KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

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RZehr
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KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by RZehr »

When I read this in KJV I always understood this to say that the least esteemed was a Christian in the church. It was perhaps the least popular person. My thought was the reason that this person should be the judge was because he has nothing to protect, nothing to gain. He could just say it as he sees it. But reading other translations, this seems to be a wrong understanding of this verse.

What is this verse really saying?

1 Corinthians 6:1-6 KJV: Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

Here are how other translations read verse 4.

KJV: If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
CEB: So then if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint people as judges who aren’t respected by the church?
AMP: So if you have lawsuits dealing with matters of this life, are you appointing those as judges [to hear disputes] who are of no account in the church?
DARBY: If then ye have judgments as to things of this life, set those [to judge] who are little esteemed in the assembly.
ESV: So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?
HCSB: So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge?
GNT: If such matters come up, are you going to take them to be settled by people who have no standing in the church?
YLT: of the things of life, indeed, then, if ye may have judgment, those despised in the assembly -- these cause ye to
si
t;
MSG: As these disagreements and wrongs surface, why would you ever entrust them to the judgment of people you don’t trust in any other way?
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MaxPC
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by MaxPC »

Great topic, RZehr. If you don't mind, I'll add the RSV-Catholic Edition in the hopes that it will be another aid to comprehension.

1 Corinthians 6:1-6 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
Lawsuits among Believers
6 When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous[a] instead of the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! 4 If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by Josh »

1 Corinthians 5 (right before 6) makes it clear we are supposed to put sexually immoral people out of the church.

If someone won’t repent and change his behaviour, let him be turned over to the adversary for the destruction of his flesh, that his soul might be saved, and let the adversary deliver him to the judge and the officer.

Healing and repentance from these sins is definitely possible. An abuser would refuse to repent. The rest of us are fine living our lives with appropriate boundaries.
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by Hats Off »

The NKJV indicates that we would choose a wise man to judge between brethern. It reads "do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?" The least esteemed would seem to refer to an unbeliever in this context. "But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by Bootstrap »

RZehr wrote:When I read this in KJV I always understood this to say that the least esteemed was a Christian in the church. It was perhaps the least popular person. My thought was the reason that this person should be the judge was because he has nothing to protect, nothing to gain. He could just say it as he sees it. But reading other translations, this seems to be a wrong understanding of this verse.

What is this verse really saying?
I was surprised by the KJV, and it feels unlikely to me. There are a few issues that lead to a variety of translations:
  • 1. The phrase that the KJV translates "them who are least esteemed" (toūs exouthenēmenous | τοῦς ἐξουθενημένους) is probably stronger than that, "those who are rejected" or "those who are despised" by the church is likely. See other places that this same verb is used in this concordance, e.g. "This is the stone that was rejected (exouthenētheis | ἐξουθενηθείς) by you, the builders, that has become the chief cornerstone", and it would be sinful to treat even the least of our brethren this way "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or again, why do you hold your brother in contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God". So I think it's unlikely that this refers to a humble brother in the church, because this is not the way we should regard him.

    2. A declarative sentence in Greek often has the same syntax as a question. The original Greek manuscripts had no punctuation. You can do this in English sometimes too: A declarative sentence in Greek often has the same syntax as a question? The original Greek manuscripts had no punctuation?
There are several possible ways to understand this that fit the context as a whole, and I'm not sure which is correct, but they all call for pretty much the same application.
  • 1. toūs exouthenēmenous might refer to the heathen judges, the unrighteous ones mentioned in verse 1: "When one of you has a grievance against another, why do you go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?" If this is right, then it might also imply a level of contempt for secular authority, and I don't really see that elsewhere in Paul, but I think the point he is making here is that the authority of secular judges is to be utterly rejected here.

    2. This might be a sarcastic statement, reminding people what is noble and important and what is low and unimportant. This interpretation links it to "Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!" Under this interpretation, he is saying that everyday material things are so unimportant that you might as well set up the people who are despised in the church to judge them. But if believers were despising other believes like this, I think Paul would take them to task for that, as he does elsewhere.

    3. The Lexham Bible has an interpretation that may also be reasonable: "Therefore, if you have courts with regard to ordinary matters, do you seat these despised people in the church?" Here, I think the sense is that toūs exouthenēmenous are people you have rejected enough that you actually take them to the secular courts - and then you turn around and seat them in church?
I'm really not sure which of these is more likely, though I don't think #2 is likely because of the level of contempt it would imply for brothers in the church.

I'm going to chew on this and see if I can find clarity, but some real experts interpret this in various ways. In the meantime, I'm not taking anyone to court ;->
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Z_DC
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by Z_DC »

The main concern in this passage seems to be that believers are taking other believers to the secular court system to settle earthly disputes. It doesn't matter so much whether it is the most esteemed or least esteemed members of the church judging these disputes, just so long as they are settled within the church. Basically, even the least esteemed member in the church is better qualified to judge such disputes than a secular authority outside the church. I Corinthians 5 indicates that the church should judge its own members and not get involved in punishing those in the world - the Lord will take care of them. I Corinthians 6 indicates that the world's courts should not be used to judge people in the church over earthly disputes.
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RZehr
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Re: KJV Judging & Least among you: 1 Corninthians 6:4

Post by RZehr »

Z_DC wrote:The main concern in this passage seems to be that believers are taking other believers to the secular court system to settle earthly disputes. It doesn't matter so much whether it is the most esteemed or least esteemed members of the church judging these disputes, just so long as they are settled within the church. Basically, even the least esteemed member in the church is better qualified to judge such disputes than a secular authority outside the church. I Corinthians 5 indicates that the church should judge its own members and not get involved in punishing those in the world - the Lord will take care of them. I Corinthians 6 indicates that the world's courts should not be used to judge people in the church over earthly disputes.
I agree with that. But the apparent discrepancy in translations caused the question.
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