1 Corinthians 4:21
New International Version
What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

New Living Translation
Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

English Standard Version
What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Berean Standard Bible
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

Berean Literal Bible
What do you desire? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

King James Bible
What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

New King James Version
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

New American Standard Bible
What do you desire? That I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

NASB 1995
What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

NASB 1977
What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Legacy Standard Bible
What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Amplified Bible
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod [of discipline and correction], or with love and a gentle spirit?

Christian Standard Bible
What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

American Standard Version
What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
How do you want it? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in affection and in a spirit of meekness?

Contemporary English Version
What do you want me to do when I arrive? Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle?

Douay-Rheims Bible
What will you ? shall I come to you with a rod; or in charity, and in the spirit of meekness ?

English Revised Version
What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of meekness?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When I come to visit you, would you prefer that I punish you or show you love and a gentle spirit?

Good News Translation
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in a spirit of love and gentleness?

International Standard Version
Which do you prefer? Should I come to you with a stick, or with love and a gentle spirit?

Literal Standard Version
What do you wish? Will I come to you with a rod, or in love, also with a spirit of meekness?

Majority Standard Bible
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

New American Bible
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit?

NET Bible
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

New Revised Standard Version
What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

New Heart English Bible
What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Webster's Bible Translation
What will ye? shall I come to you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

Weymouth New Testament
Which shall it be? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in a loving and tender spirit?

World English Bible
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Young's Literal Translation
what do ye wish? with a rod shall I come unto you, or in love, with a spirit also of meekness?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul Warns his Children
20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

Cross References
1 Corinthians 4:18
Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.

2 Corinthians 1:23
I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.

2 Corinthians 2:1
So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.

2 Corinthians 2:3
I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be saddened by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

2 Corinthians 10:1
Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you--I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.

2 Corinthians 10:2
I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.

2 Corinthians 12:18
I urged Titus to visit you, and I sent our brother with him. Did Titus exploit you in any way? Did we not walk in the same Spirit and follow in the same footsteps?


Treasury of Scripture

What will you? shall I come to you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

shall.

1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:2,6,8
But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh…

2 Corinthians 12:20,21
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: …

and.

2 Corinthians 10:1
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

1 Thessalonians 2:7
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

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Desire Gentle Gentleness Love Meekness Prefer Punishment Rod Spirit Tender Want Whip Wish
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1 Corinthians 4
1. In what account the apostles ought to be regarded.
7. We have nothing which we have not received.
9. The apostles spectacles to the world, angels, and men;
13. the filth and offscouring of the world;
15. yet our fathers in Christ;
16. whom we ought to follow.














(21) What will ye?--I give you a choice. I am coming to you as a father in any case. But shall I come as a father comes with a rod (Isaiah 11:4), and going to inflict punishment with it (such is the force of the Greek, "in a rod"); or as a father would come when no faults on the child's part need interfere with the perfect and unrestricted outflowing of his gentleness and love. The pathos of these last few words sufficiently indicate what the Apostle would himself prefer. The choice, however, rested with them. His love would be no love, if without any change on their part, it led him to show no displeasure where correction was for their sake absolutely needed. This is a great and striking example of St. Paul having the "mind of God." He treats the Corinthians as God ever treats His children.

This verse at once concludes this first part of the Epistle, in which the party-spirit and the evils resulting from it in Corinth are treated of, and naturally introduces the second topic to be discussed, viz., the case of incest which had occurred, it being one of the things which would compel the Apostle to visit Corinth, not "in love and in the spirit of meekness," but "with a rod."

Verse 21. - What will ye? "The whole thing lies with you" (Chrysostom). With a rod; literally, in a rod a not uncommon Greek phrase. The meaning of this expression is best seen from 2 Corinthians 10:2; 2 Corinthians 13:10. In love. He would come to them "in love" in any case; but if they now rejected his appeals the love would be compelled to manifest itself in sharpness and stern deeds. In the spirit of meekness. Meyer here gives to the word "spirit" the sense of "the Holy Spirit," as in John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 4:13; but the simpler sense of the term is almost certainly the true one.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Which
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

do you prefer?
θέλετε (thelete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

Shall I come
ἔλθω (elthō)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

you
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

with
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

a rod,
ῥάβδῳ (rhabdō)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4464: A rod, staff, staff of authority, scepter. From the base of rhapizo; a stick or wand.

or
(ē)
Conjunction
Strong's 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

love
ἀγάπῃ (agapē)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

and [with]
τε (te)
Conjunction
Strong's 5037: And, both. A primary particle of connection or addition; both or also.

a gentle
πραΰτητος (prautētos)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4240: Mildness, gentleness. From praus; mildness, i.e. humility.

spirit?
πνεύματί (pneumati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
1 Corinthians 4:20
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