9I wrote to you in my letter not to mix intimately with the sexually immoral — [5:10] not altogether with the sexually immoral of this world, or with the greedy who always want more, or swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world entirely. [5:11] But now I am writing to you not to mix intimately with anyone who is called a brother and is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or a verbal abuser, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a person. [5:12] For what is it to me to judge those outside? Is it not those inside you judge? [5:13] But those outside God judges. "Remove the wicked person from among you."
1CO 5:9-13
Expel the Immoral Brother
In the world it was spoken into
In the Greco-Roman urban context of Corinth, the community’s identity was deeply tied to its moral boundaries, which were essential for maintaining cohesion in a diverse, cosmopolitan city. The term (to mix intimately) would have evoked associations with social and ritual impurity, particularly in a Jewish-influenced setting where mixing with the 'unclean' could compromise communal holiness. The list of behaviors—sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, verbal abuse, drunkenness, and swindling—reflects both Jewish moral codes and Roman civic concerns about public order. Expelling the immoral brother was not merely punitive but protective, ensuring the community’s integrity in a society where honor and shame were paramount. The distinction between judging 'those inside' and leaving 'those outside' to God underscores the community’s role as a distinct moral entity, set apart from the broader pagan world. This act of expulsion mirrored Roman practices of ostracism, where disruptive individuals were removed to preserve social harmony.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
1CO 5:9
- KJV
- I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
- BSB
- I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
- Koinōnos
- I wrote to you in my letter not to mix intimately with the sexually immoral —
1CO 5:10
- KJV
- Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
- BSB
- I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
- Koinōnos
- not altogether with the sexually immoral of this world, or with the greedy who always want more, or swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world entirely.
1CO 5:11
- KJV
- But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
- BSB
- But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
- Koinōnos
- But now I am writing to you not to mix intimately with anyone who is called a brother and is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or a verbal abuser, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a person.
1CO 5:12
- KJV
- For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
- BSB
- What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
- Koinōnos
- For what is it to me to judge those outside? Is it not those inside you judge?
1CO 5:13
- KJV
- But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
- BSB
- God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
- Koinōnos
- But those outside God judges. "Remove the wicked person from among you.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
1CO 5:9
- to associate with:The word translated 'to associate with' implies a close, intimate mixing or mingling, suggesting a deeper level of relationship than mere casual contact.
1CO 5:10
- with the:The term used here for 'greedy' describes someone who always wants more, often at the expense of others, driven by an insatiable desire for gain.
1CO 5:11
- verbal abuser:The word translated 'verbal abuser' refers to someone who habitually uses harsh, insulting, or reviling language, often in public, to demean others.
1CO 5:13
- and:The word translated 'expel' literally means to 'lift out' or 'take away,' conveying a decisive and complete removal from a group or place.