I Corinthians 6:4 · Bible study
1 Corinthians 6:4 Commentary: The Meaning of 'Least Esteemed' in Disputes
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does Paul command Christians to let the church's least esteemed members judge disputes, or is he rebuking them? A study of the grammar and context.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul either commands the Corinthians to appoint the church’s least esteemed members as judges in civil disputes, or rebukes them for turning to pagan magistrates who are despised by the church.
- Key words: κριτήρια (“tribunals” or “courts”), καθίζετε (“set/appoint,” ambiguous mood), ἐξουθενημένους (“despised”/“least esteemed,” from exoutheneō).
- Main debate: Imperative vs. interrogative reading of καθίζετε, is Paul instructing or criticizing? The identity of “those despised” hangs on this choice.
- Theological theme: The church is a distinct community competent to judge its own affairs; eschatological identity (future judges of the world) shapes present practice.
- Best use: Preaching on conflict resolution, church unity, and the dignity of every member, regardless of worldly status.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So if you need to settle everyday matters, do you appoint as judges those of no standing in the church?
WEB World English Bible 2000
If then you have to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the assembly?
KJV King James Version 1769
If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
of the things of life, indeed, then, if ye may have judgment, those despised in the assembly--these cause ye to sit;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
If then ye have judgments as to things of this life, set those [to judge] who are little esteemed in the assembly.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
If therefore you have judgments of things pertaining to this world, set them to judge who are the most despised in the church.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por tanto, si hubiereis de tener juicios de cosas de este siglo, poned para juzgar á los que son de menor estima en la iglesia.
Pois se tiverdes assuntos em juízo, relativos a coisas desta vida, vós pondes como juízes aos que são menos estimados pela igreja?
Quand donc vous avez des différends pour les choses de cette vie, ce sont des gens dont l’ Église ne fait aucun cas que vous prenez pour juges!
Ihr aber, wenn ihr über zeitlichen Gütern Sachen habt, so nehmt ihr die, so bei der Gemeinde verachtet sind, und setzet sie zu Richtern.
Zo gij dan gerechtzaken hebt, die dit leven aangaan, zet die daarover, die in de Gemeente minst geacht zijn.
Quando dunque avete da giudicar di cose di questa vita, costituitene giudici quelli che sono i meno stimati nella chiesa.
Przeto jeźlibyście mieli sądy o rzeczy doczesne, tych, którzy są najpodlejsi we zborze, na sąd wysadzajcie.
А вы, когда имеете житейские тяжбы, поставляете своими судьями ничего не значащих в церкви.
既是 這樣，你們若 有 今生 的事當審判，是派 教會 所輕看 的人審判嗎？
If then there are questions to be judged in connection with the things of this life, why do you put them in the hands of those who have no position in the church?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Corinthians 6:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Paul is arguing against believers taking their disputes to pagan courts. The surrounding context (1 Corinthians 6:1, 8) makes clear that Christians should settle their own matters within the church. The verse turns on the verb καθίζετε (kathizete), which can be read either as a command (imperative mood) or a question (indicative mood).
Adam Clarke, the Cambridge Bible, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown read it as an imperative: Paul tells the Corinthians to appoint even the humblest members to arbitrate earthly disputes. This fits the flow of argument: if believers will one day judge angels (v. 3), they are certainly competent to judge small matters now. The phrase “least esteemed” (ἐξουθενημένους, from exoutheneō, “to despise utterly”) refers to Christians of low status, not pagan judges. Calvin and Chrysostom also favor this interpretive line.
Barnes and Wesley take the verb as interrogative: “Do you set them to judge who are of no account?” Paul is rebuking them for resorting to pagan magistrates, people whose integrity Christians could not trust. On this reading, “those of no account” are the unbelieving judges they were consulting. The rebuke then drives home the shame of going outside the church.
Both readings share a practical core: the community of faith must handle its own conflicts, and Paul’s urgency is that the Corinthians stop dishonoring Christ by dragging disputes before unbelievers.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imperative view (set the despised to judge): Context: Paul says even the least are better than pagan judges (v. 5). Grammar: the verb can be imperative, and the Jewish background of lower arbitration benches (Clarke, Lightfoot) supports this reading.
- Interrogative view (do you set the despised to judge?): Context: Paul’s rhetorical style uses questions for rebuke (vv. 2–3, 5). Barnes argues that commanding believers to appoint the least esteemed contradicts v. 5, where Paul seeks a ‘wise man.’ The despised are identified as pagan magistrates.
What is clear: Christians should resolve their disputes within the church, not by taking each other to court before unbelievers, because the community of faith is competent to judge its own matters.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Mood of καθίζετε (set/appoint) | The verb is grammatically ambiguous between imperative and interrogative. Interpreters on both sides recognize the word can be read either way. | One tradition (Clarke, Cambridge, JFB, Vincent, Matthew Henry) reads it as an imperative: Paul commands that even the lowest-ranked believers be appointed as judges. Another tradition (Barnes, Wesley) reads it as a question: ‘Do you really set them to judge?’, a rebuke for using pagan judges. |
| Identity of “those least esteemed” | The phrase refers to people considered of low value or status, consistent with the Greek verb ἐξουθενέω (‘despise utterly’). | Under the imperative reading, they are low-status believers in the church. Under the interrogative reading, they are pagan magistrates whom the church holds in contempt. Some (e.g., Calvin) blend the two: even the church’s meanest members are better judges than unbelievers. |
| Christians going to court | Paul discourages believers from taking disputes before unbelieving judges. Both views agree that the church should resolve its own conflicts internally. | Some Christians interpret this as an absolute prohibition against any lawsuit before a secular court, even today. Others see it as a strong pastoral principle that allows exceptions in extreme cases, especially when the other party is not a believer. |
| Relevance of Jewish arbitration models | The Jewish practice of beth din (internal courts) provides helpful background. Clarke and Lightfoot connect the ‘least esteemed’ to the lowest Jewish bench of arbitrators. | Some argue the Jewish model directly shapes Paul’s command; others caution against reading too much of the later rabbinic system into the first-century Gentile church. |
Historical & Cultural Context
First-century Corinth was a Roman colony with a well‐developed legal system. Believers there, many from pagan backgrounds, naturally fell back on Roman courts when conflicts arose. But Paul insists that the church is a distinct society with its own internal authority. His argument echoes Jewish practice: for centuries, Jewish communities in the Diaspora had maintained their own courts (known as beth din) to adjudicate civil matters among coreligionists, a right the Roman authorities generally allowed. These courts ranged from the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem down to smaller arbitration panels. In the synagogue setting, there were benches of three judges for local disputes, and even lower, unauthorized benches (called εξουθενημενος in later Jewish sources) chosen by the parties themselves. This background helps explain Paul’s language in 1 Corinthians 6:4.
Adam Clarke, drawing on the work of Dr. John Lightfoot, notes that the phrase “least esteemed” likely refers to these lowest-level arbitrators, not persons of despicable character, but ordinary, non‐official members who could be trusted to settle private differences. The Jewish system gave Paul a ready model, one the Corinthians would have recognized.
Paul’s larger argument depends on the believers’ future role: “the saints will judge the world” (v. 2) and “we will judge angels” (v. 3). If Christians are destined for cosmic judgments, they are absurdly unqualified to decide about property? The eschatological perspective makes the present disputes shrink into triviality. Paul’s rhetorical question, however we read the verb, is designed to shame the Corinthians for their disunity and for seeking resolution outside the family of faith.
The Gentile magistrates in Corinth were often corrupt or indifferent to Christian morals. By contrast, even the “least esteemed” in the church possessed the Spirit and could render fair judgment. Paul’s overriding concern is the witness of the church: lawsuits before unbelievers bring reproach on the name of Christ (v. 6).
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants in 1 Corinthians 6:4. The verb form καθίζετε and the noun κριτήρια are stable across the major manuscripts. The interpretive difficulty arises from grammar and context, not from textual uncertainty.
Reception History
Early church fathers such as Chrysostom read this verse as a command: the Corinthians should appoint even lowly members to settle disputes rather than go to pagan courts. Chrysostom argued that the ‘least esteemed’ were still qualified because they possessed the Spirit. The Apostolic Constitutions (late 4th century) formalized this into church courts, echoing Paul’s language. During the Reformation, Calvin followed the imperative reading and emphasized that Christians ought to choose arbiters from the church. John Wesley and later Methodist commentators shifted toward the interrogative interpretation, seeing the verse as a rebuke. Modern evangelical interpretation remains divided, but all traditions agree on the passage’s core call: the church must be a community of reconciliation, not litigation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The problem: Christians were taking one another to court before pagan judges (vv. 1, 6). This contradicted their identity as future judges of the world and angels.
- The principle: The church has its own resources for resolving disputes, including its humblest members (v. 4). Paul insists that the community of faith is competent to judge its own affairs.
- The challenge: Let the reality of the coming kingdom reshape how you handle present conflicts. Being wronged is better than defrauding a brother (v. 7).
Five-point outline
- Context: The Corinthians were suing each other before unbelievers, damaging the church’s witness.
- The absurdity: If believers will judge the world and angels, they can surely judge small earthly matters (vv. 2, 3).
- The grammar dilemma: Is Paul commanding them to appoint the least esteemed (imperative) or rebuking them for doing so (interrogative)? Both readings affirm church competence.
- The point: Even the “despised” in the church are more fit to judge than pagan magistrates. Status in the world does not determine wisdom in the Spirit.
- The application: Christians should settle disputes internally, preferring to be wronged rather than to harm unity or bring reproach on Christ (vv. 7, 8).
Illustration hooks
- A conflict between two church members over a business deal. The natural impulse is to hire a lawyer and go to court. But Paul asks: could two Spirit‐filled believers, with an impartial third from the church, reach a better outcome?
- A struggle in a small congregation where the “important” people are also the ones involved in a dispute. Paul’s logic suggests that the shy, quiet, overlooked member might be the best arbiter, because they have less at stake.
- Think of a family that refuses to air its dirty laundry in public; they settle disagreements around the kitchen table. Paul is calling the church to that same family honor.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Should I ever sue another believer? What if the sums are large?
- Who in our church could serve as an impartial arbitrator in a disagreement?
- Does this passage mean we should have formal church courts today, like some denominations do?
Leading a Discussion
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:4 force us to examine how we handle conflict in the body of Christ. The Corinthians were treating their disputes as private matters to be resolved by the world, forgetting that they were part of a new community destined to judge even angels. As you discuss this passage, consider what it means for your own relationships and your church’s culture of reconciliation.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Corinthians 6:1, 4. What specific behavior is Paul correcting? Why does he call it a “defect” (v. 7)?
- Paul says even the “least esteemed” in the church (v. 4) are fit to judge. What does that imply about who is qualified to help resolve conflicts? How does status in the world relate to spiritual wisdom?
- The verb καθίζετε can be read as a command (“set them to judge”) or a question (“do you set them to judge?”). How does the meaning change? Which reading do you find more persuasive, and why?
- Why does Paul bring up the future judging of the world and angels? How does that perspective reframe the way we view present legal disputes?
- In verse 7 Paul says it is “already a defect” that they have lawsuits. Is he saying it is always wrong to go to court, even in extreme cases? How have you seen Christians wrestle with this?
- If your church needed to settle a conflict between two members today, what process could you put in place to obey the heart of this passage? Who might serve as arbiters?
- “Why not rather be wronged?” (v. 7). What makes this command so hard to follow? When is it actually wise to absorb a loss for the sake of unity?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Acts 6:2 | The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. |
| Acts 6:4 | But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” |
| I Corinthians 5:12 | For what do I have to do with also judging those who are outside? Don’t you judge those who are within? |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that Paul is not speaking about people of low moral character. He refers to a specific low-level Jewish court: the "Bench not authorized," which was a tribunal of arbitrators chosen by disputing parties to settle private differences, keeping them out of regular courts.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the Greek verb as a question rather than a command. Paul is not instructing the Corinthians to appoint the least esteemed members as judges. Instead, he rebukes them for bringing disputes before corrupt pagan magistrates when they could settle matters among themselves with wise believers.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that Paul is not diminishing the role of civil authorities but rather addressing private disputes among believers. Paul directs Christians to settle such matters within the church, even using the least qualified member, rather than turning to unbelieving judges. This does not undermine magistrates' authority, as it concerns only private arbitration.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible prefers reading "set them to judge" as a command, not a question or statement. The point is that even the least esteemed church member is fit to handle trivial disputes, making it absurd to take such matters before pagan courts.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes point out an ironic contrast: since believers are already able to judge everyday matters, they should appoint the church's least esteemed members to handle those cases. This emphasizes that even the lowest-ranked Christians are fully competent for trivial disputes.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that the "judgments" here refer to financial disputes, not capital cases, which were under Roman authority. The phrase "least esteemed" does not mean the least capable members, but private laypersons rather than pastors or elders. He connects this to a Jewish practice of having a bench of non-authorized persons handle minor civil matters.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that believers should assign disputes about property to the least esteemed members of the church rather than take them before unbelievers. Earthly matters are of such secondary importance that even those low in the church are fit to judge them, as they are far preferable to heathen judges.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's point is not that lawsuits are always wrong, but that Christians should never take each other to court. The bond of brotherhood in Christ ought to make quarrels unthinkable and settlement among believers the only natural course. Going to law with a fellow Christian is a betrayal of that relationship.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent points out that the Greek word for "judgments" actually means tribunals or courts. He reads the verb as an imperative meaning "set," supporting the idea that believers, destined to judge the world and angels, should appoint even the humblest church members to decide trivial disputes rather than taking them to pagan courts.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies those described as of no esteem in the church as heathens, people outside the Christian community. For him the phrase is straightforward: non-Christians would naturally hold no standing or reputation among believers.