1 Corinthians 4 11

1 Corinthians 4:11 kjv

Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

1 Corinthians 4:11 nkjv

To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

1 Corinthians 4:11 niv

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.

1 Corinthians 4:11 esv

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,

1 Corinthians 4:11 nlt

Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don't have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.

1 Corinthians 4 verses

1 Corinthians 4 11 Meaning

The verse conveys a stark reality of the apostles' suffering and deprivation in their ministry for Christ. It emphasizes their voluntary embrace of hardship, poverty, and abuse as part of their calling and their ultimate trust in God amidst these trials.

1 Corinthians 4 11 Context

This verse is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, where Paul addresses the Corinthians' tendencies toward pride, division, and judgmentalism regarding their spiritual leaders. In the preceding verses, Paul contrasts the exalted status the Corinthians seem to crave with the actual suffering and humiliation endured by himself and Apollos as faithful servants of Christ. He highlights their willingness to be seen as fools, weak, and dishonored for the sake of the gospel, a direct refutation of the Corinthians' apparent preoccupation with status, eloquence, and intellectual superiority. The verse is part of Paul's passionate defense of apostolic authenticity and suffering ministry, aiming to redirect the Corinthians' focus from worldly standards to the cruciform reality of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 4 11 Word analysis

• “we” (ἡμεῖς, hēmeis): Pronoun referring to Paul and his fellow apostles. Emphasizes a shared experience and identity in their ministry.
• “continue” (ὑπομένω, hypomenō): This Greek verb means to endure, remain under, abide steadfastly. It suggests a conscious and resolute bearing of hardship, not passive resignation. It implies a firm and persevering commitment through trials.
• “even until now” (ἄχρι νῦν, achri nun): This temporal phrase indicates the ongoing and persistent nature of their suffering. It’s not a past or occasional hardship, but a continuous reality.
• “hungry” (πεινάω, peinaō): To hunger, be hungry. Refers to physical deprivation, lack of sustenance.
• “thirsty” (δawiają, dipsaō): To thirst, be thirsty. Denotes another form of severe physical lack.
• “naked” (γυμνίτης, gymnitēs): Meaning to be scantily clad, poorly dressed, or even destitute of clothing. This highlights extreme poverty and vulnerability.
• “beaten” (κολαφίζω, kolaphizō): To smite with the fist, buffet, beat. Indicates physical abuse and violence.
• “have no home” (ἀστατέω, astatéō): To be unsettled, wandering, homeless. Reflects a lack of stable dwelling, a nomadic existence dictated by ministry.
• “labor with our own hands” (κοπιῶμεν ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν, kopiōmen tais idiais chersin): "Kopiōmen" signifies to toil, labor intensely, to the point of exhaustion. "Tais idiais chersin" emphasizes working manually for one's own provision, often seen as beneath the status of a revered teacher, and further highlighting their self-sufficiency and dedication, rather than reliance on others for basic needs.
• “being reviled” (λοιδορούμενοι, loidoroumenoi): To be reviled, insulted, spoken against abusively. Indicates verbal abuse and slander.
• “we bless” (εὐλογοῦμεν, eulogoumen): To speak well of, to praise, to confer blessings. This is the remarkable response to reviling, offering praise or spiritual good in return for abuse.
• “being persecuted” (διωκόμενοι, diōkomenoi): To be pursued, chased, persecuted. Highlights systematic opposition and hostile pursuit.
• “being defamed” (βλασφημοῦντες, blasphēmeōmen): "Blasphemeō" can mean to speak evil, slander, or revile. When used with the accusative it can be speaking evil of someone, but here with the participle (or agreeing with the implied subject of "we") it refers to them (the persecuted) speaking evil (or responding to defamation with something contrary). A key understanding is that when faced with slander, they bless. This contrasts with the world’s way of responding with counter-curses or harsh words.

Words-group analysis:

The verse groups afflictions into categories of physical hardship (hunger, thirst, nakedness), physical abuse (beaten), social/existential hardship (no home, labor with hands), and verbal/social conflict (reviled, persecuted, defamed). The parallel structure of affliction followed by a positive counter-action ("we bless") is critical. It demonstrates their faithful response to hardship, mirroring Christ’s own endurance. The phrase "work with our own hands" stands as a testimony against those in Corinth who likely expected itinerant teachers to be supported by the congregation and perhaps looked down on manual labor.

1 Corinthians 4 11 Bonus Section

This verse highlights the eschatological perspective of the apostles. Their suffering was understood not as a sign of God's displeasure or absence, but as an inevitable consequence of representing Christ in a fallen world, and it was met with an enduring hope. The apostles' ability to "bless" while being reviled or persecuted demonstrates a spiritual strength that transcends mere human resilience; it is the Spirit's work within them, enabling them to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, as Jesus taught (Matt 5:44). This counters any idea that the Gospel was primarily about temporal comfort or social prestige. The mention of working with their hands also emphasizes their integrity and perhaps a rebuke to dependency or elitism within the Corinthian church. Their suffering was not just endured but integrated into their witness, marking them as true apostles of Christ.

1 Corinthians 4 11 Commentary

Paul starkly contrasts the "kingdom of God" which is of spiritual power and the worldly values of status and eloquence that captivated Corinth. He lists severe hardships: physical hunger, thirst, and lack of proper clothing (naked). He also includes physical violence (beaten) and the instability of homelessness (no home). Moreover, they engage in manual labor for sustenance (work with our own hands), which perhaps countered Corinthian expectations of prestige for religious leaders. Despite being verbally abused (reviled), subjected to active opposition (persecuted), and slandered (defamed), they consistently responded with blessing. This "blessing" in the face of abuse is a profound manifestation of the gospel's transformative power and an indicator of their deep spiritual resourcefulness, drawing on God’s grace. This reflects the suffering Christ endured and calls the Corinthians away from their proud divisions.