01. Everyday Life (1 Corinthians 9:7)
• goeth a warfare is στρατεύομαι (ĕuŏmai), means *the skill of the general to lead by expert planning*.
• charges is ὀψώνιον (ŏpsōniŏn), means to buy groceries, but here Paul uses it metaphorically as a soldiers wages.
• Found 4x in 4vss, and the other 3x it is translated as wages (Luke 3:14; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 11:8).
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• Paul is talking about how a soldier will not go to war at his own personal expense.
• This is the only time a vineyard is mentioned in the Greek Scriptures besides the parables told by Jesus (Matthew 20:1-16; Matthew 21:33--46; Mark 12:1--12; Luke 13:6--17; Luke 20:9--26).
• planteth** is φυτεύω (ĕuō), means *to put seed into the ground in order to grow*
(cf. Deuteronomy 20:6; Proverbs 27:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6--8).
• fruit is καρπός (ŏs)
• feedeth is ποιμαίνω (ŏimainō), from ḗn, *shepherd*, thus ποιμαίνω (ŏimainō) means *the all-encompassing role of a shepherd: not just feeding the flock, but also guiding, directing, protecting and leading them into the sheepfold*.
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• milk is γάλα (gala) (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:4).
02. Don't Muzzle the Ox (1 Corinthians 9:8-9)
• 1 Corinthians 9:8 Paul is referring to what he just covered in 1 Corinthians 9:**7, speaking as a man.
• Most English versions will make this a question with a positive answer implied.
• law is νόμος (ŏmŏs), referring to the Law of Moses.
• 1 Corinthians 9:9 the mouth of the ox is βοῦς (ŏus), meaning any animal in the bovine family, such as an ox or a cow, Paul quoting from Deuteronomy 25:4 (cf. 1 Timothy 5:18).
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• Notice that the King James Version (KJV) does not include quotation marks? This is one of the reasons why critics like to attack the KJV, for its archaic use of omitting quotation marks.
• Quotation marks do not appear in the original Hebrew and Greek. Adding quotation marks is the same as adding information that does not exist in the original Hebrew or Greek manuscript. Therefore, the KJV translators omitted the quotation marks. In many places it is clear where to put the quotes. However, there are other passages in the Bible that are frustrating to the reader because it is not clear whether they were spoken by the narrator or by the characters.
• There are the passages where the reader needs to interpret himself with the guidance of the Holy Ghost who the speaker is, and where they begin and end, for quotations can give you a false sense of security, and dangerously result in false assurances which lead to laziness and false doctrine. We want to be right dividers (2 Timothy 2:15)!
• This laziness is encouraged by churches and their pastors, which then filters into the congregation, and is one of the reasons evangelical churches are so messed up theologically.
• Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Timothy 5:17-18, where he talks about rewarding pastors for their hard work.
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• Literally in the Greek: Not for the** oxen, Doth God take care**. Most English versions will make this a question with a positive answer implied.
• We know that God cares for animals, as seen throughout the Scriptures we see that God cares for His creation, including animals (cf. Numbers 22:28--35; Deuteronomy 5:14; Job 38:41; Psalm 104:25--27; Psalm 147:8--9; Jonah 4:11; Matthew 6:26--30; 10:29; Luke 12:24--28).
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**03. Fruits of Labor (1 Corinthians 9:10)
• This is not found in the Scriptures, most likely this is a proverbial expression that the Corinthians would have been familiar with, such as You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Most often is used in situations outside of the canine realm, and we all know what it means.
• The statement that Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn (1 Cor 9:9) is to be done as an act of kindness to the animals that help a person earn his daily bread.
• This verse is often used correctly to reward the pastor for his labors in the local church.
• When you look at Deuteronomy 25, it contains instructions from Moses to the children of Israel about to enter the Promised Land, and you will notice that it is instructions on human relationships and not on farming.
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• Thus, this proverbial expression in 1 Corinthians 9:10 does not have anything really to do with animals, but instead means *that one who participates in the work should also be a partaker of the fruits of his labor*.
• Combining 1 Corinthians 9:9-10, Paul is saying that if God cares for a working animal, how much more does He care for us, those created in His image (Genesis 1:26--27)?
