1 Corinthians 6:9

New King James Version

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, [fn] nor sodomites,

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Surely you know that people who do wrong will not get to enjoy God's kingdom. Don't be fooled. These are the people who will not get to enjoy his kingdom: those who sin sexually, those who worship idols, those who commit adultery, men who let other men use them for sex or who have sex with other men, those who steal, those who are greedy, those who drink too much, those who abuse others with insults, and those who cheat.

Revised Standard Version
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Do ye not remember how that the vnrighteous shall not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not deceaved. For nether fornicators nether worshyppers of ymages nether whormongers nether weaklinges nether abusars of them selves with the mankynde

Hebrew Names Version
Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

International Standard Version
You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don't you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals,1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:14; 13:4; Revelation 22:15;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,

New Century Version
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Update Bible Version
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

Webster's Bible Translation
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

English Standard Version
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

World English Bible
Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Know ye not, that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate,

Weymouth's New Testament
Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether ye witen not, that wickid men schulen not welde the kyngdom of God? Nyle ye erre; nethir letchours, nether men that seruen mawmetis, nether auouteris,

English Revised Version
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,

Berean Standard Bible
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,

Contemporary English Version
Don't you know that evil people won't have a share in the blessings of God's kingdom? Don't fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual

Amplified Bible
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor (perversely) effeminate, nor homosexuals,

American Standard Version
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,

Bible in Basic English
Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men,

Complete Jewish Bible
Don't you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't delude yourselves — people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality,

Darby Translation
Do ye not know that unrighteous [persons] shall not inherit [the] kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who make women of themselves, nor who abuse themselves with men,

Etheridge Translation
Or, know you not that the unjust the kingdom of Aloha cannot inherit? Do not err; neither fornicators, nor the servers of idols, nor adulterers, nor corrupters, nor liers with men, nor the oppressive,

Murdock Translation
Or do ye not know, that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not mistake; neither whoremongers, nor idol-worshippers, nor adulterers, nor debauchers, nor liers with males,

King James Version (1611)
Know yee not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued: neither fornicatours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselues with mankinde,

New Living Translation
Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,

New Life Bible
Do you not know that sinful men will have no place in the holy nation of God? Do not be fooled. A person who does sex sins, or who worships false gods, or who is not faithful in marriage, or men who act like women, or people who do sex sins with their own sex, will have no place in the holy nation of God.

New Revised Standard
Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Knowe yee not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued: neither fornicatours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantons, nor buggerers,

George Lamsa Translation
Do you not know that the wicked shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not misled: neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the corrupt, nor men who lie down with males,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or know ye not that, wrong-doers, shall not inherit, God's kingdom? Be not deceiving yourselves: - neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Knowe ye not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceaued: neither fornicatours, nor idolatours, nor adulterers, nor weaklinges, nor abusers of them selues with mankinde,

Good News Translation
Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God's Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males,

King James Version
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Lexham English Bible
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners,

Literal Translation
Or do you not know that unjust ones will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be led astray, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

Young's Literal Translation
have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Knowe ye not that ye vnrighteous shal not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not disceaued. Nether whoremongers, ner worshippers off ymages, ner breakers off wedlocke, ner weaklinges, nether abusers of them selues with mankynde,

Mace New Testament (1729)
Know you not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? be not deceived: neither the licentious, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor the brutal,

THE MESSAGE
Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

New English Translation
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Are y'all so dense that you haven't figured out that cowboys who act like that won't get through the narrow gate when their ride is done? You've got your hats pulled down over your eyes if you think perverts, idol worshipers, adulterers, gigolos, gays,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

Legacy Standard Bible
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

Contextual Overview

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, [fn] nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Know: 1 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 6:3, 1 Corinthians 6:15, 1 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 9:24

unrighteous: Exodus 23:1, Leviticus 19:15, Leviticus 19:35, Leviticus 19:36, Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 22:8, Isaiah 10:1, Isaiah 10:2, Isaiah 55:7, Zechariah 5:3, Acts 24:25, Romans 1:18, 1 Timothy 1:9

inherit: 1 Corinthians 6:10, 1 Corinthians 15:50, Matthew 19:29, Matthew 25:34, Galatians 5:21

fornicators: 1 Corinthians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 5:10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:4, Ephesians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:9, Hebrews 12:14, Hebrews 12:16, Hebrews 13:4, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 22:15

abusers: Genesis 19:5, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:5, Deuteronomy 23:17, Judges 19:22, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:27, 1 Timothy 1:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 19:7 - General Genesis 39:9 - how then Exodus 30:19 - General Leviticus 6:7 - it shall be Leviticus 14:3 - be healed Leviticus 18:20 - General Numbers 9:10 - be unclean Deuteronomy 25:16 - all that do Deuteronomy 27:9 - this day 1 Kings 14:24 - And there 1 Kings 22:46 - the remnant Psalms 68:13 - ye have Psalms 68:18 - rebellious Proverbs 2:18 - General Proverbs 8:5 - General Isaiah 11:6 - General Isaiah 32:16 - General Isaiah 35:7 - the parched Isaiah 40:2 - that her iniquity Isaiah 40:28 - thou not known Isaiah 55:13 - of the thorn Isaiah 65:25 - wolf Jeremiah 5:7 - they then Jeremiah 7:9 - steal Jeremiah 23:10 - full Ezekiel 18:6 - neither hath defiled Ezekiel 22:11 - committed Zechariah 14:21 - no more Malachi 3:5 - the sorcerers Matthew 8:11 - in Matthew 9:13 - to call Matthew 15:20 - which Matthew 22:10 - both Mark 2:17 - I came Luke 1:17 - and the Luke 5:32 - General Luke 7:47 - which Luke 15:15 - to feed Luke 19:9 - This day Acts 10:12 - General Acts 15:20 - fornication Acts 18:10 - for Acts 24:26 - hoped Romans 3:10 - none Romans 4:5 - ungodly Romans 5:16 - but the free Romans 5:20 - But Romans 6:3 - Know Romans 6:13 - unrighteousness Romans 6:17 - that Romans 6:23 - For the wages Romans 9:30 - the Gentiles Romans 11:30 - as ye Romans 13:13 - chambering Romans 14:17 - kingdom 1 Corinthians 1:2 - sanctified 1 Corinthians 3:18 - deceive 1 Corinthians 5:8 - not 1 Corinthians 10:7 - be 1 Corinthians 10:8 - General 1 Corinthians 15:33 - Be 2 Corinthians 12:21 - and have not Galatians 6:7 - not Ephesians 2:3 - we Ephesians 4:17 - that ye Ephesians 5:3 - fornication Philippians 3:18 - I have Colossians 1:13 - and Colossians 1:21 - sometime Colossians 3:5 - fornication 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 - no man Titus 2:12 - denying Titus 3:3 - we James 1:22 - deceiving 2 Peter 2:10 - in the 1 John 3:7 - let Revelation 21:27 - there

Cross-References

Genesis 2:4
This is the history [fn] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

Genesis 5:1
1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Luke 3:36-38">[xr] This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

Genesis 5:22
After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:24
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Genesis 6:9
This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:15
And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

Genesis 7:1
Luke 17:26,27">[xr] Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

Genesis 10:1
1 Chronicles 1:5-27">[xr] Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.

Genesis 17:1
Exodus 12:43-13:2">[xr] When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

Genesis 48:15
And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?.... A way of speaking much like that in the Talmud, הוי יודע שהעולם הבא אינו עשוי אלא לצדיקים "know thou, that the world to come is not made but for the righteous?" h Without a righteousness there will be no entrance into the world of bliss and happiness hereafter; and this must be a better righteousness than what a sinful creature is capable of working out, and no other than the righteousness of Christ. It was a loss and want of righteousness that cast the angels down from heaven, and turned Adam out of paradise; and whoever of his posterity: are destitute of one, will fall short of enjoying the glory of God; for it is not agreeable to the holy nature of God, to his infinite justice and righteous law, to admit any into heaven without a righteousness: hence a judgment seat is erected, before which all must stand; and those that will be found without a righteousness, will be for ever excluded the kingdom of heaven; and could any unrighteous persons be received there, it would spoil the pleasure and happiness of the saints. Now this is said, partly to dissuade the Corinthians from going to law with each other before unrighteous persons, who have no right to the kingdom of God, and living and dying as they are, will have no share in it; and therefore since they are not to be fellow heirs and companions with them in another world, they should not bring their causes before them in this; and partly to reprove them for their injurious and unrighteous actions among themselves, their tricking and defrauding of one another, with other sins they were guilty of; which, if not repented of, would show, that notwithstanding their profession, they were destitute of the grace of God, were unfit to be in the kingdom of God, in a Gospel church state here below, and would be shut out of the kingdom of heaven hereafter.

Be not deceived imagining, that through your knowledge and profession you shall be saved, live as you will:

neither fornicators, such as are guilty of uncleanness with persons in a single state:

nor idolaters; who worship more gods than one, and not the true God; who do service to them that are not gods, and perform what the Jews call עבודה זרה "strange service": and not only fall down to stocks and stones, but serve divers lusts and pleasures, the idols of their own hearts:

nor adulterers: such as have criminal conversation with persons in a married state:

nor effeminate; or "soft", or, as the Syriac renders it, מחבלא, "corrupters"; that is, of themselves, by voluntary pollution, such as are guilty of the sin of Onan, Genesis 38:8.

Nor abusers of themselves with mankind; sodomites.

h T. Bab. Yebamot, fol 47. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Know ye not ... - The apostle introduces the declaration in this verse to show the evil of their course, and especially of the injustice which they did one to another, and their attempt to enforce and maintain the evil by an appeal to the pagan tribunals. He assures them, therefore, that the unjust could not be saved.

The unrighteous - The unjust ἄδικοι adikoi - such as he had just mentioned - they who did injustice to others, and attempted to do it under the sanction of the courts.

Shall not inherit - Shall not possess; shall not enter into. The kingdom of heaven is often represented as an “inheritance;” Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:34; Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; Luke 18:18; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 1:14; Ephesians 5:5.

The kingdom of God - Cannot be saved; cannot enter into heaven; see the note at Matthew 3:2. This may refer either to the kingdom of God in heaven; or to the church on earth - most probably the former. But the sense is the same essentially, whichever is meant. The man who is not fit to enter into the one is not fit to enter into the other. The man who is fit to enter the kingdom of God on earth, shall also enter into that in heaven.

Be not deceived - A most important direction to be given to all. It implies:

(1) That they were in danger of being deceived:

1. Their own hearts might have deceived them.
1. They might be deceived by their false opinions on these subjects.
2. They might be in danger of being deceived by their leaders, who perhaps held the opinion that some of the persons who practiced these things could be saved.

(2) It implies, that there was “no necessity” of their being deceived. They might know the truth. They might easily understand these matters. It might be plain to them that those who indulged in these things could not be saved.

(3) It implies that it was of high importance that they should not be deceived. For:

1. The soul is of infinite value.
1. To lose heaven - to be disappointed in regard to that, will be a tremendous loss.
2. To inherit hell and its woes will be a tremendous curse. O how anxious should all be that they he not deceived, and that while they hope for life they do not sink down to everlasting death!

Neither fornicators - See Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:4-5; Hebrews 12:14; Hebrews 13:4. See the note at Romans 1:29.

Nor effeminate - μαλακοὶ malakoi. This word occurs in Matthew 11:8, and Luke 7:25, where it is applied to clothing, and translated “soft raiment;” that is, the light, thin garments worn by the rich and great. It occurs no where else in the New Testament except here. Applied to morals, as it is here, it denotes those who give themselves up to a soft, luxurious, and indolent way of living; who make self-indulgence the grand object of life; who can endure no hardship, and practice no self-denial in the cause of duty and of God. The word is applied in the classic writers to the Cinaedi, the Pathics, or Catamites; those who are given up to wantonness and sensual pleasures, or who are kept to be prostituted to others. Diog. Laer. Luke 7:5, Luke 7:4. Xenoph. Mem. Luke 3:7. Luke 3:1. Ovid Fast. 4:342. The connection here seems to demand such an interpretation, as it occurs in the description of vices of the same class - sensual and corrupt indulgences - It is well known that this vice was common among the Greeks - and particularly prevailed at Corinth.

Abusers of themselves with mankind - ἀρσενοκοῖτοι arsenokoitoi. Paederastae or Sodomites. Those who indulged in a vice that was common among all the pagan; see the notes at Romans 1:27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 6:9. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom — The unrighteous, αδικοι, those who act contrary to right, cannot inherit, for the inheritance is by right. He who is not a child of God has no right to the family inheritance, for that inheritance is for the children. If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, Romans 8:17. There are here ten classes of transgressors which the apostle excludes from the kingdom of God; and any man who is guilty of any one of the evils mentioned above is thereby excluded from this kingdom, whether it imply the Church of Christ here below, or the state of glory hereafter.

Several of the evils here enumerated will not bear to be particularly explained; they are, however, sufficiently plain of themselves, and show us what abominations were commonly practised among the Corinthians.