1 Corinthians 3:8

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Now	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
that	ὁ ho	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular masculine
planteth	φυτεύων phuteuōn	G5452	to set out in the earth · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
that	ὁ ho	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular masculine
watereth	ποτίζων potizōn	G4222	to furnish drink · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
are	εἰσί eisí	G1526	they are
one	ἕν hen	G1520	one · adjective — nominative singular neuter
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
man	ἕκαστος hekastos	G1538	each or every · adjective — nominative singular masculine
receive	λήμψεται lēmpsetai	G2983	while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
own	ἴδιον idion	G2398	pertaining to self · adjective — accusative singular masculine
reward	μισθὸν misthon	G3408	pay for service (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular masculine
to	κατὰ kata	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
own	ἴδιον idion	G2398	pertaining to self · adjective — accusative singular masculine
labour	κόπον. kopon	G2873	a cut · noun — accusative singular masculine

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

Romans 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Psalms 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
John 4:36-38 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice togethe…
2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour…
Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 3:5-10

Here the apostle instructs them how to cure this humour, and rectify what was amiss among them upon this head, I. By reminding them that the ministers about whom they contended were but ministers: Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed? Even as the Lord gave to every man, Co1 3:5. They are but ministers, mere instruments used by the God of all grace. Some of the factious people in Corinth seem to have made more of them, as if they were lords of their faith, authors of their religion. Note, We should take care not to deify ministers, nor put them into the place of God. Apostles were not the authors of our faith and religion, though they were authorized and qu…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 3:8

one--essentially in their aim they are one, engaged in one and the same ministry; therefore they ought not to be made by you the occasion of forming separate parties. and every man--rather "but every man." Though in their service or ministry, they are essentially "one," yet every minister is separately responsible in "his own" work, and "shall receive his own (emphatically repeated) reward, according to his own labor." The reward is something over and above personal salvation (Co1 3:14-15; Jo2 1:8). He shall be rewarded according to, not his success or the amount of work done, but "according to his own labor." It shall be said to him, "Well done, thou good and (not successful, but) faithfu…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 3:8

He that planteth and he that watereth are one - Both Paul and Apollos have received the same doctrine, preach the same doctrine, and labor to promote the glory of God in the salvation of your souls. Why should you be divided with respect to Paul and Apollos, while these apostles are intimately One in spirit, design, and operation? According to his own labor - God does not reward his servants according to the success of their labor, because that depends on himself; but he rewards them according to the quantum of faithful labor which they bestow on his work. In this sense none can say, I have labored in vain, and spent my strength for nought.

The Church Fathers

Even though they are equal, the one who preaches the gospel is still greater than the one who baptizes and will receive a greater reward.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

Paul points out that he and Apollos are merely hired hands on someone else's farm. They have nothing apart from the payment they get for their labor.
— Pelagius, COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 3

Else how shall we sing thanks to God to eternity, if there shall remain in us no sense and memory of this debt; if we shall be reformed in substance, not in consciousness? Consequently, we who shall be with God shall be together; since we shall all be with the one God-albeit the wages be various, albeit there be "many mansions", in the house of the same Father having laboured for the "one penny " of the self-same hire, that is, of eternal life; in which (eternal life) God will still less separate them whom He has conjoined, than in this lesser life He forbids them to be separated.
— Tertullian, On Monogamy

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

Agriculture Or Husbandry · Operations in: Watering — Operations in: Watering
Irrigation · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Judgment · ACCORDING TO OPPORTUNITY AND WORKS — ACCORDING TO OPPORTUNITY AND WORKS
Power Of God, The · Efficiency of ministers is through — Efficiency of ministers is through
Responsibility · Per — Per
Reward · 8:33; — 8:33;
Works · 3:21;15:2-8,14; — 3:21;15:2-8,14;

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 3:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 3:5-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 3:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 3:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 3:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 3:5-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 3:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 3:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 3:8

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 3:6