Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
16. what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?] Cf. 1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 6:19-20; 1Co 8:10 ; 1Co 10:14-21. St Paul does not lay stress on the abuse of liberty to which he devotes so large a portion of the first Epistle (see note on 2Co 6:14), but we may gather from this hint that there was still some need of improvement in this particular as well as in the general relations of Christians with heathens.
for ye are the temple of the living God ] Cf. 1Co 3:16; Eph 2:21-22; 1Ti 3:15; Heb 3:6; 1Pe 2:5.
as God hath said ] The Apostle here combines, as was customary among Jewish teachers, Lev 26:11-12 with Eze 37:26-27; Eze 43:7 (cf. also Zec 2:10-11). The citation is in many respects verbally accurate, but it is a citation, no doubt, from memory. The Apostle has, however, given a Christian turn to his translation. The Hebrew cannot be shewn to mean more than ‘I will dwell among them.’ The LXX., in the remarkable word , seems to have anticipated the Christian idea of the indwelling of God in His people. But the Apostle was evidently also thinking of some words of Christ, known to him by tradition, and afterwards recorded by the Evangelist St John in such passages as Joh 6:56; Joh 17:21; Joh 17:23.
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people ] St Paul here boldly transfers the prophecies that relate to the earthly Israel to the spiritual Israel, the Christian Church. Cf. Rom 9:25-26 ; 1Co 10:1-11; Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22 ; 1Pe 2:9-10; Rev 3:12; Rev 21:2; Rev 21:10.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And what agreement – ( sugkatathesis). Assent, accord, agreement. what putting or laying down together is there? What is there in one that resembles the other?
The temple of God – What has a temple of God to do with idol worship? It is erected for a different purpose, and the worship of idols in it would not be tolerated. It is implied here that Christians are themselves the temple of God, a fact which Paul proceeds immediately to illustrate; and that it is as absurd for them to mingle with the infidel world as it would be to erect the image of a pagan god in the temple of Yahweh. This is strong language, and we cannot but admire the energy and copiousness of the expressions used by Paul, which cannot, says Bloomfield, be easily paralleled in the best Classical writers.
With idols – Those objects which God hates, and on which he cannot look but with abhorrence. The sense is, that for Christians to mingle with the sinful world; to partake of their pleasures, pursuits, and follies, is as detestable and hateful in the sight of God as if his temple were profaned by erecting a deformed, and shapeless, and senseless block in it as an object of worship. And, assuredly, if Christians had such a sense of the abomination of mingling with the world, they would feel the obligation to be separate and pure.
For ye are the temple of the living God – see this explained in the notes on 1Co 3:16-17. The idea is, that as God dwells with his people, they ought to be separated from a sinful and polluted world.
As God hath said – The words here quoted are taken substantially from Exo 29:45; Lev 26:12; Eze 37:27. They are not literally quoted, but Paul has thrown together the substance of what occurs in several places. The sense, however, is the same as occurs in the places referred to.
I will dwell in them – ( enoiketo). I will take up my indwelling in them. There is an allusion doubtless to the fact that he would be present among his people by the Sechinah, or the visible symbol of his presence; see the note on 1Co 3:16-17. It implies, when used with reference to Christians, that the Holy Spirit would abide with them, and that the blessing of God would attend them; see Rom. 8; Col 3:16; 2Ti 1:14.
And walk in them – That is, I will walk among them. I will be one of their number. He was present among the Jews by the public manifestation of his presence by a symbol; he is present with Christians by the presence and guidance of his Holy Spirit.
And I will be their God – Not only the God whom they worship, but the God who will protect and bless them. I will take them under my special protection, and they shall enjoy my favor. This is certainly as true of Christians as it was of the Jews, and Paul has not departed from the spirit of the promise in applying it to the Christian character. His object in quoting these passages is, to impress on Christians the solemnity and importance of the truth that God dwelt among them and with them; that they were under his care and protection; that they belonged to him, and that they therefore should be separate from the world.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Co 6:16
Ye are the temple of the living God.
The soul temple
From this analogy between the Christians soul and the old Jewish temple we learn concerning Christians that–
I. They are the objects of special Divine regard. At the beginning of the promises which God made concerning the old temple, He said, Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually, I will gild its glories with My smile, scathe its defilers with My frown, Mine heart too, shall be there, as a proprietor with his most treasured possession, a king with his most valued province, a father with the home of his family. So with good men. With that man will I dwell, etc. Lo, I am with you always, etc.
II. They are the scene of special divine manifestation. It was not the magnificence of the building, nor the fragrance of the incense, nor the solemn order of the services, that revealed Gods presence. It was the Shekinah. And so with men. It is not the gold or intellect that tells us God is with men, but it is Christs Spirit in the heart.
III. They are the subjects of entire Divine consecration. Solomons prayer shows to what perfect devotedness to God the temple was dedicated, and Christs expulsion of the traders from its sacred precincts, at the beginning and at the close of His ministry, proves how thoroughly He recognised that consecration, and suggests, moreover, how it was the grand purpose of His incarnation to purify and hallow the living temple of mens souls, of which that temple was but a type. In our hearts, then–
1. There must be no worldly merchandise, lest we make it a den of thieves instead of a house of prayer.
2. There must be no idol; it is the temple of the living God.
3. There must be an altar. And yet, how many of us are there in whose hearts an altar for self-sacrifice is a strange thing! Conclusion: Let us beware lest the doom of the old temple should be ours. Our souls through sin must incur a still more terrible ruin. (U. R. Thomas.)
Temples of God
1. If we be the temples of God, let us be holy: for holiness, O Lord, becometh Thy house for ever.
2. The temple is the house of prayer. Wouldst thou pray in Gods temple? Pray in thyself.
3. The sound of the high praises of God must be heard in these temples. Even in the midst of ourselves, in our own hearts, let us think upon His mercies, there echo forth His praises.
4. The inhabitant disposeth all the rooms of his house: if God dwell in us, let Him rule us. Submit thy will to His Word, thy affections to His Spirit. It is fit that every man should bear rule in his own house.
5. Let us be glad when He is in us, and give Him no disturbance. Let not the foulness of any room make Him dislike His habitation. Cleanse all the corners of sin, and perfume the whole house.
6. If we be the Lords houses, then nobodys else. The material temples are not to be diverted to common offices; much more should the spiritual be used only for Gods service. Let us not alienate His rights: thus He will say, This is My house, here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein. Oh, may we so adorn these temples with graces, that God may take delight to dwell in us! (T. Adams.)
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.—
The covenant relationship between God and His people
I. Let us consider the relation alluded to in our text, in so far as man is concerned. They shall be My people. That to man, the inferior party, such a connection is honourable, is self-evident. Is it a good ground of honest pride to be connected with the illustrious? How honourable, then, must it be to stand in any relation to Him, whose fingers formed the heavens and the earth, and who in wisdom made them all? Is it a ground of honest pride to be connected with the mighty, who, while they are reverenced for their power, are admired for their goodness? But if we would have any adequate idea of the extent to which the believer is honoured in his relation to God, we must penetrate more deeply into the nature of the connection, and consider its mysterious intimacy. Between the Head of the universe and the inhabitants of the earth many relationships subsist, and not a few of these extend to all created intelligences. All are related to Him as the great Creator, as a preserving God. All are indebted to Him as a general benefactor. All are related to Him as a resistless Governor. In a word, all, without exception, are related to Him as a Judge. But mark the honourable relation in which the Christian stands to a Being so great, so powerful, so glorious. In the best, the most extensive sense of the appropriation, he can humbly add, God is my friend. His consolations are mine in the hour of sickness–His approval is mine as I sojourn toward heaven–His guidance is mine in every perplexity–His blessing shall be mine for ever. They know that however much their God may afflict them, He is their God, and afflicts them for their good. But while the relation referred to in our text is thus honourable to the inferior party, it is just as evident that it is highly advantageous. When we consider what God can do for those in whom He is interested, when we consider how much He has already done for them, the advantage of the favoured man in whom He is thus interested admits of no controversy.
II. That it is also glorious to God. And hero we cannot fail to remark that it throws a halo, exquisitely brilliant, on the beauty of the Divine grace and condescension. We have only to contemplate the majesty of the Most High and the meanness of the human family, in order to adore the condescension of our covenanted God. Does the master condescend who admits his servant to his confidence, his friendship and esteem? Had Adam and all his sons continued to reflect the heavenly image, it would have been less an object of wonder that God should have said to the holy men, I am your God, and ye are My people. Had rebellion never entered into this province of the universe, a fatherly relation to us had been less magnificently manifested. But here, perhaps, it may be urged that although the relation with Himself into which the Deity introduces His people, may be glorious to His condescension, it cannot be equally so to all the rest of His perfections. How, it may be asked, can it consist with the holiness of Him who is immaculate, that He should give to the polluted the adoption of sons? The gospel affords us a luminous reply to these disputing questions. It tells us that the Most High in becoming His peoples God, and in constituting them His children, fulfils a purpose, as glorious to His justice as it is to His compassion, as illustrative of tits majesty as it is of His condescension, as honourable to His holiness as it is to His love.
III. That it is maintained and endeared by much mutual fellowship between the parties in this world, while it is destined to issue in close and uninterrupted communion in the next. The believer enjoys it and he rejoices in it, while engaged in humble prayer. But more particularly, we remark that the Word of God is one of the means by which the intimacies of relationship are maintained between Him and His people in this world. We might refer you to the ordinances of the gospel, and the dealings of God with man at large, for a fuller illustration of the topic now under review. But we have said that while the relationship that subsists between God and His people is closened by much endearing fellowship on earth, it is moreover destined eventually to issue in uninterrupted communion in heaven; and so assuredly shall it be. (W. Craig.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. What agreement hath the temple of God with idols] Nothing could appear more abominable to a Jew than an idol in the temple of God: here, then, could be no agreement; the worship of the two is wholly incompatible. An idolater never worships the true God; a Christian never worships an idol. If ye join in idolatrous rites, it is impossible that ye should be Christians.
Ye are the temple of the living God] God intends to make the heart of every believer his own house.
I will dwell in them, and walk in them] The words are very emphatic: . I will inhabit in them. I will not be as a wayfaring man, who turns aside to tarry as for a night, but I will take up my constant residence with them; I will dwell in and among them.
I will be their God] They shall have no other God, they shall have none besides me; and if they take me for their God, I will be to them all that an infinite, eternal, and self-sufficient Being can be to his intelligent offspring.
They shall be my people.] If they take me for their GOD, their supreme and eternal GOOD, I will take them for my people; and instruct, enlighten, defend, provide for, support, and bless them, as if I had none else to care for in the creation.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? This particular instance giveth some expositors occasion to interpret 2Co 6:14, of communion with idolaters in such acts of religion as are proper to them; but nothing hinders but that that precept may be interpreted more generally, though the apostle gives this as one particular instance, wherein he would have them avoid communion with unbelievers.
For ye are the temple of the living God; the argument is drawn from what the apostle had before asserted, 1Co 3:16; 6:19, their being the temples of the Holy Ghost; which he proveth from Lev 26:12; Eze 37:26,27.
As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: not that what the apostle meaneth here, is the literal meaning of Lev 26:11,12; for it is manifest, that God by Moses there is speaking not of Gods dwelling in the persons of believers, or in his church, but of that gracious presence and manifestation of himself to his people in the tabernacle erected by his order. Some therefore think, that the place here alluded to, though not quoted verbatim, is that, Eze 37:26,27, which is a promise respecting the kingdom of Christ; where God promiseth to make a covenant of peace with his people, and saith, I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The words, as they are here quoted, are entirely to be found in no one text of holy writ; it is sufficient that they are to be found there in parts. Nor doth this text so properly speak of Gods dwelling in particular believers, as of his dwelling in the churches of his people; therefore, though he speaks of many, ye are, yet temple is in the singular number. These many are but one body; the church in which God dwelleth, and with which he hath communion, which is expressed by walk in them; as in Rev 2:1, he is said to walk in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Nor is the term living vainly added to God; for besides that he is usually so called, as being ever-living, and the Fountain of all life; it also showeth the opposition between him and idols, which are dead things: and therefore God could have no more communion with idols, than the living can have with the dead; nor could they have communion with the living God and dead idols. Nor could they be the people of the living God, and the people or worshippers of dead idols; so as those that were idolaters must lose the advantage of that covenant wherein God had said:
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. agreementaccordance ofsentiments (compare 1Ki 18:21;Eph 5:7; Eph 5:11).
the temple of Godthatis, you believers (1Co 3:16;1Co 6:19).
with idolsCompareDagon before the ark (1Sa5:2-4).
as“even asGod said.” Quotation from Lev 26:12;Jer 31:33; Jer 32:38;Eze 37:26; Eze 37:27;compare Mat 28:20; Joh 14:23.
walk in themrather,”among them.” As “dwell” implies thedivine presence, so “walk,” the divine operation.God’s dwelling in the body and soul of saints may be illustrated byits opposite, demoniacal possession of body and soul.
my peoplerather, “theyshall be to me a people.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?…. That is, what association, confederation, or covenant agreement can the saints, who are the temple of God, have with idols, or their worshippers? no more than the ark of the Lord had with Dagon, or Dagon with the ark; which when brought into his temple, and set by him, the idol fell down, and part of him was broke to pieces:
for ye are the temple of the living God; some copies read “we are”, and so the Ethiopic version. The Corinthians, not only as particular believers, were the temples of God, both with respect to their souls and bodies, but they, as a church of Christ incorporated together, were the temple of God; wherefore the apostle does not say, ye are the “temples”, but “the temple” of the living God, in allusion to the temple built by Solomon; and that in respect to him the builder of it, who was a type of Christ, the son of David, the Prince of peace, the beloved of the Lord, who was to build the temple, the Gospel church, and to bear the glory; and as Solomon’s temple was built on an eminence, on Mount Moriah, so the church is built upon a rock, higher than men, than angels, than the heavens, and out of the reach of men and devils, so as to hurt and destroy it. The matter of the temple at Jerusalem were timber of cedar, and costly stones, hewed, squared, and fitted for the building, before they were brought thither; so the proper materials of a Gospel church are such as are born of incorruptible seed, and therefore comparable to cedars; and are lively stones, hewed, fitted, and squared by the Spirit and grace of God, and put and jointed in among the saints: Solomon’s temple was a very stately magnificent building; it was overlaid within with pure gold, expressing the internal glory of Christ’s church, which is all glorious within, having the Lord himself to be the Glory in the midst of her: the church of Christ may be compared to the temple also, for the firmness of its foundations and pillars; Christ is the foundation of his church, and that itself is the pillar and ground of truth: that temple was holy, being set apart for the worship and service of God, as the church of Christ is sanctified by the Spirit of God, and is built up a spiritual house, to offer the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to God: it is called the “temple of God”, because it is of his building, and where he dwells; “of the living God”, because he has life in himself, and gives both spiritual and eternal life to his people; and in opposition to the idols of the Gentiles, who have no life in them; are representations of dead men, cannot give life, nor any of the comforts of life to their votaries; and who, by worshipping them, expose themselves to eternal death. The evidence of the saints, or church of Christ being the temple of the living God, is as follows,
as God hath said, Le 26:11. I will dwell in them; not by his omnipresence, so he dwells everywhere; nor by his omnipotence, so he dwells in, and with all his creatures, supporting them by the word of his power; but by his Spirit and grace, or by his spiritual and gracious presence, which he favours his people with, in the use of ordinances, and where according to his promises they may expect it:
and walk in them. This denotes the communion God is pleased to afford his church and people, and that gracious presence of his with them, whilst they are sojourners here, and passing on to the heavenly glory; as God is said to “walk in a tent and tabernacle” with the “Israelites”, whilst they were travelling through the wilderness to Canaan; so he walks in his temple, and with his church and people, whilst they are travelling home to the heavenly Canaan; he walks in them, as in his court and palace, or as in his garden, where he takes much pleasure and delight, and great notice and care of them. R. Solomon Jarchi explains the phrase in Le 26:12 “I will walk among you”, thus; I will walk with you in the garden of Eden, or paradise, as one of you, and ye shall not be afraid of me: but the passage regards the presence of God with his people here, and not hereafter:
and I will be their God; not as the God of nature and providence only, but as the God of all grace; as their covenant God and Father in Christ; which is the greatest happiness that can be enjoyed:
and they shall be my people: his special people, loved by him with a peculiar love, on whom he bestows peculiar blessings; and who are made a willing people, willing to be his people by powerful grace, and are formed for himself, his service, and glory: hence it follows,
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Agreement (). Fifth of these words. Late word, but common, though here only in N.T. Approved by putting together the votes. In the papyri means “by agreement.” On the temple of God and idols see 1Co 10:14-22. See Lu 23:51 for the verb .
For we are the temple of the living God ( ). We, not temples (Acts 7:48; Acts 17:24; 1Cor 3:16; 1Cor 6:19).
As God said ( ). A paraphrase and catena of quotations, what J. Rendel Harris calls Testimonia (from Lev 26:11; Isa 52:11; Ezek 20:34; Ezek 37:27; 2Sam 7:8; 2Sam 7:14). Plummer notes that at the beginning “I will dwell in them” ( ) is not in any of them. “As God said” points to Lev 26:12; Ezek 37:27.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Agreement [] . Only here in the New Testament.
Compare the kindred verb sugkatatiqemai to consent, Luk 23:51. Lit., a putting down or depositing along with one. Hence of voting the same way with another, and so agreeing.
Ye are. Read, as Rev., we are.
God hath said, etc. The quotation is combined and condensed from Lev 27:11, 12; and Eze 37:27, after the Septuagint. Paul treats it as if directly affirmed of the christian Church, thus regarding that Church as spiritually identical with the true church of Israel.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And what agreement,” (tis de sugkatathesis) “and what (kind of union;” concord, harmony, or symphony?
2) “Hath the temple of God with idols?” (mao theou meta eidolon) “has a shrine of God (the triune God) with (shrines of) idols?” The answer is “none,” 1Co 10:19-22; Col 3:5; 1Jn 5:21. Even pious ecumenism, attempted outward show of communion with the false in religions, is evil, Heb 13:10.
3) “For ye are the temple of the living God,” (hemeis gar naos theou esmen zontos) “For we are a shrine of a living God;” The “we” that constitute this shrine is the “church we;” in Eph 2:21-22; Heb 3:6; whom He in dwells through the vice-gerency of the Holy Spirit. Others can not scripturally take of her communion, 1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 10:21; Heb 13:10.
4) “And God hath said,” (kathos eipen ho theos) “Even as God has said;” in ancient times so He says to his church today.
5) “I will dwell in them, and walk in them,” (hoti enoikeso en autois kai emperipateso) I will dwell among them and walk among them,” Exo 29:45; Lev 26:12.
6) “And I will be their God,” (kai esomai auton theos) “and I will be their God,” Exo 6:7; Rev 21:7.
7) “And they shall be my people,” (kai autoi esontai mou laos) “and my people shall they be;” Mar 13:34-35; 1Ti 3:15; Mat 28:20; Joh 14:1-3; Rev 21:2-3; Rev 21:9; Eph 3:21; Joh 14:16-17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
16. What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? Hitherto he has in general terms prohibited believers from associating with the wicked. He now lets them know what was the chief reason, why he had prohibited them from such an association — because they had ceased to reckon the profession of idolatry to be a sin. He had censured that liberty, and had exposed it at great length in the former Epistle. It is probable, however, that all had not yet been gained over, so as to receive the counsel which he had given. Hence it was that he complained of their being straitened in their own bowels — the only thing that hindered their proficiency. (617) He does not, however, resume that subject anew, but contents himself with a short admonition, as we are accustomed to do, when we treat of things that are well known. At the same time his brevity does not prevent his giving sharp cuts. For how much emphasis there is in that single word, where he teaches that there is no agreement between the temple of God and idols! “It is a sacrilegious profanation, (618) when an idol or any idolatrous service is introduced into the temple of God Now we are the true temples of God. Hence it is sacrilege to defile ourselves with any contamination of idols. This one consideration, I say, should be to you as good as a thousand. If you are a Christian, what have you to do with idols, (Hos 14:8,) for you are the temple of God?” Paul, however, as I have already in part noticed, contends rather by way of exhortation than of doctrine, inasmuch as it would have been superfluous to be still treating of it, as if it were a thing doubtful or obscure.
As God saith, I will walk. He proves that we are the temples of God from this, that God of old promised to the people of Israel that he would dwell in the midst of them. In the first place, God cannot dwell among us, without dwelling in each one of us, for he promises this as a singular privilege — I will dwell in the midst of you Nor does this dwelling or presence consist merely in earthly blessings, but must be understood chiefly of spiritual grace. Hence it does not mean simply that God is near us, as though he were in the air, flying round about us, but it means rather that he has his abode in our hearts. If, then, any one objects, that the particle in simply means among, I grant it; but I affirm that, from the circumstance that God promises that he will dwell among us, we may infer that he also remains in us. (619) And such was the type of the ark, of which mention is made by Moses in that passage, from which Paul appears to have borrowed this quotation. (Lev 26:12.) If, however, any one thinks that Paul had rather in his eye Eze 37:27, the argument will be the same. For the Prophet, when describing the restoration of the Church, mentions as the chief good, the presence of God, which he had himself in the beginning promised by Moses. Now what was prefigured by the ark, was manifested to us more fully in Christ, when he became to us Immanuel (620) (Mat 1:23.) On this account, I am of opinion that it is Ezekiel, rather than Moses, that is here quoted, because Ezekiel alludes at the same time to the type of the ark, and declares that it will have its fulfillment under the reign of Christ. Now the Apostle takes it for granted, that God dwells nowhere but in a sacred place. If we say of a man, “he dwells here,” that will not make the place a temple; but as to God there is this peculiarity, that whatever place he honors with his presence, he at the same time sanctifies.
(617) “ Ce qui seul empeschoit que son enseignement ne proufitast enuers eux;” — “What alone hindered his teaching from being of advantage to them.”
(618) “ C’est vn profanation horrible, et vn sacrilege detestable;” — “It is a horrible profanation, and a detestable sacrilege.”
(619) “ I will dwell in them. The words are very significant in the original, ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, ‘I will indwell in them,’ so the words are. There are two ins in the original, as if God could have never enough communion with them.” — Leigh’s Annotatiots. — Ed.
(620) “ C’est dire Dieu auce nous;” — “That is to say, God with us.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?Here we see clearly the drift of the Apostles thoughts. His mind travels back to the controversy about things sacrificed to idols. Was there not a risk that what he had said about width and expansion of feeling would be perverted by those who claimed the right to sit at an idols feast even in the precincts of the idols temple (1Co. 8:10)? Against that perversion he thinks it necessary to enter his protest. And the ground of that protest is that they, collectively and individually (1Co. 3:16; 1Co. 6:19), are the temples of God, and that there can be no agreement between that temple and one dedicated to an idol. The word translated agreement expresses, like the English, a compact or treaty of alliance. In modern phrase, a concordat between the two antagonistic systems was an impossibility.
I will dwell in them, and walk in them.The citation which follows is, like many others in St. Pauls writings, a composite one: Lev. 26:12 giving, I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and Exo. 29:45, I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. The implied premise is that wherever God dwells there is His temple. The word indicates the sanctuary, or holiest part of the temple. (See Note on Joh. 2:19.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Temple idols The contrast embraces the Church collectively, of which the temple is the structural image. St. Paul does not present the contrast as between a temple of the true God and one of idolatry; but of a holy temple with an unholy idol in it. The Jews preferred to rebel against the power of imperial Rome rather than to allow an ensign of paganism to be brought into the temple.
Ye are the temple Thus bringing emphatically home the force of the illustration.
Living God In contrast with all other temples, which are of gods that do not live.
God hath said We have the word of the very living God himself for it, as recorded in the Old Testament. In accordance with Jewish modes of quoting the Old Testament, St. Paul blends together the tenor of a number of different passages, like a painter forming a picture by dipping his brush in his colours to finish with a variety of touches.
I will dwell In this verse we have the promise; in the next, the command finishing off with promises, carried into the final verse. The words of this verse refer to Lev 26:11-12, with a fragment of Eze 37:26. It is the promise of God to be present with his faithful Church.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And what agreement has a temple of God with idols? For we are a temple of the living God, even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” ’
We note the progression that has been leading up to this, righteousness and iniquity; light and darkness; Christ and Belial; and now the living temple of God and idols. God’s people have been made righteous (2Co 5:21); have received light (2Co 4:4-6); are in Christ, in God’s Anointed (2Co 1:5; 2Co 2:14-15; 2Co 5:17) and have thus become the temple of the living God (1Co 3:9; 1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 6:19). This is in contrast with those who live in iniquity; walk in darkness; are ‘sons of Belial’; and are caught up with false gods.
Idols were ever to be wholly excluded from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and Israel’s sin through the centuries lay partly in their introduction of idols into His Temple. It was their failure to put these away that was continually levelled against them, and exclusion of idols from the temple had become paramount in the eyes of all Jews after the Exile, as accentuated by what had happened under Antiochus Epiphanes when a pig had been offered in the Temple to Zeus. Thus the Temple of God and idols were seen to be totally incompatible, and no one would be more aware of that than Paul.
Yet that the Corinthians were dallying with idolatry has come out in 1 Corinthians 8; 1Co 10:7; 1Co 10:20-22; 1Co 10:24-31. Is this not partly an explanation of their attitude towards him? They do not like his strictures on their way of life. They want to dally with idolatry, claiming that they scorn it. Now Paul seeks to bring home the lesson more firmly. Enough is enough. Let them now recognise, as those who are Christ’s, the incompatibility of all that is to do with idols.
Let them consider the words of God. Has not God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Thus they themselves are the temple of the living God, even as God said, and must therefore have no connection with idolatry. There is no place in the Temple of God for idols. These words are a paraphrase of Lev 26:11-12, which reads, ‘And I will set my dwellingplace among you, — and I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people.’
The verb translated live with (enoikeo) means to “inhabit” or “be at home,” and the idea is active rather than passive. It is a stronger word than to ‘tabernacle’ among them. So God is dwelling among them permanently and is at home with them as their Lord. His kingship has been established. The next clause actually means to “walk in and around” (en [in] + peri [around] + pateo [walk]). God does not merely exercise his rights as Lord but moves with authority as their Lord from one section to another.
The third clause, ‘I will be their God and they will be my people’, is a recurring promise of Yahweh to Israel in the Old Testament. The first occurrence is in Lev 26:12, but it also appears in Jer 31:33; Jer 32:38 (connected with the new covenant) and Eze 37:27 (connected with the everlasting covenant); see also Eze 11:20; Eze 36:28. It is a confirmation that the covenant has been ratified. There is now a movement of emphasis from the dwellingplace to the covenant, and the language is that of a great lord to a vassal. We may note in this connection how, in the immediately preceding verse, the LXX has “I will put my covenant among you” (compare the Masoretic Text, “I will put my dwelling place among you”). Under the terms of the treaty that bound king and vassal together, the king agreed to deliver and protect the vassal, and the vassal promised sole allegiance and obedience. That is why the worship of God and fraternising with idolatry was fundamentally incompatible as Paul has just brought out. They cannot have communion with Christ and communion with devils (1Co 10:16-21). They cannot have Christ and Belial (the worthless one). They must choose. The connection with the covenant ties back with 2Co 3:6-14
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
2Co 6:16. The temple of God; There seems a peculiar strength in this interrogation; “If God would not endure idols in any part of the land in which he dwelt, how much less would he endure them under his own roof?” No words in our language can equal the force of the Greek, which we render, I will dwell in them; , “I will take up my indwelling in them.” This was a promise made to the Jews on their being converted; and consequentlyrefers to their privileges, as members of the Christian church; which shews the propriety of the application, Jer 31:33; Jer 32:37-38.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Co 6:16 . Comp. 1Co 10:20 . What agreement (Polyb. ii. 58. 11, iv. 17. 8) has the temple of God with idols? how can it reconcile itself with them? Comp. on .; also Exo 23:11 ; Luk 23:51 . The two are contraries, which stand negatively related to one another; if the temple of God should come into contact with idols (as was the case, e.g. , under Ahaz), it would be desecrate.
. . .] With this Paul proves that he was not without reason in using the words . . . of the contradiction between the Christian and the heathen character. The emphasis is on : for we Christians are (sensu mystico) the temple of the living God . [252]
] in contrast with the dead idols in the heathen temple.
] in accordance with the utterance of God : Lev 26:12 , freely after the LXX., the summary of the divine covenant of promis.
] among them ; see below, , walk about in (Lucian, adv. Ind. 6; Ach. Tat. i. 6; LXX.). The indwelling of God in the body of Christians as in His temple, and the intercourse of His gracious rule in it ( .), take place through the medium of the Spirit . See on 1Co 3:16 ; Joh 14:23 .
[252] So according to the reading . See the critical remarks. According to the Recepta (so also Tisch., defended by Rckert, Osiander, Hofmann) it would apply to the Corinthian church , which in the spiritual sense is the temple of God, as 1Co 3:16 . Ewald has rightly upheld the reading , but has wrongly used it against the genuineness of the section ( Jahrb . IX. p. 216). How often in a connection, where Paul is speaking of himself in the first person plural, has he thereupon expressed also in the same person the consciousness of Christians generally , as e.g . just at 2Co 5:21 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Ver. 16. I will dwell in them ] Gr. , I will indwell in them. This notes God’s nearest communion with them. He setteth them before his face continually,Psa 41:12Psa 41:12 , as loving to look upon them. The philosopher told his friends, when they came into his little low cottage, The gods are here with me: . God and angels are with his saints.
And walk in them ] As they did in Solomon’s porch, and other walks and galleries about the temple. And hereunto the prophet alludes,Zec 3:7Zec 3:7 . The Turks wonder to see a man walk to and fro, and usually ask such whether they be out of their way or out of their wits. (Biddulph.)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16. ] ., ‘ agreement in opinions ;’ see reff., and cf. Plato, Gorg. 122, ;
, between you, the Church of God , see below, and 1Co 3:16 ; , idols , as the lords and of the heathen world.
] explanation of as applying to them, and justification of it by a citation from the prophetic Scriptures. The words cited are compounded of Lev 26:12 , and Eze 37:26-27 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
2Co 6:16 . . . .: and what agreement has the Temple of God with idols? It is quite unnecessary to mark the absence of the article by translating “ a temple of God”: has become anarthrous, as a quasi-technical phrase, and in the Apostle’s thought there is only one such Temple, which is built up by the whole body of believers (see reff.). . . .: for we are the Temple of a God who is alive (see reff.); note that as the emphatic word is placed last. . . .: as God said , “ I will dwell in them (these words are only a paraphrase of Lev 26:11 ; the quotation begins with 2Co 6:12 ) and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people ” ( cf. Exo 6:7 , Jer 31:33 , Eze 11:20 , Zec 8:8 ; Zec 13:9 , etc., where the promise is reiterated). Several passages of the O.T., viz. , Lev 26:12 , Isa 52:11 , Eze 20:34 and 2Sa 7:14 are here combined; and it is worth noticing that the first, second and fourth of these are marked as distinct quotations by the introductory formul which precede them in the O.T. in each case, viz. , from Lev 26:12 , from Isa 52:5 (or Eze 20:33 ), and from 2Sa 7:8 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
agreement. Greek sunkatatheeis. Only here. The verb is used in Luk 23:51.
Temple. Greek. news. See Mat 23:16.
idols, i.e. the temple of idols. Figure of speech Ellipsis of Repetition. App-6.
dwell. Greek. enoikeo. See Rom 8:11.
in. App-104.
walk. Greek. emperipateo. Only here.
people. Greek. laos. See Act 2:47. Quoted from Lev 26:12.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16.] ., agreement in opinions; see reff., and cf. Plato, Gorg. 122, ;
, between you, the Church of God,-see below, and 1Co 3:16;-, idols, as the lords and of the heathen world.
] explanation of as applying to them, and justification of it by a citation from the prophetic Scriptures. The words cited are compounded of Lev 26:12, and Eze 37:26-27.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
2Co 6:16. ) LXX. Exo 23:1 : , thou shalt not agree with the wicked.- , with idols) He does not say, , with the temple of idols (although the Syriac version supplies with the temple), for idols do not dwell in their worshippers.-, ye) The promises, made to Israel, belong also to us.–, I will dwell in them-my people) Lev 26:11-12, LXX. – , , : I will set my tabernacle among you-and I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. Paul quotes a single verse, he wishes the whole paragraph to be considered as repeated.-, I will walk among [in]) I will dwell signifies the continuance of the Divine presence; I will walk; its operation. The subject of Gods gracious dwelling in the soul and body of the saints may be explained from its contrary, viz., the subject of [the question concerning] spiritual and bodily [demoniacal] possession; as every dispensation of evil and good may be compared together according to their opposite aspects [principles].-, I will be) The sum of the Divine covenant, Exo 6:7; Heb 8:10.- , their God: my people) There is a gradation, [here ; but in 2Co 6:18, ] in the relation of a father; [again here ; but ] in the relation of sons, 2Co 6:18; Rev 21:3; Rev 21:7; Jer 31:1; Jer 31:9.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
2Co 6:16
2Co 6:16
And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols?-[Were it not for the fact that believers are Gods temple, there would be no propriety in this question. A building consecrated to the service of God is no place for idols. The service of idols and that of God cannot be combined. Idolatry is such an insult to God that when an idol comes in God goes out. We cannot combine the worship of God and the worship of idols. Idolatry is everywhere in the scriptures represented as the greatest insult the creature can offer the Creator; and the grossest form of that insult is to erect idols in Gods own temple. Such is the indignity of those, who, while professing to be Christians, associate themselves with the wicked in their inward and outward life. It is the introduction of idols into Gods temple. (Col 3:5-9). ]
for we are a temple of the living God;-The church is the temple of God. The temple in Jerusalem, with its corner and foundation stones, and the comely stones in its walls, was typical of the temple not made with hands, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (Eph 2:20-22).
even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them;-[God is said to dwell where he specially and permanently manifests his presence. And since he thus manifests his presence in his people collectively and individually, he is said to dwell in all and in each. These words are cited from Leviticus 26: 11, 12, and as they stand here mean something more intimate and profound than they did to Israel. What God speaks, he speaks to his people, and speaks once for all. And if the divine presence in the camp of Israel-a presence represented by the Ark and the Tabernacle-was to consecrate the nation to Jehovah, and inspire them to keep the camp clean, that they might not offend the eyes of his glory, how much more ought those whom God has visited in the person of his Son to cleanse themselves from every defilement and make their hearts a fit place for his habitation. The expression I will walk in them is not simply among them because the presence of God is represented as internal, in the heart: And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he . . . shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:10-11). And the Lord says the same of every true believer: If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (Joh 14:23). So the human soul is said to be full of God when its inward state, its affection, and its acts are directed and controlled by him so as to be a constant manifestation of his presence.]
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.-Not only the God whom they worship, but the God who will protect and bless them. This is the great promise of the covenant with Abraham, and with all the true Israel of God. It is for God to be to his people what he designed to be to man when he created him in his own image. The promise contains more than it has ever entered into the heart of man to conceive. The promise that all the nations should be blessed in the seed of Abraham, as unfolded in the mission of Jesus Christ, comprehends all the blessings in the scheme of redemption.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
temple
(Greek – ,” the sanctuary itself).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
what: Exo 20:3, Exo 23:13, Exo 34:14, Deu 4:23, Deu 4:24, Deu 5:7, Deu 6:14, Deu 6:15, Jos 24:14-24, 1Sa 7:3, 1Sa 7:4, 1Ki 18:21, 2Ki 17:33, 2Ki 17:34, 2Ki 21:4, 2Ki 21:5, 2Ki 23:5-7, 2Ch 33:4, 2Ch 33:5, Eze 36:25, Hos 14:8, Zep 1:5, Mat 6:24, 1Jo 5:20, 1Jo 5:21
ye are: 1Co 3:16, 1Co 3:17, 1Co 6:19, Eph 2:20, Heb 3:6, 1Pe 2:5
I will dwell: Exo 29:45, Lev 26:12, Psa 90:1, Eze 43:7, Eze 43:9, Zec 2:10, Zec 2:11, Joh 6:56, Rom 8:9, Rom 8:11, Eph 3:17, 2Ti 1:14, 1Jo 4:12, 1Jo 4:15, Rev 21:3
I will be: Gen 17:7, Gen 17:8, Jer 24:7, Jer 31:33, Jer 32:38, Eze 11:20, Eze 36:28, Eze 37:26, Eze 37:27, Hos 2:23, Zec 8:8, Zec 13:9, Rom 9:26, Heb 8:10, Rev 21:7
Reciprocal: Gen 5:22 – General Exo 25:8 – I may dwell Lev 19:30 – reverence Lev 20:3 – profane Num 5:3 – in the midst Num 6:2 – When Num 23:21 – the Lord Num 25:2 – they called Num 35:34 – I dwell Deu 5:26 – living Deu 23:14 – walketh Jos 24:23 – put away Rth 1:16 – thy God 1Sa 15:23 – stubbornness 2Sa 7:6 – walked 1Ki 6:1 – build 1Ki 6:13 – I will dwell 1Ki 8:27 – But will 1Ki 22:4 – I am as thou 1Ch 17:6 – walked 1Ch 23:25 – that they may dwell in Jerusalem 2Ch 16:3 – a league 2Ch 29:5 – sanctify the house Psa 68:18 – that Psa 114:2 – General Jer 11:4 – ye be Jer 14:9 – art Jer 44:23 – ye have burned Eze 48:8 – the sanctuary Dan 2:11 – whose Joe 2:27 – I am Zec 2:6 – and flee Zec 8:3 – dwell Mat 12:30 – that is Luk 5:36 – agreeth Luk 20:38 – for all Joh 2:21 – temple Joh 14:17 – but 1Co 3:9 – ye are God’s building 2Co 3:3 – the living 2Co 13:5 – Jesus Christ Gal 4:7 – heir Eph 2:21 – an Eph 4:6 – and in Col 1:27 – Christ 1Th 1:9 – the living 1Ti 3:15 – the living Heb 9:14 – the living Heb 10:21 – the house 1Jo 3:24 – dwelleth 1Jo 4:4 – greater Rev 7:15 – dwell Rev 11:1 – Rise
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Co 6:16. Temple of God is contrasted with idols because those heathen objects of worship were usually housed in buildings. in which the idolaters gathered for their religious exercises. Ye are the temple refers to the disciples as a congregation in which God dwells as the “guest of honor.” It is true that 1Co 6:19 says the bodies of Christians are temples of the Holy Ghost, but there is no difficulty, for the church is made up of individual disciples. Their God . . . my people. In the national life of the various groups of people existing in olden times, each group claimed some par ticular deity as its head or ruling spirit. By the same token, if Christians will be separate from all heathen and other unlawful religious associations, God will claim them as his people, and will allow them to own Him as their God.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
2Co 6:16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for we[1] are the temple of the living God-not only in contrast with the dead idols in the heathen temples, but to express the living character of the temple itself (1Pe 2:5);
[1] The first person plural, not the second, is the true reading here.
even as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The quotation is from Lev 26:12 (as in LXX.), save the first words, I will dwell in them, which seem to be a combination of Psa 68:18 (LXX.) and of the import of several other passages. No language, surely, could more emphatically express the radical contrast between believers and unbelievers than this.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
This form of questions evidently implies the absolute inconsistency between believers and idolaters, and the danger from communion with them. And the apostle’s calling believers the temple of the living God, represents both their dignity and duty; their dignity, in having the Spirit of God to dwell in them, and walk in them; their duty, to be purified and adorned for his habitation.
Observe, believers are a spiritual temple, in which the Holy Ghost dwells. This dwelling implies propriety, familiarity, authority, residency, and fixedness of abode.
Observe, 2. That the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in good men, as in a temple, being the highest honour and most perfect felicity of the reasonable nature, should oblige them to universal holiness, and to avoid all communion with idolaters.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said [Lev 26:12; Exo 29:45; Eze 37:27; Jer 31:1], I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [In the first epistle to the Corinthians the apostle had reasoned with the church, giving it instruction as to marriage ties between pagans and believers, and as to the social and other fellowships which tempted the Corinthians to take part in idol feasts. In all this his language had been careful and guarded, and he had recognized to the full every principle of Christian liberty involved in these questions. He now lays aside the argumentative reserve which characterized his first letter and tells them plainly that by thus going to the extreme limits of their liberty they are liable to make the grace of God in vain as to them. That life is a brief day of probation wherein they should not hazard their salvation. Then, by a series of short, terse questions he shows the utter folly, the inconsistency and incongruity of every form of alliance which entangles the children of God with the children of the devil. The world has not so improved, and Satan has not so repented, as to in any way nullify, or even weaken, the weight and applicability of this apostolic warning.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the {l} living God; as God hath said, I will {m} dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(l) He sets the living God against idols.
(m) God dwells with us, because Christ has become God with us.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The main reason for Paul’s prohibition is that Christians belong to Christ. We already have a binding relationship with Him, and we must not be unfaithful to Him by going after another.
Paul quoted several Old Testament passages to support his contention. The first is a gracious promise that God gave the Israelites in the wilderness with the consequence that they were to be holy (Lev 26:11-12; cf. Exo 25:8; Exo 29:45). Paul had taught the Corinthians that they were the temple of God (1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 6:19). Therefore it was only appropriate that they be set apart to God too since He inhabited them.
The second quotation is from Exo 6:7 and Lev 26:12 (cf. Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27). The essential relationship between God and the people that He has chosen for special blessing requires that those so blessed remain faithful to Him.
"In our present passage Paul’s language indicates the corporate figure, but the responsibility of the individual to keep himself pure is both implicit and later emphasized (2Co 7:1)." [Note: Hughes, p. 252.]