Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 6:10
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian congregation mid-correction, listing behaviors that exclude a person from inheriting God's kingdom. The list is not hypothetical: verse 11 confirms "some of you were" among these.
The words — πλεονέκται (pleonektai) is rendered "the greedy" in the BSB but literally means "coveters" — those who seek to gain advantage over others. λοΐδοροι (loidoroi) is "verbal abusers" in the BSB but closer to "revilers," one who hurls abusive words at another.
The thread — Galatians 5:21 repeats the same structural warning ("will not inherit the kingdom of God") with overlapping terms: drunkenness, envy, and the like. 1 Corinthians 5:11 pairs greed with sexual immorality as grounds for exclusion from fellowship.
Why it lands — The list is not a checklist for self-condemnation but a boundary marker: these are the things that separate a person from the kingdom, and the remedy is stated in the very next verse — washing, sanctification, justification. The reader is asked to see the distance between where they were and where they now stand.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
- Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
- Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.
- Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- Ezekiel 22:27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.
- Matthew 23:33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
- 1 Peter 4:15 Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.
- Psalms 50:17 For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.
- Ezekiel 22:13 Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.
- John 12:6 Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.