Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Corinthians 6:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse contrasts God's temple with idols and applies God's dwelling promise to the community.
Read It With
- 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1
Read 2 Corinthians 6:16 with 6:14–7:1. This verse contrasts God's temple with idols and applies God's dwelling promise to the community. The complete unit establishes this movement: Paul forbids binding participation that joins God's temple people to lawlessness, darkness, Belial, unbelief, and idols; scriptural promises name God's dwelling and call the beloved community to holiness.
Why This Verse Appears Here
In its present position, holiness tests which relationships can share the reconciliation Paul seeks. Within that movement, this verse contrasts God's temple with idols and applies God's dwelling promise to the community.
Read 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 together
Why these verses belong together: Five partnership contrasts, temple identity, Scripture promises, cleansing, and holiness form one disputed but coherent unit.
Verse 14. 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Verse 15. 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
Verse 16. 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.
Verse 17. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Verse 18. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Verse 1. 1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Follow the Context
- Five incompatible partnership questions prohibit mismatched yoking.
- Christ/Belial and temple/idols are contrasted.
- The community is God's living temple.
- Scripture promises God's dwelling and belonging.
- Separation from uncleanness joins divine welcome.
- The beloved community cleanses flesh and spirit and pursues holiness.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols”
In plain language: God's people belong to the living God as his dwelling.
contrasts God's temple with idols and applies God's dwelling promise to the community. God's people belong to the living God as his dwelling.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the full unit and its stated limits.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Temple identity does not make a church building, institution, or leader sacred beyond accountability.
What Remains True
God's people belong to the living God as his dwelling.
How It Can Shape Life
- Remove idolatrous practices while protecting people caught in coercive systems.
Teach It Back
Explain how 2 Corinthians 6:16 contributes to 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this 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 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 — God's Temple People Pursue Holiness Without Compromising IdolatrySources used for this Verse Lens
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: 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1, 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 2Co.txt, 6:14–7:1
Open the 2 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 2 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Corinthians chapter print views, 6:14–7:1, including attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open NET 2 Corinthians 6 notesmodern open commentary
2 Corinthians
Peter Balla
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter setting, literary movement, Greek observations, and passage-level evangelical interpretation.
Exact location: Balla, TGC Bible Commentary, 2 Corinthians, introduction and section on 6:14–7:1
Open source ↗modern annotated new testament
2 Corinthians introduction and annotations in The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Alan J. Avery-Peck; edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler
Oxford University Press, 2011
Supports: Jewish and Greco-Roman context, scriptural echoes, composition questions, and concise verse-level alternatives.
Exact location: Avery-Peck, Jewish Annotated New Testament, print pp. 315–331, introduction and annotations on 6:14–7:1
Open source ↗peer reviewed exegetical article
The apistoi of 2 Cor 6:14: Are They Unbelievers?
T. J. Harrison
Novum Testamentum 55.1, 2013
Supports: Focused argument that the unbelievers are Gentile pagans shaped by pagan wisdom, weighed against opponent and broader mixed-group proposals.
Exact location: Harrison, 'The apistoi of 2 Cor 6:14,' Novum Testamentum 55.1 (2013), pp. 45–60
Open source ↗peer reviewed open access composition study
A Hypothesis for the Composition History of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians
Gert J. C. Jordaan
In die Skriflig 48.1, 2014
Supports: A detailed multi-stage composition hypothesis considered alongside the canonical letter's observable coherence.
Exact location: Jordaan, 'A Hypothesis for the Composition History of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians,' In die Skriflig 48.1 (2014), article a1783, pp. 1–9
Open source ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology, form, and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, Greek morphology and lexical records for 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1
Open source ↗