Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:4

When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Apollos;   Church;   Corinth;   Dissension;   Doctrines;   Minister, Christian;   Strife;   Scofield Reference Index - Flesh;   Thompson Chain Reference - Apollos;   The Topic Concordance - Bearing Fruit;   Carnality;   Division;   Labor;   Rendering;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Apollos;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Holy spirit;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Baptism of the Holy Spirit;   Corinthians, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Schism;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Apollos;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Carnal;   Gnosticism;   1 Corinthians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Paul the Apostle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Metaphor;   Unity (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Apollos ;   Fleshly;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Anthropology;   Apollos;   Man, Natural;   Man, New;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Apollos;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for September 1;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?
King James Version (1611)
For while one saieth, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollo, are ye not carnall?
King James Version
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
English Standard Version
For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
New American Standard Bible
For when one person says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I am with Apollos," are you not ordinary people?
New Century Version
One of you says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos." When you say things like this, you are acting like people of the world.
Amplified Bible
For when one of you says, "I am [a disciple] of Paul," and another, "I am [a disciple] of Apollos," are you not [proving yourselves unchanged, just] ordinary people?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?
Legacy Standard Bible
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?
Berean Standard Bible
For when one of you says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
Contemporary English Version
Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't that how ordinary people behave?
Complete Jewish Bible
For when one says, "I follow Sha'ul" and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you being merely human?
Darby Translation
For when one says, *I* am of Paul, and another, *I* of Apollos, are ye not men?
Easy-to-Read Version
One of you says, "I follow Paul," and someone else says, "I follow Apollos." When you say things like that, you are acting like people of the world.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For when one sayeth, I am Pauls, and another, I am Apollos, are yee not carnall?
George Lamsa Translation
For while one says, I am a follower of Paul; and another, I am a follower of Apollos; are you not worldly?
Good News Translation
When one of you says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos"—aren't you acting like worldly people?
Lexham English Bible
For whenever anyone says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I am with Apollos," are you not merely human?
Literal Translation
For when one may say, Truly I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos; are you not fleshly?
American Standard Version
For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?
Bible in Basic English
For when one says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am of Apollos; are you not talking like natural men?
Hebrew Names Version
For when one says, "I follow Sha'ul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you fleshly?
International Standard Version
For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," you are merely human, aren't you?1 Corinthians 1:12;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For while some of you say, I am of Paulos, and another, I am of Apollo, are you not carnal ?
Murdock Translation
For, while one of you saith, I am of Paul; and another saith, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For whyle one sayth, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollo, are ye not carnall?
English Revised Version
For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?
World English Bible
For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you fleshly?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For while one saith, I am of Paul,
Weymouth's New Testament
For when some one says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos," is not this the way men of the world speak?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whanne summe seith, Y am of Poul, another, But Y am of Apollo, whethir ye ben not men? What therfor is Apollo, and what Poul?
Update Bible Version
For when one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not men?
Webster's Bible Translation
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
New English Translation
For whenever someone says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," are you not merely human?
New King James Version
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?
New Life Bible
When one says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I am a follower of Apollos," does not this sound like the talk of baby Christians?
New Revised Standard
For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, as soon as one beginneth to say - I, indeed, am of Paul! and another - I, of Apollos! are ye not, men?
Douay-Rheims Bible
For while one saith: I indeed am of Paul: and another: I am of Apollo: are you not men? What then is Apollo and what is Paul?
Revised Standard Version
For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apol'los," are you not merely men?
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
As loge as one sayth I holde of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnall?
Young's Literal Translation
for when one may say, `I, indeed, am of Paul;' and another, `I -- of Apollos;' are ye not fleshly?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For whan one sayeth: I holde of Paul: another, I holde of Apollo, are ye not the fleshlye?
Mace New Testament (1729)
while one cries I am Paul's disciple, and another, I am Apollo's, are ye not vicious?
Simplified Cowboy Version
When y'all say things like, "I ride with Paul," and someone else shoots back, "Well, I ride with Apollos," can't you see y'all sound like gunsels?

Contextual Overview

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for anything stronger. And you still aren't ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 4:6

Reciprocal: Acts 19:1 - that 1 Corinthians 3:1 - as unto carnal 1 Corinthians 3:21 - glory 2 Corinthians 12:11 - for in 2 Corinthians 12:20 - debates Philippians 1:15 - even

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."
Deuteronomy 29:19
"Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.' This would lead to utter ruin!
2 Kings 1:4
Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'" So Elijah went to deliver the message.
2 Kings 1:6
They replied, "A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'"
2 Kings 1:16
And Elijah said to the king, "This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die."
2 Kings 8:10
And Elisha replied, "Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.' But actually the Lord has shown me that he will surely die!"
Psalms 10:11
The wicked think, "God isn't watching us! He has closed his eyes and won't even see what we do!"
2 Corinthians 2:11
so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For while one saith, I am of Paul,.... This shows what their envying and strife, and divisions were about, and from whence they sprung; and which serve, to strengthen the proof, and support the charge of carnality brought against them; for when one sort made a party for Paul, and set up him as their minister above all others; and said

another, I am of Apollos, preferring him for his eloquence above Paul, or any other preacher, as appears from 1 Corinthians 1:12 there was a third sort for Cephas, whom they cried up as superior to the other two, or any other man; and a fourth were for Christ, and despised all ministers whatever:

are ye not carnal? all this was a demonstration of it: they could never clear themselves from it, they must be convicted in their own consciences of it; to which the apostle appeals: the Alexandrian copy and the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, "are ye not men?"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For while one saith ...; - See the note at 1 Corinthians 1:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 3:4. For while one saith, I am of Paul, c.] It was notorious that both Paul and Apollos held the same creed between them there was not the slightest difference: when, therefore, the dissentients began to prefer the one to the other, it was the fullest proof of their carnality; because in the doctrines of these apostles there was no difference: so that what the people were captivated by must be something in their outward manner, Apollos being probably more eloquent than Paul. Their preferring one to another on such an account proved that they were carnal-led by their senses and mere outward appearances, without being under the guidance either of reason or grace. There are thousands of such people in the Christian Church to the present day. See the notes on 1 Corinthians 1:10, &c.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile