What Does 1 Corinthians 6:4 Mean in the King James?
If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The command to seat those considered insignificant as judges is a sting: the community’s status ladder has failed to produce discernment.
THE MEANING
Ordinary disputes reveal how a community assigns wisdom and authority. The command to seat the people counted least is biting irony; the next verse names the shame in finding no wise person among you. The verse exposes the gap between public esteem and actual discernment.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
High social standing is a reliable measure of who can judge well.
THE ROOT
κριτήρια
kritēria
GROWS FROM
κρίνω
krinō
To distinguish, decide, or judge; κριτήρια (kritēria) refers to tribunals or cases brought for decision.
“judgments” in this verse is kritēria. The same word family gives Greek κρίσις (krisis), a judgment or decision, and κριτής (kritēs), a judge; English “criterion” also comes from this family, naming a measure used to decide. The verse is about a forum for resolving cases, so its sharpness lands on who is trusted to discern, not merely on who is arguing.
ALSO GROWS
krisis: judgment, decision
κρίσις
It shows that the root carries the act and outcome of deciding, beyond a vague sense of criticism.
kritēs: judge
κριτής
It names the person who carries out the discernment at issue in the verse.
THE PATTERN
A community’s rankings of worth are tested by who receives a hearing and who is trusted with judgment.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.THE THREAD
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?The same Greek root κρίνω (krinō), “to decide or judge,” appears in both verses. Beside the scale of judging the world and the smallest matters, verse 4’s irony sharpens: the community’s discernment is tested in its ordinary disputes.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us