1 Corinthians 3:12

 1 Corinthians 3:12 

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay stubble.

a. ASV: But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And if any one doth build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw -- [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.]

c. Classic Amplified: But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Peshitta Eastern Text: Now if any man build on this foundation gold, silver, or precious stones, or wood, or hay, or stubble; [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT. Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

e. NLT: Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. [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.]

1. “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay stubble.”

a. Now [Strong: 1161. de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. if [Strong: 1487. ei i a primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.:--forasmuch as, if, that, (al-)though, whether.]

c. any man [Strong: 5100. tis tis an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

d. build  [Strong: 2026. epoikodomeo ep-oy-kod-om-eh'-o from 1909 and 3618; to build upon, i.e. (figuratively) to rear up:--build thereon (thereupon, on, upon).]

e. upon [Strong: 1909. epi ep-ee' a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) towards, upon, etc.:--about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, X have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literally or figuratively).]

f. this [Strong: 5126. touton too'-ton accusative case singular masculine of 3778; this (person, as objective of verb or preposition):--him, the same, that, this.]

g. [Strong: 3588. [ton] 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: [ton] 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.]

h. foundation [Strong: 2310. themelios them-el'-ee-os from a derivative of 5087; something put down, i.e. a substruction (of a building, etc.), (literally or figuratively):--foundation.]

h. gold [Strong: 5557. chrusos khroo-sos' perhaps from the base of 5530 (through the idea of the utility of the metal); gold; by extension, a golden article, as an ornament or coin:--gold.]

1). Rick Renner: This word “gold” is the Greek word chrusos, which means gold and describes the most valuable material that existed in the Roman Empire. Nothing was more expensive or costly than gold. Gold was extremely rare — especially before the time of Alexander the Great — and was therefore highly prized. Gold wasn’t strong enough to be an actual building material. But if a building was extremely important, gold was used ornamentally on the outside relief of buildings and in the decor of its interiors. When gold was used, either on the exterior or inside décor of a building, it indicated that this building was a structure of great significance.

i. silver [Strong: 696. arguros ar'-goo-ros from argos (shining); silver (the metal, in the articles or coin):--silver.]

2). Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems Vol. 2,  January 18: The word “silver” is the Greek word arguros, which often referred to silver money because silver was the primary metal used for coins. For example, the Bible tells us that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for “thirty pieces of silver” (see Matthew 26:15). The word “silver” is this Greek word arguros and conveys the idea of money.

However, silver was also used inside special buildings for ornamentation and decoration, similar to the way gold was used, and items for worship or prestige were often fashioned of silver. In Acts 19:24, we read that idols depicting the goddess Artemis in Ephesus were made of silver. Anything in the ancient world that was made of silver was considered expensive and precious.

j. precious [Strong: 5093. timios tim'-ee-os, including the comparative timioteros tim-ee-o'-ter-os, and the superlative timiotatos tim-ee-o'-tat-os from 5092; valuable, i.e. (objectively) costly, or (subjectively) honored, esteemed, or (figuratively) beloved:--dear, honourable, (more, most) precious, had in reputation.]

k. stones [Strong: 3037. lithos lee'-thos apparently a primary word; a stone (literally or figuratively):--(mill-, stumbling-)stone.]

1). Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems Vol. 2,  January 18: The phrase “precious stones” in Greek is lithous timious, from the word lithos, the Greek word for stone, and the word timao, a Greek word meaning honorable, costly, or precious. When Paul mentioned “precious stones,” he was not alluding to diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or other gemstones. Paul was referring to expensive building materials, such as marble or granite. These materials were considered top-of-the-line building materials because they could endure weather, fire, and time. Any building made to last was fashioned of marble or granite.

l. wood [Strong: 3586. xulon xoo'-lon from another form of the base of 3582; timber (as fuel or material); by implication, a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance:--staff, stocks, tree, wood.]

1). Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems Vol. 2,  January 18: First, the word “wood” is the Greek word zulos, and it means wood, wooden timbers, branches of a tree, boards, or anything made of wood. It primarily denoted building materials. However, this word was also frequently used to depict fuel for a fire. This word zulos describes a building composed of cheap, temporary, perishable, burnable materials. You can quickly build such a building, but a house of wood is never built to last for the ages. This was the primary material used in construction of slave dwellings in Rome. These wooden houses were homes that could go up in smoke very easily.

m. hay [Strong: 5528. chortos khor'-tos apparently a primary word; a "court" or "garden", i.e. (by implication, of pasture) herbage or vegetation:--blade, grass, hay.]

1). Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems Vol. 2,  January 18: Second, Paul mentioned “hay,” which was another material used in the construction of slave dwellings. The word “hay” is the word chortos, and it means grass or hay. This “hay” should never have been used as a construction material, for it was meant to be the food that was fed to animals; in fact, it was often used to mean fodder. In other words, this “hay” was meant to be eaten, not used for construction. Because of its fragile, transitory nature, hay was considered to be the poorest material to use in construction. Yet in the slave homes of Rome, it was commonly used for the roof.

n. stubble [Strong: 2562. kalame kal-am'-ay feminine of 2563; a stalk of grain, i.e. (collectively) stubble:--stubble.]

1). Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems Vol. 2,  January 18: Third, Paul mentioned “stubble.” This is the Greek word kalame, which simply means straw or stubble. This material was so inferior that even animals wouldn’t eat it. Yet in the homes of slaves, it was used as a floor covering, as insulation, and as stuffing for beds. It was cheap, disposable, and replaceable. Think of it! These slave dwellings were made of wood and sticks; the roofs were made of grass; and the walls were insulated with straw. No wonder these dwellings didn’t last!...The Foundation under our lives is Jesus, but what we build on top of that Foundation depends on our personal commitment and the level of excellence we demand of ourselves in every area of our lives.