Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 9:16
Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church while defending his refusal to exercise apostolic financial rights. He speaks at this moment to establish that his preaching operates outside human merit or personal reward.
The words — ἀνάγκη (anagkē) means necessity or binding obligation, and καύχημα (kauchēma) means ground for boasting. The text states that preaching the gospel leaves no room for boasting because the preacher is compelled by duty.
The thread — This compulsion mirrors the universal obligation stated in Romans 1:14 and the inextinguishable prophetic fire in Jeremiah 20:9. It aligns with the charge to fulfill a received commission in Colossians 4:17.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to treat gospel proclamation as a mandated duty rather than a voluntary achievement. It demands the cessation of self-congratulation and the acceptance of faithful obedience to a given commission.
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
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
Cross-references
- Romans 1:14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
- Jeremiah 20:9 If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.
- Colossians 4:17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
- Luke 9:62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- Acts 4:20 For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
- Acts 26:16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
- Amos 3:8 The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken—who will not prophesy?
- Acts 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
- Acts 9:15 “Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
- Romans 15:17 Therefore I exult in Christ Jesus in my service to God.