📖WEB · 1 Corinthians 9:5
What does 1 Corinthians 9:5 mean?
"Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?"
— 1 Corinthians 9:5 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
My defense to those who examine me is this.
Have we no right to eat and to drink?
Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?
What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn’t eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn’t drink from the flock’s milk?
Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or doesn’t the law also say the same thing?
Explanation
1 Corinthians 9:5 finds Paul in the middle of defending his rights as an apostle, even though he has chosen not to exercise most of them. In plain language, Paul is asking a rhetorical question: don't I have the right, like other apostles, to be married to a believing wife and to have her travel and minister alongside me? He isn't announcing that he has a wife, nor is he commanding others to marry. He is pointing out that this is a legitimate right that he and others could claim, using it as evidence in a larger argument about apostolic privileges.
The context is important. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, a congregation he had founded but which was now questioning his authority and legitimacy as an apostle. Some in Corinth apparently criticized Paul because he didn't accept financial support from them or bring a wife along in his travels, unlike other recognized leaders. In chapter 9, Paul defends his apostolic rights broadly — the right to eat and drink at the church's expense, the right to be supported materially for his labor, and here, the right to have a believing wife accompany him in ministry. He mentions "the rest of the apostles," "the brothers of the Lord" (referring to Jesus's half-brothers, such as James, who were involved in early church leadership), and "Cephas" (Peter) as examples of apostles who were married and whose wives traveled with them in ministry.
Theologically, this verse affirms several things. First, it confirms that marriage was fully compatible with apostolic ministry — it was not viewed as a hindrance or a lesser
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.