Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 9:14
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
14. Even so hath the Lord ordained ] In St Mat 10:10, and St Luk 10:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Even so – In the same manner, and for the same reasons.
Hath the Lord ordained – Hath the Lord appointed, commanded, arranged that it should be so ( dietaxe). The word here means that he has made this a law, or has required it. The word Lord here doubtless refers to the Lord Jesus, who has sent forth his ministers to labor in the great harvest of the world.
That they which preach the gospel – They who are sent forth by him; who devote their lives to this work; who are called and employed by him in this service. This refers, therefore, not only to the apostles, but to all who are duly called to this work, and who are his ambassadors.
Should live of the gospel – Should be supported and maintained in this work. Paul here probably refers to the appointment of the Lord Jesus, when he sent forth his disciples to preach, Mat 10:10; Luk 10:8; compare Gal 6:6. The man may be said to live in the gospel who is supported while he preaches it, or wire derives his maintenance in that work. Here we may observe:
(1) That the command is that they shall live ( zen) of the gospel. It is not that they should grow rich, or lay up treasures, or speculate in it, or become merchants, farmers, teachers, or bookmakers for a living; but it is that they should have such a maintenance as to constitute a livelihood. They should be made comfortable; not rich. They should receive so much as to keep their minds from being harassed with cares, and their families from want not so much as to lead them to forget their dependence on God, or on the people. Probably the true rule is, that they should be able to live as the mass of the people among whom they labor live; that they should be able to receive and entertain the poor, and be willing to do it; and so that the rich also may not despise them, or turn away from their dwelling.
(2) This is a command of the Lord Jesus; and if it is a command, it should be obeyed as much as any other law of the Redeemer. And if this is a command, then the minister is entitled to a support; and then also a people are not at liberty to withhold it. Further, there are as strong reasons why they should support him, as there are why they should pay a schoolmaster, a lawyer, a physician, or a day-laborer. The minister usually toils as hard as others; expends as much in preparing for his work; and does as much good. And there is even a higher claim in this case. God has given an express command in this case; he has not in the others.
(3) The salary of a minister should not be regarded as a gift merely, any more than the pay of a congressman, a physician, or a lawyer. He has a claim to it; and God has commanded that it should be paid. It is, moreover, a matter of stipulation and of compact, by which a people agree to compensate him for his services. And yet, is there anything in the shape of debt where there is so much looseness as in regard to this subject? Are people usually as conscientious in this as they are in paying a physician or a merchant? Are not ministers often in distress for that which has been promised them, and which they have a right to expect? And is not their usefulness, and the happiness of the people, and the honor of religion intimately connected with obeying the rule of the Lord Jesus in this respect?
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. Even so hath the Lord ordained] This is evidently a reference to our Lord’s ordination, Mt 10:10: The workman is worthy of his meat. And Lu 10:7: For the labourer is worthy of his hire. And in both places it is the preacher of the Gospel of whom he is speaking. It was a maxim among the Jews, “that the inhabitants of a town where a wise man had made his abode should support him, because he had forsaken the world and its pleasures to study those things by which he might please God and be useful to men.” See an ordinance to this effect in the tract Shabbath, fol. 114.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Gods will is the same under the New Testament that it was under the Old; it is not as to the people a matter of liberty, so as men may choose whether they will maintain their ministers or not, there is an ordinance of God in the case: it is the will of God, that those who are taken off from worldly employments, and spend their time in the study and preaching of the gospel, should have a livelihood from their labour.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. Even soThe only inferenceto be drawn from this passage is, not that the Christian ministry isof a sacrificial character as the Jewish priesthood, but simply, thatas the latter was supported by the contributions of the people, soshould the former. The stipends of the clergy were at first fromvoluntary offerings at the Lord’s Supper. At the love-feast precedingit every believer, according to his ability, offered a gift; and whenthe expense of the table had been defrayed, the bishop laid aside aportion for himself, the presbyters, and deacons; and with the restrelieved widows, orphans, confessors, and the poor generally[TERTULLIAN, Apology,39]. The stipend was in proportion to the dignity and merits of theseveral bishops, presbyters, and deacons [CYPRIAN,c. 4, ep. 6].
preach . . . gospelplainlymarked as the duty of the Christian minister, in contrast to theministering about sacrifices (Greek) and waiting atthe altar of the Jewish priesthood and Levites (1Co9:13). If the Lord’s Supper were a sacrifice (as the Massis supposed to be), this fourteenth verse would certainly have beenworded so, to answer to 1Co 9:13.Note the same Lord Christ “ordains” the ordinances in theOld and in the New Testaments (Mat 10:10;Luk 10:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Even so hath the Lord ordained,…. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ, in Mt 10:10 it is an order and appointment of his that his ministering servants, who labour in preaching his Gospel, should be sufficiently taken care of, as to a comfortable livelihood; he has not indeed fixed it in the same way as the priests and Levites had theirs under the law; but as the one was just and right, that they should be maintained out of the things belonging to the temple and altar, and live on them, so it is his will and pleasure,
that they which preach the Gospel; that continue to do so, that labour, and not loiter in the word and doctrine, who do the work of the ministry fully and faithfully, and not bear the name only of Gospel preachers: should live of the Gospel; not the Gospel itself, which is spiritual, and not corporeal food; but the sense is, that in consideration and because of their preaching the Gospel, they should be supplied with the proper necessaries of life: the learned Mr. Mede has proved, by various instances, that the word , here rendered “Gospel”, and which signifies good news and glad tidings, is in other writers used for a reward, given to such that bring good tidings; and has rightly observed, that the Hebrew word
, which signifies the same, is used in a like sense in 2Sa 4:10 and accordingly the sense here will be, that it is the ordination of Christ, that such who faithfully bring the news and glad tidings of salvation to sinners, should, as a reward for such good news, be provided for with a comfortable maintenance, on which they should live.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Even so did the Lord ordain ( ). Just as God gave orders about the priests in the temple, so did the Lord Jesus give orders for those who preach the gospel to live out of the gospel ( ). Evidently Paul was familiar with the words of Jesus in Matt 10:10; Luke 10:7 either in oral or written form. He has made his argument for the minister’s salary complete for all time.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) Even so hath the Lord ordained. (houtos kai ho kurios dietaksen) “Even so, or just as surely, the Lord ordained.” The “even so” here is derived from the same Greek term of “even so,” as rendered in Joh 3:14. The term “ordained” means “set in order.”
2) “That they which preach the gospel. (tois to evangelion katangelousin) “That the ones preaching or actively heralding, engaged in heralding the gospel,” Luk 5:38; Heb 7:8.
3) “Should live of the gospel. (ek tou evangeliou zen). “They, out of the preaching of the gospel, should have the necessities of life and service provided for, paid, or given to them.” Rom 15:27; Gal 6:6. Let it be noted that the law of sowing and reaping of Gal 6:7-8 had its contextual setting in the subject matter of the support of the ministry as per verse 6.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(14) Even so.These words explain why the Apostle again referred to Jewish law, after having in 1Co. 9:9 already made use of an appeal to the Law as an argument. It is now again referred to only to introduce the crowning argument that Christ Himself perpetuated this law in its application to the Christian ministry. (See Mat. 10:10; Luk. 10:7.)
They which preach the gospel.The preaching of the gospel is in the Christian ministry the function which corresponds to the offering of sacrifice in the Jewish priesthood. Bengel well remarks, If the Mass were a sacrifice, Paul would undoubtedly have accommodated to it the apodosis here.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. Even so The third and conclusive argument the command of Christ. Mat 10:10; Luk 10:7. Another instance indicating, probably, Paul’s acquaintance with the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 9:14. Should live of the Gospel That man might be said to live on the Gospel, who was maintained for preaching it; as he might be said to live on the temple, who was supported out of its income for ministering there. See Mede’s Diatrib. on the place.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
Ver. 14. Even so hath the Lord ] Note that “so,” saith one; “that is, as they of old lived at the altar by tithes, so ministers now. How else will men satisfy their consciences in the particular quantity they must bestow upon the ministers? The Scripture speaks only of the tenth part.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
14. ] So also (i.e. in analogy with that His other command) did the Lord (Christ; the Author by His Spirit of the O. T. as well as the New) command (viz. Mat 10:10 ; Luk 10:7-8 ) to those who are preaching the gospel, to live of (be maintained by. Themistius (Kypke) has ) the gospel . Observe, that here the Apostle is establishing an analogy between the rights of the sacrificing priests of the law, and of the preachers of the gospel. Had those preachers been likewise sacrificing priests , is it possible that all allusion to them in such a character should have been here omitted? But as all such allusion is omitted , we may fairly infer that no such character of the Christian minister was then known. As Bengel remarks on 1Co 9:13 ; ‘Si missa esset sacrificium, plane Paulus versu sequente apodosin huc accommodasset.’
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Even so, &c. = So did the Lord also ordain.
ordained. Greek. diatasso. See Act 7:44.
preach. App-121.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
14.] So also (i.e. in analogy with that His other command) did the Lord (Christ; the Author by His Spirit of the O. T. as well as the New) command (viz. Mat 10:10; Luk 10:7-8) to those who are preaching the gospel, to live of (be maintained by. Themistius (Kypke) has ) the gospel. Observe, that here the Apostle is establishing an analogy between the rights of the sacrificing priests of the law, and of the preachers of the gospel. Had those preachers been likewise sacrificing priests, is it possible that all allusion to them in such a character should have been here omitted? But as all such allusion is omitted, we may fairly infer that no such character of the Christian minister was then known. As Bengel remarks on 1Co 9:13; Si missa esset sacrificium, plane Paulus versu sequente apodosin huc accommodasset.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 9:14. , the Lord) Christ Mat 10:10.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 9:14
1Co 9:14
Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel.-As the priests who ministered about the holy things lived of the gifts made at the altar, so those who preach the gospel should receive their support out of the offerings made by the church, not of special donations made to them while other work of the church suffers, as God ordained it. A failure to support the work of the church left the teacher to suffer.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
ordained: 1Co 9:4, Mat 10:10, Luk 10:7, Gal 6:6, 1Ti 5:17
Reciprocal: Gen 14:24 – let Lev 7:32 – General Lev 10:15 – for ever Lev 22:7 – General Num 18:21 – even the service Num 31:30 – and give Deu 18:1 – they shall Eze 44:29 – eat Eze 45:5 – the ministers Eze 48:10 – for the priests 2Co 11:7 – in
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.
1Co 9:14
St. Pauls apostleship had here been called in question, and it was objected that he had never seen and known the Lord, and another objection was that he was a common workman. St. Paul has been answering the objections raised by these Corinthians. To the first objection, that he had not been elected by an Apostle to be an Apostle, he says that he had a higher electionthat the Lord Himself had called him. To the second objection he replies that he had no desire to know Christ after the flesh. The rest of the chapter is a defence of his working with his own hands for his living. He tells us that he did not assert himself, but humbled himself: I made myself a slave to all. St. Paul worked for his own living. But the Divine order is that They which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. He had picked those converts out of the corruptest city in the worldout of Corinthand he had done them good, but he refused their maintenance on the highest grounds: That, when I preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel.
Yet it is clear from the whole tenor of this chapter that St. Paul would lay down the principle that the ministry must be supported by those who benefit from it, for even so hath the Lord ordained.
What lessons can we learn from this contention?
I. The sacred character of the ministry.The clergy of the Church are ordained, set apart for the work of the ministry. They must not engage in business; their whole life is to be devoted to their own spiritual work. This fact emphasises the sacred character of the ministry. They are ministers and stewards of the Lord.
II. The responsibility of the laity.The clergy must live, and they who sow spiritual things have the right to reap at least material things. For a large part the clergy of to-day are supported by endowments, by the benefactions of those who in bygone days felt their responsibility and made provision accordingly. There is too great a tendency to allow the clergy to live on the dead hand, but the laity of to-day have a responsibility which they cannot evade, and it is a crying disgrace that there should be those who preach the Gospel who are not adequately supported, whose livings are really starvings, simply because the laity will not do their duty.
III. What, then, can we do?There must be a frank recognition of this apostolic, this Divine principle. It may be that in our own parish this help is not needed, but in the wider field of the Church at large there is a great and pressing need. Easter offerings, subscriptions to diocesan and general funds, such as the Queen Victoria Clergy Fund, these are the agencies we must support if we would seek to obey this Divine command. In this way we shall
(a) Have a share in the work of the Christian ministry.
(b) Bring blessing to ourselves.
(c) Strengthen the hands and cheer the hearts of those who minister to us in holy things.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
1Co 9:14. To live of the Gospel means to obtain a living from those to whom the Gospel is preached. This is taught also in Gal 6:6.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 9:14. Even so did the Lord ordainin His instructions to the Twelve (Mat 10:10) and to the Seventy (Luk 10:7), The workman is worthy of his meatthat they which proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel (see 1Ti 5:18, where this is quoted as a recognised maxim).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Vv. 14. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
Rckert does not think that we have here a new argument; he regards it as only the application to the Christian Church of what was common among Jews and Gentiles (1Co 9:13). But the apostle could not possibly have presented the consequence of a Jewish or Gentile usage as a positive command of the Lord. We must therefore understand the in the sense of: And so also. This is the last fact which completes the proof of the apostles’ right. When Paul says: hath ordained, he is thinking of a saying of Jesus; it is that of Mat 10:10 and Luk 10:7. He knew it from apostolic tradition, as he did that which he has already quoted 1Co 7:10. It is somewhat remarkable that in 1Ti 5:18 this command of Jesus is connected, as in our passage, with that of Deuteronomy cited in 1Co 9:10.
By the dative , to them who preach, Paul does not mean that it is to the preachers the command is given; it is the dative of favour: for them. The expression: live of the gospel, may apply, according to time or place, to free gifts or to a regular salary. It is only the principle which is of importance.
According to St. Paul, the Lord has established in His Church a class of members occupying a particular position. While other believers realize the new life in the exercise of a secular profession which affords them a livelihood, they renounce every secular occupation to consecrate all their time and powers to the development of the spiritual life in others; and consequently the Church to which they thus consecrate their life is bound to provide for their material support, as Jesus provided for the maintenance of His disciples from the day when He commanded them to leave their nets, and said to them: I will make you fishers of men. Such is the foundation of the institution of the Christian ministry. The object of Jesus in establishing it was not to institute a new priesthood, a human mediatorship between God and the Church; but neither did He wish to abandon the development of His work to the spontaneous zeal of the faithful. He has avoided these two opposite rocks, and confined Himself to instituting a ministry to preach and have the cure of souls, the members of which live for the gospel, and consequently ought also to live of the gospel. But woe to the man who claims to live of the gospel without living at the same time for the gospel!
Paul has reminded his readers that he was really an apostle (1Co 9:1-3), and then demonstrated by five arguments of increasing force the right which therefore belongs to him and his fellow – labourers (1Co 9:4-14). He now reaches the idea which he had in view from the beginning: that of the voluntary sacrifice which he has made of this right (1Co 9:15-17). In 1Co 9:15 he expresses the fact of the sacrifice itself; in 1Co 9:16-18, the reason which impels him to act thus.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel. [Mat 10:10; Luk 10:7 . This precept was all which Paul needed to urge. He no doubt elaborated this argument that the Corinthians might be fully convinced that he was perfectly aware of his rights at the time when he waived them. The apostle next sets forth more fully why he preferred to support himself rather than receive compensation from the churches.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
14. Thus truly the Lord has commanded that those preaching the gospel shall live from the gospel. While these Scriptures are so clear and unmistakable in favor of the temporal support of the gospel ministry, we must remember that our Savior scathingly condemns the hireling shepherd, certifying that he can not be relied on, but will play the coward in time of danger. Great mistakes are made by little financial institutions in the churches, bringing the people into bondage, abstracting their faith from God and centralizing it upon their own efforts. We would do well to commit the temporal support to God, as we do the spiritual interest, feeling assured that He will verify His promise and see that those who preach the gospel do live on the gospel. God feeds his preachers like He feeds the birds, in a mysterious way to them and to others. This great salvation breaks every yoke from the neck of Gods people, and gives perfect spiritual liberty on all lines, emancipating us not only from burdens, but even from solicitude, commanding us to be careful for nothing.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live {n} of the gospel.
(n) Because they preach the Gospel. It follows by this place, that Paul received no living, neither would have any other man receive, by a commodity of masses, or any other such superstitious nonsense.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Sixth, Paul appealed to the teaching of Jesus to support his point. The Lord Jesus taught the same right (Mat 10:10; Luk 10:7).
"All too often, one fears, the objective of this text is lost in concerns over ’rights’ that reflect bald professionalism rather than a concern for the gospel itself." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 414.]