independentparticipialrelativecausecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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Lawsuits before the unrighteous — brother suing brother 6:1–8
vv. 1–6 — the indictment: saints before pagan courts
1
Does anyone of you dare,independent — asyndeton — the fronted verb: the audacity itself is the charge
when he has a matter against the other,participial — temporal/conditional — πρᾶγμα the legal 'case'
to go to law before the unrighteous,content — complementary infinitive — ἐπί + gen. forensic, 'in the court of'
and not before the saints?phrase modifier — the pointed alternative — the judges named by moral standing, not office
2
Or do you not knowindependent — the first of the chapter's six 'do you not know' rebukes
that the saints will judge the world?content — the eschatological premise (cf. Dan 7:22)
And if the world is to be judged by you,conditional — protasis — leans on the question below; futuristic present
are you unworthy to try the most trivial cases?independent — apodosis — fit to judge the world, unfit for trifles?
3
Do you not knowindependent — the refrain repeated
that we will judge angels?content — ἀγγέλους fronted — the astonishing scope; Paul now includes himself
How much more, then, matters of this life?independent — a fortiori — elliptical, supply 'shall we judge'
4
So then, if you have cases about matters of this life,conditional — protasis — leans on the question below
do you seat as judges those the church counts as nothing?independent — apodosis — read as an incredulous question, not an imperative; τούτους resumptive
5
I say this to your shame.independent — the rhetorical aim named outright
Is it so that there is no one wise among youindependent — οὕτως of astonished disbelief; piled negatives cut at Corinthian 'wisdom'
who will be able to arbitrate between his brothers?relative — ἀνὰ μέσον a LXX idiom; the singular ἀδελφοῦ generic
6
But brother goes to law with brother,independent — the deplorable fact set against the ideal
and that before unbelievers?phrase modifier — καὶ τοῦτο 'and that too' — the climactic aggravation
vv. 7–8 — the verdict: already a total defeat
7
Already, then, it is altogether a defeat for youindependent — the deeper verdict — loss before any verdict is reached
that you have lawsuits with one another.content — epexegetic ὅτι — what the defeat consists in
Why not rather be wronged?independent — the gospel alternative — tolerative passive (cf. Matt 5:39–40)
Why not rather be defrauded?independent — the question doubled — the financial side of the wrong
8
But you yourselves wrong and defraud,independent — the mirror of v. 7 — perpetrators, not patient sufferers
and that your own brothers.phrase modifier — the aggravating addendum again — the victims are family
The unrighteous will not inherit — but such were some of you 6:9–11
vv. 9–10 — the warning: the vice catalogue
9
Or do you not knowindependent — the refrain widens the case — ἄδικοι picks up ἀδικεῖτε (v. 8)
that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?content — the kingdom an inheritance, not a wage
Do not be deceived:independent — the fixed warning formula — 'stop being misled'
neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,phrase modifier — the catalogue opens — πόρνοι frames the whole of vv. 12–20
nor passive nor active partners in same-sex acts,phrase modifier — ἀρσενοκοίτης coined from Lev 18:22; 20:13 LXX
10
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers —phrase modifier — οὔτε shifts to οὐ; ἅρπαγες last, recalling ἀποστερεῖτε (v. 8)
none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.phrase modifier — the verb returns from v. 9 to seal the catalogue from beneath
v. 11 — the reversal: washed, sanctified, justified
11
And such were some of you.independent — the contemptuous neuter ταῦτα; imperfect of the decisively ended past
But you were washed,independent — the first ἀλλά — conversion-baptismal cleansing
but you were sanctified,independent — the second — constituted the very ἅγιοι of vv. 1–2
but you were justifiedindependent — the third — the ἄδικοι declared δίκαιοι
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christphrase modifier — read with all three verbs, not the last only
and by the Spirit of our God.phrase modifier — the Spirit the agent — the saving work of Lord and Spirit together
The body for the Lord — flee immorality, glorify God 6:12–20
vv. 12–14 — the slogans checked: the body is for the Lord
12
“All things are lawful for me” —independent — Corinthian slogan, quoted — the claim of unrestricted liberty
but not all things are beneficial.independent — Paul's first check — the criterion of benefit
“All things are lawful for me” —independent — the slogan repeated, to be checked again
but I will not be mastered by anything.independent — second check — the ἔξεστιν/ἐξουσιασθήσομαι wordplay: liberty must not enslave
13
“Food is for the stomach,independent — second slogan, quoted — verbless; appetite as mere nature
and the stomach for food” —independent — the slogan's converse limb
but God will abolish both the one and the other.independent — Paul's counter — stomach and foods belong to the passing age
The body, however, is not for immorality but for the Lord,independent — Paul's own thesis, not slogan — datives of purpose; the body no disposable husk
and the Lord for the body.independent — the reciprocity — the Lord's own commitment to the body
14
And God both raised the Lordindependent — the resurrection ground — the Lord's body the pattern
and will raise us up by his power.independent — the same power, the same destiny — the body's future secured
vv. 15–17 — members of Christ, not of a prostitute
15
Do you not knowindependent — the refrain turns to union with Christ
that your bodies are members of Christ?content — each believer's body a limb of Christ's own (cf. ch. 12)
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?independent — deliberative subjunctive — the unthinkable posed; ἄρας kept with its verb
Never!independent — the recoil — Paul's strongest repudiation
16
Or do you not knowindependent — the refrain again
that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her?content — κολλάω — the very verb of Gen 2:24 LXX
For, it says, “The two shall become one flesh.”content — Gen 2:24 — quotation carried by the parenthetical φησίν; γάρ grounds the 'one body' claim
17
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with him.independent — the counter-union — the same verb, the deeper bond
vv. 18–20 — flee: temple, price, glory
18
Flee sexual immorality.independent — the section's first imperative — present tense, constant flight
Every sin a person commits is outside the body,independent — read as Paul's own maxim, not a further Corinthian slogan
but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.independent — the one exception — εἰς 'against' the very body united to Christ
19
Or do you not knowindependent — the last and climactic 'do you not know'
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,content — ναός the inner sanctuary — of the individual body what 3:16 says of the community
whom you have from God,relative — the Spirit God's gift — divine ownership underscored
and that you are not your own?content — coordinate within the ὅτι — predicate genitive of possession
20
for you were bought with a price.cause — γάρ — genitive of price; redemption purchase (cf. 7:23)
Therefore glorify God in your body.independent — the closing command — urgent δή; the body the arena of God's glory
Analysis. First Corinthians 6 reads as three panels of diatribe, and the flush-left purple carries almost the whole argument. In vv. 1–8 the main lines are nearly all questions — the fronted Τολμᾷ like a slap, two of the chapter's six οὐκ-οἴδατε rebukes, the ironic 'do you seat the despised as judges?', the shaming 'not one wise man?', and the doubled διὰ τί οὐχὶ μᾶλλον — with the two conditional protases (vv. 2, 4) the only forward-leaning lines, and the ugly ἀλλά-reality (vv. 6, 8) set flush against the ideal. In vv. 9–11 the single prohibition μὴ πλανᾶσθε carries the vice catalogue as a suspended verbless column, the resuming verb βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν sealing the column from beneath, before the triple flush-left ἀλλά (washed, sanctified, justified) reverses the indictment. In vv. 12–20 the layout must decide line by line which words are Corinth's and which are Paul's, and it does: Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν (twice, v. 12) and τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ with its converse (v. 13a–b) are taken as quoted Corinthian slogans — set flush-left as independent lines and tagged as slogans, with Paul's ἀλλ᾽/δέ counters flush-left immediately beneath in question-and-answer diatribe style (the Romans 3 pattern), rather than indenting either member under the other — while τὸ δὲ σῶμα οὐ τῇ πορνείᾳ ἀλλὰ τῷ κυρίῳ is read as Paul's own thesis, and the maxim of v. 18b (πᾶν ἁμάρτημα … ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν) is read as Paul's own generalization rather than a further slogan, standing unquoted with ὁ δὲ πορνεύων as its one exception, not its refutation. The Gen 2:24 citation hangs as a single content line beneath the 'one body' claim it warrants, its φησίν parenthetical within the quoted line itself; ὁ δὲ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ answers it at the margin; and the chapter closes with the climactic οὐκ οἴδατε — temple, Spirit had from God, 'you are not your own' — grounded one step deeper in ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς and resolved in the single final imperative δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν θεόν.