane man, a scoffer, a philosopher, a man of science, a moral man, or a son or daughter of gaiety. The idea is, that on the subject of religion there is no union; nothing in common; no participation. They are governed by different principles; have different feelings; are looking to different rewards; and are tending to a different destiny. The believer, therefore, should not select his partner in life and his chosen companions and friends from this class, but from those with whom he has sympathy, and with whom he has common feelings and hopes.