1 Corinthians 6:4

Contextual Overview

¹ When one of you has something against someone else in your group, why do you go to the judges in the law courts? The way they think and live is wrong. So why do you let them decide who is right? Why don't you let God's holy people decide who is right? ¹ When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? ¹ How dare one of you havinge busines with another goo to lawe vnder the wicked and not rather vnder the sainctes? ¹ Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the holy ones? ¹ When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take it before the unrighteous and not before the saints? ¹ Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? ¹ When you have something against another Christian, how can you bring yourself to go before judges who are not right with God? Why do you not let God's people decide who is right? ¹ Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? ¹ Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ¹ When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: 1 Corinthians 5:12

who: Acts 6:2-4

least: The apostle perhaps meant that the meanest persons in the church were competent to decide the causes which they brought before the heathen magistrates.

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:37 - set it here Matthew 11:11 - he that John 16:11 - judgment 1 Corinthians 6:2 - the smallest 1 Corinthians 6:3 - pertain 1 Corinthians 15:19 - this Revelation 2:26 - to him will I give

Cross-References

Genesis 6:15
This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.

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

Genesis 6:15
This is how big I want you to build the boat: four hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high.

Genesis 6:15
This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

Genesis 6:15
And this [is the fashion] in which thou shalt make it: the length of the ark [shall be] three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

Genesis 6:15
This is how you shall make it. The length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

Genesis 6:15
"This is the way you are to make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits (450' x 75' x 45').

Genesis 6:15
And so thou schalt make it. The lengthe of the schip schal be of thre hundrid cubitis, the brede schal be of fifti cubitis, and the hiynesse therof schal be of thretti cubitis.

Genesis 6:15
and this [is] that which thou dost with it: three hundred cubits [is] the length of the ark, fifty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits its height;

Genesis 6:15
And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life,.... Not judgements relating to life and death, for these were not in the power of a Jewish sanhedrim now, and much less of a Christian community, but were wholly in the power of the Roman magistrates; but judgments relating to the common affairs of life, or what the Jews call דיני ממונות, "pecuniary judgments" b, in distinction from דיני נפשות, "judgments of souls", or capital ones. The Jews say c,

"that forty years before the destruction of the temple, capital judgments were taken from Israel; and in the days of R. Simeon ben Jochai, pecuniary judgments were taken away from Israel.''

Now this Rabbi lived many years after the times of the apostles, so that as yet the Jews had a power of exercising such judgments; and no doubt the Christian's also, who as yet were very little, if at all, distinguished from the Jews by the Romans: and therefore since such judgments were within the compass of their authority, the apostle advises

to set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church; meaning, not those of the lowest circumstances of life, and of the meanest abilities and capacities; for in the next verse he requires a wise man for such a business; but private persons, laymen, who were not in any office and authority in the church, in distinction from pastors, elders, and rulers, that were in office, power, and high esteem, whom he would not have troubled with cases of this nature; but should rather choose out from among the laity persons of the best judgment and capacity, to be umpires and arbitrators in such worldly matters, which do not so properly come under the notice and cognizance of spiritual guides. The phrase, "to judge", is not in the original text, where it is only καθιζετε, "set", or "put in the chair"; but is added in the Vulgate Latin version; and to which agree both the Syriac and Arabic versions; the former reading the words, "they that are despised in the church, set for you in judgment"; and the latter, "make them to sit judges". The Jews, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, besides their great sanhedrim of seventy one persons, and that other of twenty three in their cities of note, and their triumvirate in every synagogue, had also two sorts of benches, who judged of lesser matters; the one was called בית דין של מומחין, "the bench of authorized persons", experienced men, that were approved of, and had their authority from the sanhedrim; and the other was called בית דין של הדיוטות, "the bench of idiots" d, or private persons, or בית דין שאינן מומחין, "the bench of those who were not authorized" e, or had not their authority, from the higher courts; but being judged proper persons, were chosen by the people to arbitrate matters in difference between them; and these are the men the apostle means, at least alludes to, before whom he would have the causes brought.

b Misn Sanhedrin, c. 1. sect. 1. c T. Hieros. Sanhedrin. fol. 24. 2. d T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 32. 1. e Maimon. Hilch. Ishot, c. 17. sect. 13. T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 88. 2. Gloss. in. ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye have judgments - Causes; controversies; suits.

Things pertaining to this life - Property, etc.

Set them to judge ... - The verb translated set καθίζετε kathizete may be either in the imperative mood, as in our translation, and then it will imply a command; or it may be regarded as in the indicative, and to be rendered interrogatively, “Do ye set or appoint them to judge who are of little repute for their wisdom and equity?” that is, pagan magistrates. The latter is probably the correct rendering, as according to the former no good reason can be given why Paul should command them to select as judges those who had little repute for wisdom in the church. Had he designed this as a command, he would doubtless have directed them to choose their most aged, wise and experienced men, instead of those “least esteemed.” It is manifest, therefore, that this is to he read as a question: “Since you are abundantly qualified yourselves to settle your own differences, do you employ the pagan magistrates, in whom the church can have little confidence for their integrity and justice?” It is designed, therefore, as a severe reproof for what they had been accustomed to do; and an implied injunction that they should do it no more.

Who are least esteemed - (ἐξουθενημένους exouthenēmenous). Who are “contemned,” or regarded as of no value or worth; in whose judgment and integrity you can have little or no confidence. According to the interpretation given above of the previous part of the verse this refers to the pagan magistrates - to people in whose virtue, piety and qualifications for just judgment Christians could have little confidence; and whose judgment must be regarded as in fact of very little value, and as very little likely to be correct. That the pagan magistrates were in general very corrupt, there can be no doubt. Many of them were people of abandoned character, of dissipated lives, men who were easily bribed, and people, therefore, in whose judgment Christians could repose little confidence. Paul reproves the Corinthians for going before them with their disputes when they could better settle them themselves. Others, however, who regard this whole passage as an instruction to Christians to appoint those to determine their controversies who were least esteemed, suppose that this refers to the “lowest orders” of judges among the Hebrews; to those who were least esteemed, or who were almost despised; and that Paul directs them to select even them in preference to the pagan magistrates. See Lightfoot. But the objection to this is obvious and insuperable. Paul would not have recommended this class of people to decide their causes, but would have recommended the selection of the most wise and virtuous among them. This is proved by 1 Corinthians 6:5, where, in directing them to settle their matters among themselves, he asks whether there is not a “wise man” among them, clearly proving that he wished their difficulties adjusted, not by the most obscure and the least respected members of the church, but by the most wise and intelligent members.

In the church - By the church. That is, the pagan magistrates evince such a character as not to be worthy of the confidence of the church in settling matters of controversy.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 6:4. Things pertaining to this life — They could examine all civil cases among themselves, which they were permitted to determine without any hinderance from the heathen governments under which they lived.

Who are least esteemed in the Church. — τους εξουθενημενους, Those who were in the lowest order of judges; for the apostle may refer here to the order in the Jewish benches, as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, of which there were five, viz:-

1. The great Sanhedrin, consisting of seventy-two elders, which presided in Jerusalem.

2. The little Sanhedrin of twenty-five, in large cities, out of Jerusalem.

3. The Bench of Three in every synagogue.

4. The Authorized, or Authentic Bench.

5. The Bench not authorized, εξουθενημενος. This latter bench was so called because it received not its authority immediately from the Sanhedrin, but was chosen by the parties between whom the controversy depended. The apostle certainly does not mean persons of no repute, but such as these arbitrators, who were chosen for the purpose of settling private differences, and preventing them from going before the regular magistrates. The following verse makes it pretty evident that the apostle refers to this lower kind of tribunal; and hence he says,-