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1 Corinthians 9:8
ESV Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same?
NIV Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn't the Law say the same thing?
NASB I am not just asserting these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does the Law not say these things as well?
CSB Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn't the law also say the same thing?
NLT Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?
KJV Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?

What does 1 Corinthians 9:8 mean?

Paul is presenting his defense of a certain point of view. He does, in fact, sound very much like a lawyer in this series of verses. He is making the case that he has rights as an apostle of Jesus. And yet, for important reasons, he is not demanding that those rights be honored by the believers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 9:1–7). That message is meant to underscore his teaching from the end of chapter 8 (1 Corinthians 8:7–13).

The central question is whether someone has the right to financial support from those they serve. This would include the Christians in Corinth. Paul has shown that other apostles claim this right and that people in most other professions claim it as well. It's the normal, common-sense way of things: those who benefit provide support to those who serve them. To put this principle beyond argument, Paul turns to the Old Testament law of Moses to emphasize that this is a legal right. He is not merely speaking from human authority, as shown by his citation in the following verse (1 Corinthians 9:9).
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