Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Corinthians 6:19 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 19. 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse identifies the body as Spirit-indwelt and not self-owned.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 6:12–20
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19 with 6:12–20. This verse identifies the body as Spirit-indwelt and not self-owned. The complete unit establishes: Paul qualifies claimed freedom by benefit and non-domination, rejects treating sex as appetite disposal, grounds bodies in the Lord and resurrection, warns that sexual union involves Christ's members and one-flesh reality, and calls Spirit-indwelt, purchased people to glorify God bodily.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The unit applies grace and resurrection to embodied freedom before answering relational questions in chapter 7. At 6:19, the distinct clause is “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the.”
Follow the Context
- Freedom is tested by benefit and domination.
- Food's temporary function cannot define the body's purpose.
- The body is for the Lord and destined for resurrection.
- Sexual union joins Christ's members and invokes Genesis one flesh.
- Fleeing sexual wrongdoing protects embodied belonging.
- The body is the Spirit's temple, bought for God's glory.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the”
In plain language: This is the verse's opening clause in the pinned KJV.
It contributes specifically to Bodies Belong to the Risen Lord inside 1 Corinthians 6:12–20.
Why it matters: The verse carries enough interpretive or pastoral weight to require the full unit and its explicit limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Being bought and not one's own does not give a spouse, church, employer, or leader ownership of another person's body.
What Remains True
At 1 Corinthians 6:19, Embodied freedom belongs to the risen Lord and is measured by non-domination, faithful union, and the Spirit's holy presence.
How It Can Shape Life
- For 1 Corinthians 6:19, Practice explicit consent, mutual responsibility, truthful sexual ethics, survivor care, and freedom from exploitative or compulsive patterns.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Corinthians 6:19's contribution to 1 Corinthians 6:12–20. Include the surrounding argument, the named interpretive uncertainty, and one use the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 — Bodies Belong to the Risen LordSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The exact quotation boundaries and force of 'every sin outside the body' are disputed. The unit clearly rejects appetite reduction and unaccountable sexual freedom.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 6:12–20, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 6:12–20
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 6:12–20
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 6:12–20
Open source ↗