Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 9:11
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church while defending apostolic rights and explaining his voluntary refusal to claim financial support. He speaks during a broader argument about laborers deserving their keep.
The words — The supplied lexicon highlights πνευματικά (pneumatika, “spiritual things”) and μέγα (mega, “great thing”). The text literally asks whether claiming a material return for sown spiritual matters is an excessive demand.
The thread — This principle of reciprocal support appears in Matthew 10:10, where the worker is declared worthy of provisions. It recurs in Romans 15:27 and Galatians 6:6, where recipients of spiritual instruction are commanded to share material blessings with their teachers.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that spiritual ministry carries a legitimate claim to material sustenance. It requires readers to evaluate whether they honor the labor of teaching or treat it as a gratuitous service.
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
If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
Cross-references
- Romans 15:27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.
- Galatians 6:6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.
- Matthew 10:10 Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.
- 2 Corinthians 11:15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.
- 2 Kings 5:13 Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”
- Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings.