# 1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5 is the fifth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus. In this short chapter, Paul demonstrates the festivals of Christianity.

## Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

### Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
* Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350)
* Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
* Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
* Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450)
* Papyrus 11 (7th century; extant verses 5, 7–8)

## Sexual immorality and exclusion

"The censure of the party-divisions [addressed in the previous chapters] is concluded", and Paul moves on without transition to a "widely" or "universally" reported issue of a member of the Corinthian church living with his father's wife and the church failing to remove this man from their fellowship. Paul criticises the church for its arrogance in not taking action, which might have been due to the factional nature of the church or to a false understanding of Christian liberty. In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul commands the church in Corinth to forgive and restore a certain brother to fellowship, apparently the same person.

## Immorality defiles the church (5:1–8)
### Verses 4–5

   $^4$When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, $^5$you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
* "Our Lord Jesus" from the Greek τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ, tou kuriou hēmōn Iēsou (following ancient manuscripts B D* 1175 1739). Some variants are found in some extant ancient manuscripts:
** ἡμῶν, hēmōn, 'our', is not found in א A Ψ 1505. The phrase "the Lord Jesus" is found as often as "our Lord Jesus" (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23; 16:23; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 11:31; Ephesians 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Philemon 5).
** Ancient Greek: Χριστοῦ, romanized: Christou, lit. 'Christ', is found after Ancient Greek: ᾿Ιησοῦ, lit. 'Jesus', in P46 א D2 F G 33 1881 M co and before ᾿Ιησοῦ in 81. The expression "our Lord Jesus Christ" is often found in Paul's writings (cf. Romans 5:1, 11; 15:6, 30; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 7, 10; 15:57; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 6:14, 18, Ephesians 1:3, 17; 5:20; 6:24; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:9, 23, 28), more commonly than just "our Lord Jesus" (cf. Romans 16:20; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:11, 13; 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 12).
** The only witnesses that have τοῦ κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ, tou kuriou Iēsou, 'the Lord Jesus' (without "our" or "Christ") are A Ψ 1505.
* "[The days of] the Lord": from the Greek κυρίου, kuriou, 'Lord', is found in P46 B 630 1739; other variants are
** κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ, kuriou Iēsou, 'Lord Jesus' is found in P61vid א Ψ M
** κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, kuriou Iēsou Christou, 'Lord Jesus Christ', is found in D
** κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, kuriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou, 'our Lord Jesus Christ', is found in A F G P 33 al.

### Verse 6

   Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
* "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?": This refers to a well-known proverb, much used by the Jews, and other cultures as well, with the meaning that false doctrine increases to more ungodliness, and when not immediately corrected, will endanger the whole community.

## Paul's previous letter

Verse 9 refers to an earlier letter written by Paul to the Corinthians, sometimes called the "warning letter" or the "pre-canonical letter". Paraphrase versions like J. B. Philips' translation and the New Testament for Everyone explicitly call this a "previous" letter, supplying a word which is not in the original text. The previous letter had warned members of the church not to associate with people living immoral lives.

## Immorality must be judged (5:9–13)
### Verse 13

   But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."
* Verse 13 cross-references Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19; 22:21, 24; 24:7