1 Corinthians 6:15
New International Version
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

New Living Translation
Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!

English Standard Version
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

Berean Standard Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

Berean Literal Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken then the members of the Christ, shall I make them members of a prostitute? Never may it be!

King James Bible
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

New King James Version
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

New American Standard Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ? Shall I then take away the parts of Christ and make them parts of a prostitute? Far from it!

NASB 1995
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

NASB 1977
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be!

Legacy Standard Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

Amplified Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Am I therefore to take the members of Christ and make them part of a prostitute? Certainly not!

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

American Standard Version
Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.

Contemporary English Version
Don't you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No, it isn't!

English Revised Version
Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't you realize that your bodies are parts of Christ's body? Should I take the parts of Christ's body and make them parts of a prostitute's body? That's unthinkable!

Good News Translation
You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. Shall I take a part of Christ's body and make it part of the body of a prostitute? Impossible!

International Standard Version
You know that your bodies belong to the Messiah, don't you? Should I take what belongs to the Messiah and unite them with a prostitute? Certainly not!

Majority Standard Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

NET Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

New Heart English Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? Absolutely not.

Webster's Bible Translation
Know ye not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? By no means.

Weymouth New Testament
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? No, indeed.

World English Bible
Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Have you not known that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken, then, the members of the Christ, will I make [them] members of a prostitute? Let it not be!

Berean Literal Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken then the members of the Christ, shall I make them members of a prostitute? Never may it be!

Young's Literal Translation
Have ye not known that your bodies are members of Christ? having taken, then, the members of the Christ, shall I make them members of an harlot? let it be not!

Smith's Literal Translation
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? having taken the members of Christ, shall I make members of a harlot? It may not be.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot ? God forbid.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do you not know that your bodies are a part of Christ? So then, should I take a part of Christ and make it a part of a harlot? Let it not be so!

New American Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not!

New Revised Standard Version
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do you not know that your bodies are the members of Christ? How then can one take a member of Christ and make it the member of a harlot? Far be it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do you not know that your bodies are members of The Messiah? Shall we take the member of The Messiah to make it the member of a harlot? God forbid!
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I, then, take the members of the Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? It must not be.

Godbey New Testament
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? then taking the members of Christ, shall I make them the members of a harlot? it could not be so.

Haweis New Testament
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Taking then the members of Christ, shall I make them members of an harlot? God forbid.

Mace New Testament
Don't you know, that your bodies are parts of Christ's mystical body? now, how can that which is Christ's, be made the property of a very creature?

Weymouth New Testament
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? No, indeed.

Worrell New Testament
Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I, then, taking away the members of Christ, make them members of a harlot? It could not be!

Worsley New Testament
Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of an harlot?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Members of Christ
14By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”…

Cross References
Ephesians 5:30
For we are members of His body.

Romans 12:5
so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

Colossians 1:18
And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

Ephesians 1:22-23
And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, / which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Romans 6:13
Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

2 Corinthians 6:16
What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

Ephesians 4:12
to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

Colossians 2:19
He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.

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.

Romans 8:9-11
You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. / But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. / And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:19-22
Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, / built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. / In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ...

1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.


Treasury of Scripture

Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

your.

1 Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

God.

Genesis 44:17
And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Luke 20:16
He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

Romans 3:3,4,6,31
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? …

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Bodies Body Christ Far Forbid Harlot Indeed Loose Means Members Part Prostitute Thought Unite
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Bodies Body Christ Far Forbid Harlot Indeed Loose Means Members Part Prostitute Thought Unite
1 Corinthians 6
1. The Corinthians must take their brothers to court;
6. especially under infidels.
9. The wicked shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
15. Our bodies are the members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit:
19. they must not therefore be defiled.














Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
This phrase emphasizes the believer's union with Christ, a central theme in Pauline theology. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul reiterates that believers are the body of Christ, each one a part of it. This union signifies a spiritual and mystical connection, where the physical body is not merely a vessel but an integral part of Christ's body. The concept of being "members" suggests a collective identity, where each believer contributes to the whole. Historically, Corinth was a city known for its immorality, and the temple of Aphrodite, with its temple prostitutes, was a prominent feature. This context highlights the radical nature of Paul's teaching, calling believers to a higher standard of holiness and separation from the prevalent cultural practices.

Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?
Paul uses a rhetorical question to challenge the Corinthians' understanding of their spiritual identity. The act of uniting with a prostitute is not just a physical act but a spiritual violation of their union with Christ. In Genesis 2:24, the concept of two becoming one flesh is introduced, which Paul later references in Ephesians 5:31-32 to describe the profound mystery of Christ and the church. The cultural backdrop of Corinth, with its acceptance of sexual immorality, contrasts sharply with the biblical call to purity. This phrase underscores the seriousness of sexual sin, not just as a moral failing but as a spiritual breach.

Never!
Paul's emphatic rejection of the idea serves as a strong moral and theological rebuke. The Greek term used here, "mē genoito," is one of the strongest expressions of denial in the New Testament, often translated as "God forbid" in other versions. This reflects the absolute incompatibility of such actions with the believer's identity in Christ. The exclamation serves as a call to repentance and a reminder of the transformative power of the gospel, which calls believers to live in a manner worthy of their calling (Ephesians 4:1). The use of such a strong negation highlights the gravity of the issue and the necessity for the Corinthians to realign their lives with the teachings of Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of 1 Corinthians, addressing the church in Corinth with guidance and correction.

2. The Church in Corinth
A diverse and often troubled congregation in a major Greek city known for its immorality and idolatry.

3. Christ
Central to the passage, representing the spiritual union believers have with Him.

4. Prostitutes
Symbolic of sexual immorality, which was prevalent in Corinth and a significant issue Paul addresses.

5. Corinth
A cosmopolitan city known for its wealth, commerce, and moral laxity, providing the backdrop for the issues Paul addresses.
Teaching Points
Understanding Our Identity in Christ
Recognize that as believers, our bodies are not our own but are members of Christ. This identity should guide our actions and decisions.

The Call to Purity
Sexual immorality is incompatible with our union with Christ. We are called to live in a way that honors Him, reflecting His holiness in our bodies.

The Seriousness of Sin
Paul uses strong language to emphasize the gravity of uniting with a prostitute, highlighting the spiritual implications of our physical actions.

The Importance of Community Accountability
As members of Christ's body, we are interconnected. Our actions affect not only ourselves but the entire body of believers.

Living as a Witness
Our conduct should reflect our relationship with Christ, serving as a testimony to the world of His transformative power.(15) Shall I then . . .?--Having shown the great dignity which attaches to our bodies as immortal members of Christ, the Apostle asks with indignant emphasis, "Shall I take them out from that high and holy membership, and make them members of an harlot?" The double act of taking them away from their glorious union with Christ, and joining them to a base body, is implied in the Greek.

Verse 15. - Members of Christ. We find the same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 5:30. The Church is often alluded to as "the body of Christ" (Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19, etc.). Elsewhere the union between Christ and Christians is described by the metaphor of a tree and its branches; a building and the stones of which it is composed (Ephesians 2:21, 22). God forbid. An admirable idiom to express the real force of the original, which means, "May it never be!" (for the rationale of the Greek phrase, I may refer to my 'Brief Greek Syntax,' p. 135). It occurs in Romans 3:4, 6, 31; Romans 6:15; Romans 7:7, 13; Romans 9:14; Romans 11:1, 11; Galatians 2:17; Galatians 3:21. The formula, which involves the indignant rejection of some false conclusion, is characteristic of the second group of St. Paul's Epistles, but especially (as will be seen) of the Epistle to the Romans.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Do you not know
οἴδατε (oidate)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1492: To know, remember, appreciate.

that
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

your
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

bodies
σώματα (sōmata)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4983: Body, flesh; the body of the Church. From sozo; the body, used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.

are
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

members
μέλη (melē)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3196: A bodily organ, limb, member. Of uncertain affinity; a limb or part of the body.

of Christ?
Χριστοῦ (Christou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

Shall I then take
ἄρας (aras)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 142: To raise, lift up, take away, remove.

the
τὰ (ta)
Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

members
μέλη (melē)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3196: A bodily organ, limb, member. Of uncertain affinity; a limb or part of the body.

of Christ
Χριστοῦ (Christou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

and unite [them]
ποιήσω (poiēsō)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

with a prostitute?
πόρνης (pornēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4204: A prostitute; met: an idolatrous community. Feminine of pornos; a strumpet; figuratively, an idolater.

Never!
γένοιτο (genoito)
Verb - Aorist Optative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 6:15 Don't you know that your bodies (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
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