1CO 5:1-8

Immorality Rebuked

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among the pagans — that a man has his father's wife.

2And you are puffed up! You should rather have mourned, so that the one who has done this might be removed from your midst.

3For though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit; and I have already pronounced judgment, as if present, on the one who has done such a thing.

4When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus,

5deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

7Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a fresh batch, as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

8Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old yeast, nor with the yeast of wickedness and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Corinth, a bustling Roman colony with a diverse population, sexual ethics were shaped by both Greco-Roman and Jewish norms. The specific case of a man having sexual relations with his father’s wife would have been scandalous even among pagans, as Roman law and social custom strictly prohibited such incestuous relationships. The term (porneia) here refers not just to general sexual immorality but to a specific, egregious violation of familial and societal boundaries. The Corinthian community’s failure to address this openly—instead being (puffed up), a term denoting arrogance or pride—reflects a troubling disregard for communal holiness. Paul’s call to expel the offender aligns with Jewish practices of communal purity, where such actions threatened the sanctity of the group. The mention of delivering the offender to (Satan) suggests a form of exclusion intended to provoke repentance, a practice rooted in Jewish and early Christian disciplinary measures. This passage underscores the tension between Corinth’s cosmopolitan moral laxity and the stringent ethical demands of the emerging Christian community.

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How other translations render this

1CO 5:1

KJV: It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
BSB: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his fatherʼs wife.
Koinōnos: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among the pagans — that a man has his father's wife.

1CO 5:2

KJV: And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
BSB: And you are proud! Shouldnʼt you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?
Koinōnos: And you are puffed up! You should rather have mourned, so that the one who has done this might be removed from your midst.

1CO 5:3

KJV: For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
BSB: Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
Koinōnos: For though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit; and I have already pronounced judgment, as if present, on the one who has done such a thing.

1CO 5:4

KJV: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
BSB: When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,
Koinōnos: When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus,

1CO 5:5

KJV: 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.
BSB: hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.
Koinōnos: deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1CO 5:6

KJV: Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
BSB: Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
Koinōnos: Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

1CO 5:7

KJV: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
BSB: Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Koinōnos: Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a fresh batch, as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

1CO 5:8

KJV: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
BSB: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.
Koinōnos: Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old yeast, nor with the yeast of wickedness and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

1CO 5:1

sexual immorality,:The word translated 'sexual immorality' was a broad term in the 1st century, encompassing all forms of illicit sexual activity outside of marriage, including prostitution, adultery, and fornication.
pagans:The term translated 'pagans' literally referred to 'nations' or 'peoples' and was commonly used to distinguish non-Israelites from the Jewish people, often carrying a connotation of those outside of God's covenant.

1CO 5:2

puffed up:The word translated 'puffed up' literally means to be inflated or swollen, conveying a sense of arrogant pride and self-importance that distorts one's true state.

1CO 5:5

to Satan:The name 'Satan' comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'adversary' or 'accuser,' indicating a hostile opponent who actively works against God and humanity.