Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 9:6
Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation while defending his apostolic rights and explaining his decision to support himself financially. He poses this rhetorical question immediately after affirming his right to marry a believing wife and just before illustrating apostolic privileges through military and agricultural analogies.
The words — The Greek οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν (ouk echomen exousian) literally renders "do we not have permission." Combined with the surrounding context, the construction asserts the right to refrain from manual labor rather than granting permission to work.
The thread — The pattern of apostolic self-support and the refusal to claim material provision appears in 2 Thessalonians 3:7 and aligns with the historical ministry of Barnabas recorded in Acts 4:36 and Acts 13:1.
Why it lands — The verse requires readers to acknowledge Paul’s voluntary choice to forgo financial support as a deliberate exercise of apostolic authority, not an inability to claim compensation. It demands that the Corinthian believers measure his conduct against the recognized rights of other apostles and cease questioning his motives.
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
Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
Cross-references
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,
- Acts 13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.
- Acts 4:36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),
- Acts 18:3 and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9 Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
- Acts 11:22 When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
- Acts 14:12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
- Acts 15:36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”
- Acts 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions.
- 1 Corinthians 4:11 To this very hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.