1 Corinthians 3:6
New International Version
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

New Living Translation
I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

English Standard Version
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Berean Standard Bible
I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

Berean Literal Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept it growing.

King James Bible
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

New King James Version
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

New American Standard Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

NASB 1995
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

NASB 1977
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

Legacy Standard Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

Amplified Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was causing the growth.

Christian Standard Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

American Standard Version
I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Contemporary English Version
I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow.

English Revised Version
I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I planted, and Apollos watered, but God made it grow.

Good News Translation
I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow.

International Standard Version
I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing.

Majority Standard Bible
I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

NET Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.

New Heart English Bible
I planted. Apollos watered. But God made it grow.

Webster's Bible Translation
I have planted, Apollos watered: but God hath given the increase.

Weymouth New Testament
I planted and Apollos watered; but it was God who was, all the time, giving the increase.

World English Bible
I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving growth;

Berean Literal Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept it growing.

Young's Literal Translation
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving growth;

Smith's Literal Translation
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God increased.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I planted, Apollo watered, but God provided the growth.

New American Bible
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.

New Revised Standard Version
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I planted and Apollo watered but God made it grow.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
I planted, Apollos watered: but God made to grow.

Godbey New Testament
I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Haweis New Testament
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Mace New Testament
I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase.

Weymouth New Testament
I planted and Apollos watered; but it was God who was, all the time, giving the increase.

Worrell New Testament
I planted, Apollos watered; but God causeth it to grow.

Worsley New Testament
I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase.
Audio Bible



Context
God's Fellow Workers
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.…

Cross References
John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Mark 4:26-29
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. / Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. / All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. ...

Matthew 13:3-9
And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. / And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. / Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ...

Isaiah 55:10-11
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, / so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.

Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

Acts 18:4-11
Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike. / And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. / But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ...

1 Corinthians 1:12-13
What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” / Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

1 Corinthians 4:7
For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

1 Corinthians 9:1
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?

1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.

2 Corinthians 9:10
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Galatians 6:3-5
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. / Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else. / For each one should carry his own load.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, / not by works, so that no one can boast. / For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.


Treasury of Scripture

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

I.

1 Corinthians 3:9,10
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building…

1 Corinthians 4:14,15
I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you

1 Corinthians 9:1,7-11
Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? …

Apollos.

Proverbs 11:25
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Acts 18:24,26,27
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus…

Acts 19:1
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

God.

1 Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Psalm 62:9,11
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity…

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1 Corinthians 3
1. Milk is fit for children.
3. Strife and division, arguments of a fleshly mind.
7. He who plants and He who waters are nothing.
9. The ministers are God's fellow workmen.
11. Christ the only foundation.
16. You are the temples of God, which must be kept holy.
19. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.














I planted
In this phrase, the Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of planting to describe his role in the establishment of the Corinthian church. The Greek word for "planted" is "ἐφύτευσα" (ephyteusa), which conveys the idea of initiating growth or beginning a process. Paul, as a missionary and church planter, laid the foundational teachings of Christianity in Corinth. This imagery of planting is deeply rooted in the agrarian culture of the time, where planting was the first step in a long process leading to a harvest. Spiritually, it signifies the initial introduction of the Gospel message to a community or individual, emphasizing the importance of starting with a solid foundation in Christ.

Apollos watered
Here, Paul acknowledges the role of Apollos, another early Christian teacher, in nurturing and developing the faith of the Corinthian believers. The Greek word "ἐπότισεν" (epotisen) means "to water" or "to give drink," suggesting the act of providing sustenance and support for growth. Apollos, known for his eloquence and knowledge of the Scriptures, built upon the foundation laid by Paul, helping the believers to mature in their faith. This highlights the collaborative nature of ministry, where different individuals contribute their unique gifts to the growth of the church. It also reflects the biblical principle that while one person may begin a work, others are needed to continue and nurture it.

but God made it grow
This phrase shifts the focus from human efforts to divine intervention. The Greek word "ηὔξανεν" (auxanen) means "to cause to grow" or "to increase." Paul emphasizes that while he and Apollos played significant roles in planting and watering, it is ultimately God who brings about spiritual growth and maturity. This underscores the sovereignty of God in the process of salvation and sanctification. It serves as a reminder that human efforts, though necessary, are insufficient without God's power and blessing. This truth encourages believers to rely on God for the increase, trusting that He is the one who brings fruitfulness to their labors.

(6) I have planted, Apollos watered.--By an image borrowed from the processes of agriculture the Apostle explains the relation in which his teaching stood to that of Apollos--and how all the results were from God. This indication of St. Paul having been the founder, and Apollos the subsequent instructor, of the Corinthian Church, is in complete harmony with what we read of the early history of that Church in Acts 18:27; Acts 19:1. After St. Paul had been at Corinth (Acts 18:1), Apollos, who had been taught by Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus, came there and "helped them much which had already believed."

Verse 6. - I planted. St. Paul everywhere recognized that his gift lay pre eminently in the ability to found Churches (comp. Acts 18:1-11; 1 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 1 Corinthians 15:1). Apollos watered. If, as is now generally believed, Apollos wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews, we see how striking was his power of strengthening the faith of wavering Churches. Eloquence and a deep insight into the meaning of Scripture, enriched by Alexandrian culture, seem to have been his special endowments (Acts 18:24, 27). The reference of the word "watered" to baptism by Augustine (Ep. 48) is one of the numberless instances of Scripture distorted by ecclesiasticism. God gave the increase (comp. 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 3:5). The thought of every true teacher always is, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise" (Psalm 115:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

planted [the seed]
ἐφύτευσα (ephyteusa)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 5452: To plant, set. From a derivative of phuo; to set out in the earth, i.e. Implant; figuratively, to instil doctrine.

[and] Apollos
Ἀπολλῶς (Apollōs)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 625: Apollos, a Jew of Alexandria. Probably from the same as Apollonia; Apollos, an Israelite.

watered [it],
ἐπότισεν (epotisen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4222: To cause to drink, give to drink; irrigate, water. From a derivative of the alternate of pino; to furnish drink, irrigate.

but
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

made [ it ] grow.
ηὔξανεν (ēuxanen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 837: (a) I cause to increase, become greater (b) I increase, grow. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to grow, i.e. Enlarge.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
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