1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Corinthians 5:6

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

a. NLT: Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. YLT: Not good is your glorying; have ye not known that a little leaven the whole lump doth leaven? [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic: [About the condition of your church] your boasting is not good [indeed, it is most unseemly and entirely out of place]. Do you not know that [just] a little leaven will ferment the whole lump [of dough]? [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

 

e. Worrell Translation: Your boasting is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? [Copyright 1904 by A.S. Worrell. Copyright assigned to the Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO. This edition was published 1980 by the Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO 65802. Printed in the U.S.A.]

f. Wuest Translation: Your boasting [in the state of the local assembly] is not seemly or fitting. Do you not know with a positive assurance that a little yeast permeates and affects the entire bread dough with itself? [The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest. Ⓒ Copyright Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1961. All rights reserved.]

1. “Your glorying is not good…” 

a. Your [Strong: 5216. humon hoo-mone' genitive case of 5210; of (from or concerning) you:--ye, you, your (own, -selves).]

b. [Strong: 3588. [to] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [to] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

c. glorying [Strong: 2745. kauchema kow'-khay-mah from 2744; a boast (properly, the object; by implication, the act) in a good or a bad sense:--boasting, (whereof) to glory (of), glorying, rejoice(-ing).]

c. is not [Strong: 3756. ou oo, also (before a vowel) ouk ook, and (before an aspirate) ouch ookh a primary word; the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or not:--+ long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but.]

d. good [Strong: 2570. kalos kal-os' of uncertain affinity; properly, beautiful, but chiefly (figuratively) good (literally or morally), i.e. valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use, and thus distinguished from 18, which is properly intrinsic):--X better, fair, good(-ly), honest, meet, well, worthy.]

1). It does not say what they were boasting about, but it does appear it was related to the sin. Perhaps they were boasting about their tolerance of it. Paul was saying that their boasting was completely out of place, out of order.

2). 1). Carrie Underwood Advocates for Gay Marriage, Christian Post, 6/11/12, by Emma Koonse. Country music star Carrie Underwood has spoken up about her support of same-sex marriage in a recent interview. As June marks Gay Pride month, several celebrities are voicing their beliefs. Traditionally conservative, Underwood surprised many with her support for same-sex unions. The singer explained that her standpoint on the controversial issue came about following her own marriage. "As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry," the 28-year-old Oklahoma native told The Independent. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love." Underwood emphasized that her church's belief in gay marriage influenced her significantly. "Our church is gay friendly," the 2005 "American Idol" winner said, revealing that hers is one of many churches that adopt the divisive stance. Although she was raised in a Baptist church, Underwood and her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, attend a nondenominational congregation that has an unconventional understanding of God's word. She feels that the most important tenet of Christianity is love. "Above all, God wanted us to love others," she told the newspaper. "It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me,' No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody." http://www.christianpost.com/news/carrie-underwood-advocates-for-gay-marriage-causing-controversy-76475/

2. “…Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

a. Know ye [Strong: 1492. eido i'-do a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent 3700 and 3708; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense only) to know:--be aware, behold, X can (+ not tell), consider, (have) know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot.]

b. not [Strong: 3756. ou oo, also (before a vowel) ouk ook, and (before an aspirate) ouch ookh a primary word; the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or not:--+ long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but.]

c. that [Strong: 3754. hoti hot'-ee neuter of 3748 as conjunction; demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because:--as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.]

d. a little [Strong: 3398. mikros mik-ros', including the comparative mikroteros mik-rot'-er-os apparently a primary word; small (in size, quantity, number or (figuratively) dignity):--least, less, little, small.]

e. leaven [Strong: 2219. zume dzoo'-may probably from 2204; ferment (as if boiling up):--leaven.]

f. leaveneth [Strong: 2220. zumoo dzoo-mo'-o from 2219; to cause to ferment:--leaven.]

1). Leaven used as a symbol was never good, here Paul is using it as symbolic of sin in the congregation.

g. the whole [Strong: 3650. holos hol'-os a primary word; "whole" or "all", i.e. complete (in extent, amount, time or degree), especially (neuter) as noun or adverb:--all, altogether, every whit, + throughout, whole.]

h. [Strong: 3588. [to] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [to] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

i. lump [Strong: 5445. phurama foo'-ram-ah from a prolonged form of phuro (to mix a liquid with a solid; perhaps akin to 5453 through the idea of swelling in bulk), mean to knead; a mass of dough:--lump.]

1). Jesus used leaven in a parable concerning spiritual corruption. 

 a). Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

2). Leaven used in the context of Passover was always bad.

a). Exodus 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat     unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

b). Exodus 12:18-20 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

12:19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

12:20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

c). The Apostle Paul was warning them to address this issue, they had no choice if they wanted to remain faithful to God. There were a lot of faithful believers in Corinth, and if they did not address this sin, it would corrupt the whole church.