Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Corinthians 6:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator.
Winning a sibling in court can still be defeat.
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Corinthians 6:1–8. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 6:1–8
Read 1 Corinthians 6:5 with 6:1–8. This verse uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator. The complete unit establishes: Paul rebukes believers for taking ordinary grievances before status-laden public courts while lacking trustworthy internal wisdom; litigation reveals communal defeat, yet his final charge is not merely that victims endure loss but that some members are actively doing wrong and defrauding siblings.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The inside-accountability principle is tested by financial and status conflict, where powerful claimants may use courts to harm one another. At 6:5, this verse uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator.
Follow the Context
- Paul questions choosing outside courts for community grievances.
- Future participation in judgment makes their present incapacity incongruous.
- The absence of a wise mediator shames the assembly.
- Believer-against-believer litigation displays failure.
- Paul asks why they do not accept loss.
- He then accuses them of doing wrong and defrauding others.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not”
In plain language: This verse uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator.
It contributes specifically to Status Lawsuits Expose Mutual Defeat and Defrauding inside 1 Corinthians 6:1–8.
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
1 Corinthians 6:5 does not turn the fact that it uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator into a standalone universal rule.
What Remains True
This verse uses shame rhetorically to seek one wise mediator. This supports the unit's enduring conclusion: Christians should not use status systems to exploit one another and should build trustworthy, impartial ways to resolve ordinary conflict.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Corinthians 6:5's contribution to 1 Corinthians 6:1–8. Include the surrounding argument, the named interpretive uncertainty, and one use the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1–8 — Status Lawsuits Expose Mutual Defeat and DefraudingSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The future judgment of world and angels is not explained, and verse 4 may be command, question, or irony. None of the options requires church tribunals to replace competent civil justice.
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 6:1–8, 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, 6:1–8
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 6:1–8 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 6:1–8
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 6:1–8
Open source ↗