2 Corinthians 6:16

Contextual Overview

¹¹We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹¹ Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. ¹¹Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. ¹¹Won't all you cowboys in Corinth listen? I have spoken plainly with an open heart. ¹¹ Our mouth is open to you, O Corinthians, our heart is wide. ¹¹ Our mouth is opened to you, Corinthians, our heart is expanded. ¹¹ We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide. ¹¹ Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged. ¹¹ O ye Corinthians, our mouth is opened toward you, our heart is inlarged.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: Exodus 20:3, Exodus 23:13, Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:23, Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 5:7, Deuteronomy 6:14, Deuteronomy 6:15, Joshua 24:14-24, 1 Samuel 7:3, 1 Samuel 7:4, 1 Kings 18:21, 2 Kings 17:33, 2 Kings 17:34, 2 Kings 21:4, 2 Kings 21:5, 2 Kings 23:5-7, 2 Chronicles 33:4, 2 Chronicles 33:5, Ezekiel 36:25, Hosea 14:8, Zephaniah 1:5, Matthew 6:24, 1 John 5:20, 1 John 5:21

ye are: 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 2:20, Hebrews 3:6, 1 Peter 2:5

I will dwell: Exodus 29:45, Leviticus 26:12, Psalms 90:1, Ezekiel 43:7, Ezekiel 43:9, Zechariah 2:10, Zechariah 2:11, John 6:56, Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11, Ephesians 3:17, 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 John 4:12, 1 John 4:15, Revelation 21:3

I will be: Genesis 17:7, Genesis 17:8, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 31:33, Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 11:20, Ezekiel 36:28, Ezekiel 37:26, Ezekiel 37:27, Hosea 2:23, Zechariah 8:8, Zechariah 13:9, Romans 9:26, Hebrews 8:10, Revelation 21:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 5:22 - General Exodus 25:8 - I may dwell Leviticus 19:30 - reverence Leviticus 20:3 - profane Numbers 5:3 - in the midst Numbers 6:2 - When Numbers 23:21 - the Lord Numbers 25:2 - they called Numbers 35:34 - I dwell Deuteronomy 5:26 - living Deuteronomy 23:14 - walketh Joshua 24:23 - put away Ruth 1:16 - thy God 1 Samuel 15:23 - stubbornness 2 Samuel 7:6 - walked 1 Kings 6:1 - build 1 Kings 6:13 - I will dwell 1 Kings 8:27 - But will 1 Kings 22:4 - I am as thou 1 Chronicles 17:6 - walked 1 Chronicles 23:25 - that they may dwell in Jerusalem 2 Chronicles 16:3 - a league 2 Chronicles 29:5 - sanctify the house Psalms 68:18 - that Psalms 114:2 - General Jeremiah 11:4 - ye be Jeremiah 14:9 - art Jeremiah 44:23 - ye have burned Ezekiel 48:8 - the sanctuary Daniel 2:11 - whose Joel 2:27 - I am Zechariah 2:6 - and flee Zechariah 8:3 - dwell Matthew 12:30 - that is Luke 5:36 - agreeth Luke 20:38 - for all John 2:21 - temple John 14:17 - but 1 Corinthians 3:9 - ye are God's building 2 Corinthians 3:3 - the living 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Jesus Christ Galatians 4:7 - heir Ephesians 2:21 - an Ephesians 4:6 - and in Colossians 1:27 - Christ 1 Thessalonians 1:9 - the living 1 Timothy 3:15 - the living Hebrews 9:14 - the living Hebrews 10:21 - the house 1 John 3:24 - dwelleth 1 John 4:4 - greater Revelation 7:15 - dwell Revelation 11:1 - Rise

Cross-References

Genesis 7:16
The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 7:16
The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.

Genesis 7:16
And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and Yahweh closed it behind him.

Genesis 7:16
Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him.

Genesis 7:16
And they entryng in, came male and female of all fleshe, as God had commaunded him: and God shut hym in rounde about.

Genesis 7:16
All these animals went into the boat in groups of two, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind Noah.

Genesis 7:16
And they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 7:16
And tho that entriden, entriden male and female of ech fleisch, as God comaundide to hym. And the Lord encloside hym fro with out-forth.

Genesis 7:16
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commaunded him: and the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 7:16
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?.... That is, what association, confederation, or covenant agreement can the saints, who are the temple of God, have with idols, or their worshippers? no more than the ark of the Lord had with Dagon, or Dagon with the ark; which when brought into his temple, and set by him, the idol fell down, and part of him was broke to pieces:

for ye are the temple of the living God; some copies read "we are", and so the Ethiopic version. The Corinthians, not only as particular believers, were the temples of God, both with respect to their souls and bodies, but they, as a church of Christ incorporated together, were the temple of God; wherefore the apostle does not say, ye are the "temples", but "the temple" of the living God, in allusion to the temple built by Solomon; and that in respect to him the builder of it, who was a type of Christ, the son of David, the Prince of peace, the beloved of the Lord, who was to build the temple, the Gospel church, and to bear the glory; and as Solomon's temple was built on an eminence, on Mount Moriah, so the church is built upon a rock, higher than men, than angels, than the heavens, and out of the reach of men and devils, so as to hurt and destroy it. The matter of the temple at Jerusalem were timber of cedar, and costly stones, hewed, squared, and fitted for the building, before they were brought thither; so the proper materials of a Gospel church are such as are born of incorruptible seed, and therefore comparable to cedars; and are lively stones, hewed, fitted, and squared by the Spirit and grace of God, and put and jointed in among the saints: Solomon's temple was a very stately magnificent building; it was overlaid within with pure gold, expressing the internal glory of Christ's church, which is all glorious within, having the Lord himself to be the Glory in the midst of her: the church of Christ may be compared to the temple also, for the firmness of its foundations and pillars; Christ is the foundation of his church, and that itself is the pillar and ground of truth: that temple was holy, being set apart for the worship and service of God, as the church of Christ is sanctified by the Spirit of God, and is built up a spiritual house, to offer the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to God: it is called the "temple of God", because it is of his building, and where he dwells; "of the living God", because he has life in himself, and gives both spiritual and eternal life to his people; and in opposition to the idols of the Gentiles, who have no life in them; are representations of dead men, cannot give life, nor any of the comforts of life to their votaries; and who, by worshipping them, expose themselves to eternal death. The evidence of the saints, or church of Christ being the temple of the living God, is as follows,

as God hath said, Leviticus 26:11. I will dwell in them; not by his omnipresence, so he dwells everywhere; nor by his omnipotence, so he dwells in, and with all his creatures, supporting them by the word of his power; but by his Spirit and grace, or by his spiritual and gracious presence, which he favours his people with, in the use of ordinances, and where according to his promises they may expect it:

and walk in them. This denotes the communion God is pleased to afford his church and people, and that gracious presence of his with them, whilst they are sojourners here, and passing on to the heavenly glory; as God is said to "walk in a tent and tabernacle" with the "Israelites", whilst they were travelling through the wilderness to Canaan; so he walks in his temple, and with his church and people, whilst they are travelling home to the heavenly Canaan; he walks in them, as in his court and palace, or as in his garden, where he takes much pleasure and delight, and great notice and care of them. R. Solomon Jarchi explains the phrase in Leviticus 26:12 "I will walk among you", thus; I will walk with you in the garden of Eden, or paradise, as one of you, and ye shall not be afraid of me: but the passage regards the presence of God with his people here, and not hereafter:

and I will be their God; not as the God of nature and providence only, but as the God of all grace; as their covenant God and Father in Christ; which is the greatest happiness that can be enjoyed:

and they shall be my people: his special people, loved by him with a peculiar love, on whom he bestows peculiar blessings; and who are made a willing people, willing to be his people by powerful grace, and are formed for himself, his service, and glory: hence it follows,

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And what agreement - (συγκατάθεσις sugkatathesis). Assent, accord, agreement. what putting or laying down together is there? What is there in one that resembles the other?

The temple of God - What has a temple of God to do with idol worship? It is erected for a different purpose, and the worship of idols in it would not be tolerated. It is implied here that Christians are themselves the temple of God, a fact which Paul proceeds immediately to illustrate; and that it is as absurd for them to mingle with the infidel world as it would be to erect the image of a pagan god in the temple of Yahweh. This is strong language, and we cannot but admire the energy and copiousness of the expressions used by Paul, “which cannot,” says Bloomfield, “be easily paralleled in the best Classical writers.”

With idols - Those objects which God hates, and on which he cannot look but with abhorrence. The sense is, that for Christians to mingle with the sinful world; to partake of their pleasures, pursuits, and follies, is as detestable and hateful in the sight of God as if his temple were profaned by erecting a deformed, and shapeless, and senseless block in it as an object of worship. And, assuredly, if Christians had such a sense of the abomination of mingling with the world, they would feel the obligation to be separate and pure.

For ye are the temple of the living God - see this explained in the notes on 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. The idea is, that as God dwells with his people, they ought to be separated from a sinful and polluted world.

As God hath said - The words here quoted are taken substantially from Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12; Ezekiel 37:27. They are not literally quoted, but Paul has thrown together the substance of what occurs in several places. The sense, however, is the same as occurs in the places referred to.

I will dwell in them - (ἐνοικήτω enoikētō). I will take up my indwelling in them. There is an allusion doubtless to the fact that he would be present among his people by the Sechinah, or the visible symbol of his presence; see the note on 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. It implies, when used with reference to Christians, that the Holy Spirit would abide with them, and that the blessing of God would attend them; see Romans 8:0; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14.

And walk in them - That is, I will walk among them. I will be one of their number. He was present among the Jews by the public manifestation of his presence by a symbol; he is present with Christians by the presence and guidance of his Holy Spirit.

And I will be their God - Not only the God whom they worship, but the God who will protect and bless them. I will take them under my special protection, and they shall enjoy my favor. This is certainly as true of Christians as it was of the Jews, and Paul has not departed from the spirit of the promise in applying it to the Christian character. His object in quoting these passages is, to impress on Christians the solemnity and importance of the truth that God dwelt among them and with them; that they were under his care and protection; that they belonged to him, and that they therefore should be separate from the world.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. What agreement hath the temple of God with idols — Nothing could appear more abominable to a Jew than an idol in the temple of God: here, then, could be no agreement; the worship of the two is wholly incompatible. An idolater never worships the true God; a Christian never worships an idol. If ye join in idolatrous rites, it is impossible that ye should be Christians.

Ye are the temple of the living God — God intends to make the heart of every believer his own house.

I will dwell in them, and walk in them] The words are very emphatic: ενοικησωεναυτοις. I will inhabit in them. I will not be as a wayfaring man, who turns aside to tarry as for a night, but I will take up my constant residence with them; I will dwell in and among them.

I will be their God — They shall have no other God, they shall have none besides me; and if they take me for their God, I will be to them all that an infinite, eternal, and self-sufficient Being can be to his intelligent offspring.

They shall be my people. — If they take me for their GOD, their supreme and eternal GOOD, I will take them for my people; and instruct, enlighten, defend, provide for, support, and bless them, as if I had none else to care for in the creation.