1 Corinthians 4:13

Contextual Overview

⁷ For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? ⁷ For who separateth thee? and what hast thou, that thou hast not receiued? if thou hast receiued it, why reioycest thou, as though thou haddest not receiued it? ⁷For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? ⁷ For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? ⁷ For who makes thee to differ? and what hast thou which thou hast not received? but if also thou hast received, why boastest thou as not receiving? ⁷ Who do you think you are? Everything you have was given to you. So, if everything you have was given to you, why do you act as if you got it all by your own power? ⁷For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]? ⁷ For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? ⁷For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? ⁷ What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lamentations 3:45, Acts 22:22

Reciprocal: Psalms 89:51 - they have Psalms 123:4 - with the scorning Ezekiel 36:3 - and are Nahum 3:6 - I will cast Malachi 2:3 - spread Matthew 5:44 - General Matthew 26:67 - did John 16:2 - shall Acts 21:36 - General Acts 21:38 - that Acts 24:5 - we have Romans 12:14 - General 1 Corinthians 4:1 - account 1 Peter 3:9 - rendering

Cross-References

Job 15:22
He beleeueth not to returne out of darknesse: for he seeth the sworde before him.

Job 15:22
He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;he is destined for the sword.

Job 15:22
He doesn't believe that he shall return out of darkness, He is waited for by the sword.

Job 15:22
An evil man has no hope of escaping the darkness. There is a sword somewhere waiting to kill him.

Job 15:22
He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword.

Job 15:22
"He does not believe that he will return out of the darkness [for fear of being murdered], And he is destined for the sword [of God's vengeance].

Job 15:22
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

Job 15:22
Darkness, despair, and death are their destiny.

Job 15:22
He despairs of returning from darkness — he is destined to meet the sword.

Job 15:22
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Being defamed, we entreat,.... Being blasphemed, as the word signifies, being evil spoken of, our good name taken away, and characters hurt; we entreat or pray to God for them, that he would convince them of their evil, give them repentance unto life, and remission of their sins, according to Christ's direction, Matthew 5:44 and in imitation of his example, Luke 23:34 or we entreat them; so the Syriac version reads it, בעינן מנהון, "we beseech them": not to blaspheme and speak evil of us, since it will be to their own hurt; we give them smooth words, and soft language, not rendering railing for railing, or reviling for reviling:

we are made as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things unto this day; referring, as some think, to Lamentations 3:45 or to the lustrations and expiations among the Heathens, who when any calamity was upon them, particularly a plague among them, used to take one of the refuse of the people, and sacrifice him by way of expiation; or any living creature, as a sheep which with imprecations they cast into a river, or into the sea, fancying it carried away all the contagion along with it; hence, by way of reproach, such that were under disgrace, and were ejected, and exiled, were called καθαρματα, "purgations"; the refuse of the people, by which the rest were purged u or the reference is to any dirt, or filth in common, swept out of houses, and trodden under foot; and so expresses the mean and abject condition of the apostles, and with what disdain and contempt they were treated in the world: all which shows that they were far from reigning as kings; and whilst this was their case, who were at the head of the interest of Christ, it must be a vain conceit of the Corinthians, that they reigned as kings without them.

u Vid. Turnebi Adversaria, l. 19. c. 22. & 26. 7. & 27. 16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Being defamed - Greek, Blasphemed, that is, spoken of and to, in a harsh, abusive, and reproachful manner. The original and proper meaning of the word is to speak in a reproachful manner of anyone, whether of God or man. It is usually applied to God, but it may also be used of people.

We entreat - Either God in their behalf, praying him to forgive them, or we entreat them to turn from their sins, and become converted to God. Probably the latter is the sense. They besought them to examine more candidly their claims instead of reviling them; and to save their souls by embracing the gospel instead of destroying them by rejecting it with contempt and scorn.

We are made - We became; we are so regarded or esteemed. The word here does not imply that there was any positive agency in making them such, but simply that they were in fact so regarded.

As the filth of the earth - It would not be possible to employ stronger expressions to denote the contempt and scorn with which they were everywhere regarded. The word “filth” περικαθάρματα perikatharmata occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It properly denotes filth, or that which is collected by sweeping a house, or that which is collected and cast away by purifying or cleansing anything; hence, any vile, worthless, and contemptible object. Among the Greeks the word was used to denote the victims which were offered to expiate crimes, and particularly men of ignoble rank, and of a worthless and wicked character, who were kept to be offered to the gods in a time of pestilence, to appease their anger, and to purify the nation. Bretschneider and Schleusner. Hence, it was applied by them to people of the most vile, abject, and worthless character. But it is not certain that Paul had any reference to that sense of the word. The whole force of the expression may be met by the supposition that he uses it in the sense of that filth or dirt which is collected by the process of cleansing or scouring anything, as being vile, contemptible, worthless. So the apostles were regarded. And by the use of the word “world” here, he meant to say that they were regarded as the most vile and worthless men which the whole world could furnish; not only the refuse of Judea, but of all the nations of the earth. As if he had said “more vile and worthless people could not be found on the face of the earth.”

And are the off-scouring of all things - This word (περίψημα peripsēma) occurs no where else in the New Testament. It does not differ materially from the word rendered “filth.” It denotes that which is rubbed off by scouring or cleaning anything; and hence, anything vile or worthless; or a vile and worthless man. This term was also applied to vile and worthless people who were sacrificed or thrown into the sea as an expiatory offering, as it were to purify the people. Suidas remarks that; they said to such a man, “be then our περίψημα peripsēma,” our redemption, and then flung him into the sea as a sacrifice to Neptune. See Whitby, Calvin, Doddridge.

Unto this day - Continually. We have been constantly so regarded. See 1 Corinthians 4:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 4:13. Being defamed — βλασφημουμενοι, Being blasphemed. I have already remarked that βλασφημειν signifies to speak injuriously, and may have reference either to God or to man. GOD is blasphemed when his attributes, doctrines, providence, or grace, are treated contemptuously, or any thing said of him that is contrary to his holiness, justice, goodness, or truth. Man is blasphemed when any thing injurious is spoken of his person, character, conduct, c. Blaspheming against men is any thing by which they are injured in their persons, characters, or property.

We are made as the filth of the earth-the offscouring of all things — The Greek word which we render filth, is περικαθαρματα, a purgation, or lustrative sacrifice that which we translate offscouring is περιψημα, a redemption sacrifice. To understand the full force of these words, as applied by the apostle in this place, we must observe that he alludes to certain customs among the heathens, who, in the time of some public calamity, chose out some unhappy men of the most abject and despicable character to be a public expiation for them; these they maintained a whole year at the public expense; and then they led them out, crowned with flowers, as was customary in sacrifices; and, having heaped all the curses of the country upon their heads, and whipped them seven times, they burned them alive, and afterwards their ashes were thrown into the sea, while the people said these words: περιψημαἡμων γινου, be thou our propitiation. Sometimes the person thus chosen was thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to Neptune, the people saying the words as before. Hence Origen says that our Lord, in giving up himself as a propitiation for our sins, was much more than his apostles-περικαθαρματα του κοσμου, παντων περιψημα, the lustration of the world, and the peculiar sacrifice for all men. The apostle, therefore, means that he and his fellows were treated like those wretched beings who were judged to be fit for nothing but to be expiatory victims to the infernal gods, for the safety and redemption of others. Our words filth and offscouring, convey no legitimate sense of the original. See several useful remarks upon these terms in Pearce, Whitby, and Parkhurst.