Verse Lens · Context pointer
1 Corinthians 9:8 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 8. 8Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
This verse insists the support principle is not merely human custom.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 9:1–14
Read 1 Corinthians 9:8 with 9:1–14. This verse insists the support principle is not merely human custom. The complete unit establishes: Paul defends genuine apostolic rights to food, family accompaniment, and material support through ordinary labor analogies, Torah, temple practice, and Jesus's instruction, while the Corinthians themselves serve as the seal of his ministry.
Why It Needs Context
The complete movement in 1 Corinthians 9:1–14 supplies the report, reply, qualification, speaker, or conclusion that gives this line its force; isolated teaching would detach it from those controls.
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 9:1–14 — Apostolic Rights Are Real and AccountableSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
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 9:1–14, 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, 9:1–14
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗