1 Corinthians 9:10

10 Or doubtless does he speak {for our sake}? For it is written {for our sake}, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes [ought to do so] in hope of a share.

1 Corinthians 9:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 9:10

Or saith he it altogether for our sakes
That is, God says this, or delivers out this law, forbidding the muzzling the ox, while it treads out the corn; not merely for the sake of the ox, but chiefly for the sake of men; and so Jarchi upon the place says, that the ox is mentioned, (Mda ta ayuwhl) , "to express man"; and so another of the Jewish writers ^F13 interprets the law in ( Deuteronomy 22:6 ) . "Thou shalt not take the dam with the young";

``the intention of the command is, not to have mercy on birds, "but for the sake of men", he (God) says this, whom he would accustom to meekness and compassion:''

and particularly this is here said, for the sake of ministers of the Gospel, who for their spiritual strength, and labours in their work, may be compared to oxen; see ( Ezekiel 1:10 ) . This law is elsewhere produced by the apostle, and urged in favour of the maintenance of ministers, as here, ( 1 Timothy 5:17 1 Timothy 5:18 ) and therefore

for our sakes no doubt it is written;
to teach men, that as any workmen are not to be deprived of proper sustenance, so neither they that labour in the word and doctrine:

that he that ploweth should plow in hope;
of enjoying the fruit of his labours:

and that he that thresheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope;
of having a supply out of that he is threshing.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 R. Menuachcm apud Ainsworth on Deut. xxii. 7. & Drusium in loc.

1 Corinthians 9:10 In-Context

8 I am not saying these [things] according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these [things]?

9 For in the law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox [while it] is threshing." It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?

10 Or doubtless does he speak {for our sake}? For it is written {for our sake}, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes [ought to do so] in hope of a share.

11 If we have sown spiritual [things] among you, [is it too] great [a thing] if we reap material [things] from you?

12 If others share this right over you, do we not [do so] even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all [things], in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "for the sake of us"
• [b] Literally "for the sake of us"