13 Watch ye, stand in the faith; be men, be strong;
`Have not I commanded thee? be strong and courageous; be not terrified nor affrighted, for with thee `is' Jehovah thy God in every `place' whither thou goest.'
As to the rest, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;
because of this take ye up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the day of the evil, and all things having done -- to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about in truth, and having put on the breastplate of the righteousness, and having the feet shod in the preparation of the good-news of the peace; above all, having taken up the shield of the faith, in which ye shall be able all the fiery darts of the evil one to quench, and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God, through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints --
In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free -- stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude;
so, then, brethren, stand ye fast, and hold the deliverances that ye were taught, whether through word, whether through our letter;
Only worthily of the good news of the Christ conduct ye yourselves, that, whether having come and seen you, whether being absent I may hear of the things concerning you, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul, striving together for the faith of the good news,
and He said to me, `Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;' most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me: wherefore I am well pleased in infirmities, in damages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses -- for Christ; for whenever I am infirm, then I am powerful;
so that, my brethren beloved, become ye stedfast, unmovable, abounding in the work of the Lord at all times, knowing that your labour is not vain in the Lord.
For all things I have strength, in Christ's strengthening me;
be strong and courageous, for thou -- thou dost cause this people to inherit the land which I have sworn to their fathers to give to them. `Only, be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded thee; thou dost not turn aside from it right or left, so that thou dost act wisely in every `place' whither thou goest;
because now we live, if ye may stand fast in the Lord;
Look unto Jehovah -- be strong, And He doth strengthen thy heart, Yea, look unto Jehovah!
And I make known to you, brethren, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which also ye did receive, in which also ye have stood, through which also ye are being saved, in what words I proclaimed good news to you, if ye hold fast, except ye did believe in vain,
Salute you doth Epaphras, who `is' of you, a servant of Christ, always striving for you in the prayers, that ye may stand perfect and made full in all the will of God,
be strong and strengthen thyself for our people, and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah doth that which is good in His eyes.'
Say to the hastened of heart, `Be strong, Fear not, lo, your God; vengeance cometh, The recompence of God, He Himself doth come and save you.'
See, now, for Jehovah hath fixed on thee to build a house for a sanctuary; be strong, and do.'
Take heed, watch and pray, for ye have not known when the time is; as a man who is gone abroad, having left his house, and given to his servants the authority, and to each one his work, did command also the porter that he may watch; watch ye, therefore, for ye have not known when the lord of the house doth come, at even, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing, or at the morning; lest, having come suddenly, he may find you sleeping; and what I say to you, I say to all, Watch.'
thou, therefore, suffer evil as a good soldier of Jesus Christ; no one serving as a soldier did entangle himself with the affairs of life, that him who did enlist him he may please; and if also any one may strive, he is not crowned, except he may strive lawfully;
the good strife I have striven, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept,
And of all things the end hath come nigh; be sober-minded, then, and watch unto the prayers,
Strengthen yourselves, and become men, O Philistines, lest ye do service to Hebrews, as they have done to you -- then ye have become men, and have fought.'
if also ye remain in the faith, being founded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the good news, which ye heard, which was preached in all the creation that `is' under the heaven, of which I became -- I Paul -- a ministrant.
and every one who is striving, is in all things temperate; these, indeed, then, that a corruptible crown they may receive, but we an incorruptible; I, therefore, thus run, not as uncertainly, thus I fight, as not beating air; but I chastise my body, and bring `it' into servitude, lest by any means, having preached to others -- I myself may become disapproved.
and he saith: Do not fear, O man greatly desired, peace to thee, be strong, yea, be strong; and when he speaketh with me, I have strengthened myself, and I say, Let my lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.
so, then, we may not sleep as also the others, but watch and be sober,
And what shall I yet say? for the time will fail me recounting about Gideon, Barak also, and Samson, and Jephthah, David also, and Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith did subdue kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the mouth of the sword, were made powerful out of infirmities, became strong in battle, caused to give way camps of the aliens.
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith to Peter, `Simon, thou dost sleep! thou wast not able to watch one hour! Watch ye and pray, that ye may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is forward, but the flesh weak.'
`lo, I do come as a thief; happy `is' he who is watching, and keeping his garments, that he may not walk naked, and they may see his unseemliness,' --
that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man,
Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;
`Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come; and this know, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief doth come, he had watched, and not suffered his house to be broken through; because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.
And it hath come to pass, As ye have been a reviling among nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel, So I save you, and ye have been a blessing, Do not fear, let your hands be strong.
`I am going in the way of all the earth, and thou hast been strong, and become a man,
in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy. Giving thanks to the Father who did make us meet for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in the light,
become watching, and strengthen the rest of the things that are about to die, for I have not found thy works fulfilled before God. `Remember, then, how thou hast received, and heard, and be keeping, and reform: if, then, thou mayest not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou mayest not know what hour I will come upon thee.
`Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning, and ye like to men waiting for their lord, when he shall return out of the wedding feasts, that he having come and knocked, immediately they may open to him. `Happy those servants, whom the lord, having come, shall find watching; verily I say to you, that he will gird himself, and will cause them to recline (at meat), and having come near, will minister to them; and if he may come in the second watch, and in the third watch he may come, and may find `it' so, happy are those servants. `And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief doth come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through; and ye, then, become ye ready, because at the hour ye think not, the Son of Man doth come.'
And those acting wickedly `against' the covenant, he defileth by flatteries; and the people knowing their God are strong, and have wrought.
Any man who doth provoke thy mouth, and doth not hear thy words, in all that thou dost command him, is put to death; only, be strong and courageous.'
And thou -- watch in all things; suffer evil; do the work of one proclaiming good news; of thy ministration make full assurance,
And now, be strong, O Zerubbabel, An affirmation of Jehovah, And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, And be strong, all ye people of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do ye -- (for I `am' with you, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts) --
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Corinthians 16
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 16 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 16
In this chapter the apostle,
1Cr 16:1-4
In this chapter Paul closes this long epistle with some particular matters of less moment; but, as all was written by divine inspiration, it is all profitable for our instruction. He begins with directing them about a charitable collection on a particular occasion, the distresses and poverty of Christians in Judea, which at this time were extraordinary, partly through the general calamities of that nation and partly through the particular sufferings to which they were exposed. Now concerning this observe,
1Cr 16:5-9
In this passage the apostle notifies and explains his purpose of visiting them, concerning which, observe,
1Cr 16:10-12
In this passage,
1Cr 16:13-18
In this passage the apostle gives,
1Cr 16:19-24
The apostle closes his epistle,