1 Corinthians 9:4
ESV
Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
NIV
Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
NASB
Do we not have a right to eat and drink?
CSB
Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?
NLT
Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals?
KJV
Have we not power to eat and to drink?
NKJV
Do we have no right to eat and drink?
What does 1 Corinthians 9:4 mean?
Paul asks a series of questions about his right as one of the apostles. He begins with asking if he and other apostles have a right to eat and drink. By this, he means they have a right to have their necessities met, starting with the most basic of all, food and drink.Paul is leading up to the idea that, as a minister of the gospel—and especially as an apostle—he could ask those he serves to provide him support so he would not have to work outside of ministry to support himself. Then, he will remind the Corinthians that he has never asked them to do this. His reason for making this comparison is to show that Paul practices what he preaches. He has asked the believers in Corinth to put their "rights" aside for the good of others, which is something Paul himself has already demonstrated.
First Corinthians 9:1–18 describes Paul's case for why he, as an apostle, has the right to ask for financial support from the people he serves, including the Corinthian Christians. Though he could demand, Paul refuses to insist on his right. He doesn't want anything to get in the way of someone hearing the gospel. He must preach the gospel; he has no choice. But Paul wants to be able to boast about offering the gospel free of charge even though he has the right to ask for financial support. This passage establishes that believers have an obligation to support those who serve through ministry. This message is made more valid since Paul is not benefitting from his own argument.
Paul encourages Christians to willingly give up their ''rights'' for the good of those who are weak in their faith. Paul shows that he, too, has given up his rights, including the right as an apostle to receive financial support from those he serves. Instead, he boasts that he serves the Corinthians without any compensation, even at great cost to himself. Paul describes himself as an athlete competing for the prize of a crown in eternity. His point is for believers to pursue godliness, and the good of others, with that kind of commitment.
