1 Corinthians 5:9

Contextual Overview

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter that you should not associate with people who sin sexually. ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; ⁹ I wrote vnto you in a pistle that ye shuld not company with fornicatours. ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners; ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter to stop associating with people who are sexually immoral1 Corinthians 5:2,7; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14;">[xr] - ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people;⁹ I wrote you in my earlier letter not to associate with those who sin sexually. ⁹ I wrote to you in my epistle not to associate with fornicators; ⁹ I have written to you in this epistle, not to associate with persons guilty of lewdness: ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

not: 1 Corinthians 5:2, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Psalms 1:1, Psalms 1:2, Proverbs 9:6, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:46 - without Psalms 26:5 - will Proverbs 5:22 - sins Matthew 9:11 - Why Matthew 18:17 - let Luke 5:29 - and there Luke 15:2 - General Romans 16:17 - and 1 Corinthians 10:27 - bid 2 Corinthians 12:21 - uncleanness 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - that Hebrews 12:16 - any fornicator

Cross-References

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared;

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan was the father of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the father of Jared. Jared was the father of Enoch.

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jered,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared;

1 Chronicles 1:2
Chaynan, Malaleel, Jared,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I wrote unto you in an epistle,..... Not in this same epistle, and in 1 Corinthians 5:2 as some think; for what is here observed is not written in either of those verses, but in some other epistle he had sent them before, as is clear from 1 Corinthians 5:11 which either came not to hand, or else was neglected by them; and so what he here says may be considered as a reproof to them, for taking no notice of his advice; but continuing to show respect to the incestuous person, though he in a former epistle had advised them to the contrary: no doubt the apostle wrote other epistles to the Corinthians, besides those that are in being; see 2 Corinthians 10:10 nor does such a supposition at all detract from the perfection of Scripture; for not all that were written by him were by divine inspiration; and as many as were so, and were necessary for the perfection of the canon of Scripture, and to instruct us in the whole counsel of God, have been preserved; nor is this any contradiction to this epistle's being his first to this church; for though it might not be his first to them, yet it is the first to them extant with us, and therefore so called: what he had written to them in another epistle was not

to company with fornicators; which he had not so fully explained, neither what fornicators he meant, nor what by keeping company with them; he therefore in this distinguishes upon the former, and enlarges his sense of the latter; declaring that they were not so much as to eat with such persons; which shows, that this prohibition does not regard unclean copulation, or a joining with them in the sin of fornication, they had been used to in a state of unregeneracy, for some sort of companying with fornicators is allowed of in the next verse; whereas no degree of a sinful mixture with them would ever be tolerated: but that it is to be understood of a civil society and familiar conversation with them; which might bring a reproach upon religion, be a stumbling to weak Christians, and be of dangerous consequence to themselves and others; who hereby might be allured and drawn by their example into the commission of the same sinful practices. The apostle seems to allude to the customs and usages of the Jews, who abstained from all civil commerce and familiar acquaintance with unbelievers. They say,

"that everyone that does not study in the law,

אסיר למקרב לגביה ולמעבד ביה סחורתא וכ"ש למהך עמיה באורחא, "it is forbidden to come near him, and to exercise merchandise with him, and much less to walk with him in the way", because there is no faith in him m.''

m Zohar in Lev. fol. 33. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I wrote unto you - I have written ἔγραψα egrapsa. This word may either refer to this Epistle, or to some former epistle. It simply denotes that he had written to them, but whether in the former part of this, or in some former epistle which is now lost, cannot be determined by the use of this word.

In an epistle - ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ en tē epistolē. There has been considerable diversity of opinion in regard to this expression. A large number of commentators as Chrysostom, Theodoret, Oecumenius, most of the Latin commentators, and nearly all the Dutch commentators suppose that this refers to the same Epistle (our 1 Corinthians), and that the apostle means to say that in the former part of this Epistle 1 Corinthians 5:2 he had given them this direction. And in support of this interpretation they say that τῇ tē here is used for ταυτῇ tautē, and appeal to the kindred passages in Romans 16:2; Colossians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; 2 Thessalonians 3:3-4. Many others - as Grotius, Doddridge, Rosenmuller, etc. - suppose it to refer to some other epistle which is now lost, and which had been sent to them before their messengers had reached him. This Epistle might have been very brief, and might have contained little more than this direction. That this is the correct opinion, may appear from the following considerations, namely:

(1) It is the natural and obvious interpretation - one that would strike the great mass of people. It is just such an expression as Paul would have used on the supposition that he had written a previous epistle.

(2) It is the very expression which he uses in 2 Corinthians 7:8, where he is referring to this Epistle as one which he had sent to them.

(3) It is not true that Paul had in any former part of this Epistle given this direction. He had commanded them to remove an incestuous person, and such a command might seem to imply that they ought not to keep company with such a person; but it was not a general command not to have contact with them.

(4) It is altogether probable that Paul would write more letters than we have preserved. We have but fourteen of his remaining. Yet he labored many years; founded many churches; and had frequent occasion to write to them.

(5) We know that a number of books have been lost which were either inspired or which were regarded as of authority by inspired men. Thus, the books of Jasher, of Iddo the seer, etc., are referred to in the Old Testament, and there is no improbability that similar instances may have occurred in regard to the writers of the New Testament.

(6) In 1 Corinthians 5:11, he expressly makes a distinction between the Epistle which he was then writing and the former one. “But now,” that is, in this Epistle, “I have written (ἔγραψα egrapsa) to you,” etc. an expression which he would not use if 1 Corinthians 5:9, referred to the same epistle. These considerations seem to me to be unanswerable, and to prove that Paul had sent another epistle to them in which he had given this direction.

(7) This opinion accords with that of a very large number of commentators. As an instance, Calvin says, “The Epistle of which he here speaks, is not now extant. Nor is it to be doubted that many others have perished; but it is sufficient that these survive to us which the Lord saw to be needful.” If it be objected that this may affect the doctrine of the inspiration of the New Testament, since it is not to be supposed that God would suffer the writings of inspired men to be lost, we may reply:

(a) That there is no evidence that these were inspired. Paul often makes a distinction in regard to his own words and doctrines, as inspired or uninspired (see 1 Corinthians 7:0); and the same thing may have occurred in his writings.

(b) This does not affect the inspiration of the books which remain, even on the supposition that those which were lost were inspired. It does not prove that these are not from God. If a man loses a guinea it does not prove that those which he has not lost are counterfeit or worthless.

(c) If inspired, they may have answered the purpose which was designed by their inspiration - and then have been suffered to be lost - as all inspired books will be destroyed at the end of the world.

(d) It is to be remembered that a large part of the discourses of the inspired apostles, and even the Saviour himself John 21:25, have been lost. And why should it be deemed any more wonderful that inspired books should be lost than inspired oral teaching? Why more wonderful that a brief letter of Paul should be destroyed than that numerous discourses of him “who spake as never man spake,” should be lost to the world?

(e) We should be thankful for the books that remain, and we may be assured that all the truth that is needful for our salvation has been preserved and is in our bands. That any inspired hooks have been preserved amidst the efforts which have been made to destroy them all, is more a matter of wonder than that a few have been lost, and should rather lead us to gratitude that we have them than to grief that a few, probably relating to local and comparatively unimportant matters, have been destroyed.

Not to company ... - Not to associate with; see Ephesians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14. This, it seems, was a general direction on the subject. It referred to all who had this character. But the direction which he now 1 Corinthians 5:11 proceeds to give, relates to a different matter - the proper degree of contact with those who were “in the church.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 5:9. I wrote unto you in an epistle — The wisest and best skilled in Biblical criticism agree that the apostle does not refer to any other epistle than this; and that he speaks here of some general directions which he had given in the foregoing part of it; but which he had now in some measure changed and greatly strengthened, as we see from 1 Corinthians 5:11. The words εγραψα εν τη επιστολη may be translated, I HAD written to you in THIS EPISTLE; for there are many instances in the New Testament where the aorist, which is here used, and which is a sort of indefinite tense, is used for the perfect and the plusquam-perfect. Dr. Whitby produces several proofs of this, and contends that the conclusion drawn by some, viz. that it refers to some epistle that is lost, is not legitimately drawn from any premises which either this text or antiquity affords. The principal evidence against this is 2 Corinthians 7:8, where εν τη επιστολη, the same words as above, appear to refer to this first epistle. Possibly the apostle may refer to an epistle which he had written though not sent; for, on receiving farther information from Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, relative to the state of the Corinthian Church, he suppressed that, and wrote this, in which he considers the subject much more at large. See Dr. Lightfoot.

Not to company with fornicators — With which, as we have already seen, Corinth abounded. It was not only the grand sin, but staple, of the place.