1 Corinthians 15:9

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γάρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
I	ἐγὼ egō	G1473	I · personal pronoun — 1st person nominative singular
am	εἰμι eimi	G1510	I exist (used only when emphatic) · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
least	ἐλάχιστος elachistos	G1646	used as equivalent to G3398 (μικρός) · adjective — nominative singular masculine
apostles	ἀποστόλων apostolōn	G652	a delegate · noun — genitive plural masculine
that	ὃς hos	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
am	εἰμὶ eimi	G1510	I exist (used only when emphatic) · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
meet	ἱκανὸς hikanos	G2425	competent (as if coming in season) · adjective — nominative singular masculine
called	καλεῖσθαι kaleisthai	G2564	to "call" (properly · verb — present passive infinitive
apostle	ἀπόστολος, apostolos	G652	a delegate · noun — nominative singular masculine
because	διότι dioti	G1360	on the very account that · conjunction
persecuted	ἐδίωξα ediōxa	G1377	compare the base of G1169 (δειλός) and G1249 (διάκονος)) · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
church	ἐκκλησίαν ekklēsian	G1577	a calling out · noun — accusative singular feminine
God	θεοῦ· theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Ephesians 3:7-8 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
1 Timothy 1:13-15 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
2 Corinthians 12:11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefes…
Acts 26:9-11 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Acts 9:1-19 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Galatians 1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
Acts 22:4-5 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

It is the apostle's business in this chapter to assert and establish the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which some of the Corinthians flatly denied, Co1 15:12. Whether they turned this doctrine into allegory, as did Hymeneus and Philetus, by saying it was already past (Ti2 2:17, Ti2 2:18), and several of the ancient heretics, by making it mean no more than a changing of their course of life; or whether they rejected it as absurd, upon principles of reason and science; it seems they denied it in the proper sense. And they disowned a future state of recompences, by denying the resurrection of the dead. Now that heathens and infidels should deny this truth does not seem so strange; b…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 15:9

least--The name, "Paulus," in Latin, means "least." I persecuted the church--Though God has forgiven him, Paul can hardly forgive himself at the remembrance of his past sin.

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 15:9

I am the least of the apostles - This was literally true in reference to his being chosen last, and chosen not in the number of the twelve, but as an extra apostle. How much pains do some men take to make the apostle contradict himself, by attempting to show that he was the very greatest of the apostles, though he calls himself the least! Taken as a man and a minister of Christ, he was greater than any of the twelve; taken as an apostle he was less than any of the twelve, because not originally in that body. Am not meet to be called an apostle - None of the twelve had ever persecuted Christ, nor withstood his doctrine: Saul of Tarsus had been, before his conversion, a grievous persecutor; an…

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John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:9

For I am the least of the apostles,.... Referring not to the littleness of his stature, but to the figure before used, and as expressing not the opinion of others concerning him, but the true and real sense he had of himself, for which he himself gives the strongest reason that can be given; and by "apostles" he means not only the twelve, but all other ministers of the Gospel that were sent forth by Christ to preach it: nor need this be wondered at, when he says, that he was less than the least of all saints, Ephesians 3:8 though when his person and doctrines were traduced by false teachers, and attempts were made to disgrace his ministry, and render it useless, in vindication of himself, an…

The Church Fathers

The Enemy is more completely vanquished in the case of a man over whom he holds fuller sway.
— Augustine of Hippo, Confessions 8.4

Paul is least because he was the last in time, not because he was inferior in any way to the others.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

He who endured imprisonment, wounds and beatings, who netted the world with epistles, who was called by a heavenly voice, humbled himself, saying, "I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle."
— John Chrysostom, ON REPENTANCE 5.27

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Church — Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., “the Lord’s house”), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia,…
Immortality — Perpetuity of existence. The doctrine of immortality is taught in the Old Testament. It is plainly implied in the writings of Moses (Gen. 5:22, 24; 25:8; 37:35; 47:9; 49:29, comp. Heb. 11:13-16; Ex.…
Humility · EXEMPLIFIED — EXEMPLIFIED
Paul · General references — General references

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 15:9

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 15:9

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 15:9

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 15:9

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 15:9

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 15:9

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 15:8-9