1 Corinthians 12:18

1Co 12:18. Καθὼς ἠθέλησεν, as it hath pleased Him) We ought not to require other and deeper reasons for things, beyond the will of God: it is lawful to philosophize in subjection to that will; we may do so respecting the world in its best ideal, [in a state of optimism] as the apostle does here respecting the human body in its best ideal.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co_12:18. Νυνὶ δέ] but so, i.e. but in this way, as the case really stands, has God given to the members their place (ἔθετο), etc.

ἓν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν] is in apposition to τὰ μέλη, and defines it more precisely.

ἠθέλησεν] To this simple will of God each member has to submit itself. The thought in καθὼς βούλεται, 1Co_12:11, is different.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co 12:18 . “But now (argumentative νῦν , ‘as things are’: see 1Co 5:11 ) God has appointed the members, each single one of them, in the body as He willed.” It is God’s will that has ranged the physical organs and by analogy the members of the Church in their several places and offices ( cf. 1Co 1:1 , 1Co 3:5 ). Dissatisfaction with one’s particular charism, or contempt for that of another, is disloyalty towards Him and distrust of His wisdom. This is Paul’s ultima ratio : ὦ ἄνθρωπε , σὺ τίς εἶ κ . τ . λ .; Rom 9:20 . For τίθημι in mid [1910] voice, cf. 1Co 12:28 and other parls.; the tense refers the Divine appointment constituting the body to past time generally “has set” rather than “set”. The prefixed ἓν singles out the individual for the Divine regard, distributed by ἕκαστον ; each limb by itself has its part assigned by God. ἠθέλησεν signifies determining will , as βούλεται (1Co 12:11 , note) discriminating choice .

[1910] middle voice.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co_12:18

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

But now, i.e. as the matter actually is. Instead of the body being all one member, God has arranged and disposed the parts each in its place so as to constitute one living organic whole. The eye did not give itself the power of vision, nor the ear its ability to discriminate sounds. Each member occupies in the body the position which God has seen fit to assign it, and which is most conducive to the good of the whole. It is so also in the church; the position which the gifts of every member are determined by the Lord. One has one gift and another another; one is a pastor and another is a missionary; one labors in a city, another in the wilderness, not according to their relative merits, nor in virtue of their own selection, but as God wills and orders. It is therefore as inconsistent with the idea of the church that each member should decide on his own position and functions, as that the members of the body should arrange themselves according to their own notions. The nature of the church supposes, that as in the body the principle of life manifests itself under one form in the eye, and in another form in the ear, so the Spirit of God dwelling in the church manifests himself under one form in one member and under a different form in another; and that the selection of his organs and distribution of his gifts are according to his sovereign pleasure. We are contending against him, therefore, when we contend against the position and the office which he has assigned us in the church. It is easy to give this principle a wider application. One is born in Europe, another in Asia; one in America, another in Africa; one is rich, another poor; one has ten talents, another one; not because one is better than the other, but simply because God has so ordained. His will, as thus manifested, is not only sovereign but infinitely wise and benevolent. It is on this diversity, whether in the world, in the church, or in the human body, that the life and the good of the whole depend. This verse thus contains the second practical inference from the nature of the church as the body of Christ. The place and gifts of each member are determined by the Lord.

Charles Hodge — Commentary on Romans (1835), First Corinthians (1857), and Ephesians (1856) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

now--as the case really is.

every one--each severally.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18. But now God hath placed. Here we have another argument, taken from the appointment of God. “It has pleased God, that the body should consist of various members, and that the members should be endowed with various offices and gifts. That member, therefore, which will not rest satisfied with its own station, will wage war with God after the manner of the giants. Let us, therefore, be subject to the arrangement which God has appointed, that we may not, to no purpose, resist his will.”

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

18. But now hath God set] Literally, But now (that is, as the case stands) God placed, i.e. at creation.

as it hath pleased him] Literally, as He willed. See last note. St Paul would have us draw the inference that our own peculiar disposition and talents are appointed us by God, that we may perform the special work in the world for which we were designed. We are not therefore to repine because we do not possess the qualifications which we see possessed by others, but to endeavour to make the best possible use of the gifts we have.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But now hath God set the members,.... The members of a natural body, as they are all made and fashioned by God in the form they be, so they are each of them set by him in the place they are:

everyone of them in the body as it hath pleased him; according to his sovereign will, without consulting any; and each stands in the best situation and position they could be put, and for the greatest service and usefulness to the whole: so God, and not man, hath set every member in the mystical body, the church, in such a place and part of it, as he himself thought fit; some in a higher, others in a lower station, but all for the good of the body; and therefore each member ought to be content with his place, gift, and usefulness, be they what they will; since it is the wise counsel and sovereign pleasure of God, who works all things after the counsel of his own will, that so it should be.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Ver. 18. God hath set, &c.] And he, as only wise, doth all in number, weight, and measure. Shall we not rest in what he hath done as best "What can the man do that cometh after the king?" Ecc 2:12.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hath God set the members ... - God has formed the body, with its various members, as he saw would best conduce to the harmony and usefulness of all.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The infinitely wise God, who hath made the body of man, and ordered all the members of the body for several uses and offices, either for the upholding or accommodating the life of man, hath likewise appointed the order in the body in which every member shall stand; that the head should be uppermost for the better guidance of the whole body; the feet lowermost to tread upon the earth, and to bear the weight of the whole body: and none must repine at the wisdom of God, which hath not only created man’s body, (consisting of a variety of members), but also appointed every member its place, and there setteth it, that it cannot shift its station or office.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Now hath God—This variety in unity is established by God. Men are variously endowed to perform different parts in the social organization; and when any part refuses its allotment, it first deranges the system and then destroys itself.

Pleased him—For it is wonderful to observe how the whole system of nature is an organism in which the unity exists, lives, works, and prospers, by the harmonious working of the individuals.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As it hath pleased him. Not arbitrarily, but in furtherance of one wise and beneficent design, so that each may be honoured and indispensable, and therefore contented in its own sphere.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As it hath pleased him - With the most exquisite wisdom and goodness.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

As if the apostle had said, Whereas our wise Creator, who made the body of man, has appointed all the members of that body for divers uses and offices, and also appointed the order in which every member shall stand; that the head shall be uppermost to guide the body, the foot lowermost to bear the body.

In like manner our gracious Redeemer has appointed to the several members of his church distinct offices in his church. And as the principal members of the body, the eye and hand, do need the less principal; so the rulers, pastors, and wisest members of the church, do need the less principal; so the rulers, pastors, and wisest members of the church, do need even those weak and inferior Christians whom the world makes small account of. The eye, that is, the man of great understanding, cannot say to the hand, the person employed in lesser services, I have no need of you; nor again the head, that is, the person placed in the highest dignity in the church, cannot say to the feet, the person employed in the lowest offices of the church, I have no need of you. Therefore the superior members of the church must not pride it over the inferior, no the most knowing Christians despise the less knowing as unuseful and unprofitable; but as fellow-members, jointly endeavour the mutual benefit and advantage of one another.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But now [(as things actually are)] hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him .

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

the same member

The word "member" is a general word for the parts of the body, like the head, arm, or knee. AT: "the same part of the body"

where would the body be?

This can be made a statement. AT: "there would be no body" (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

God

body

member

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

18. νυνὶ δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἔθετο. But now (that is, as the case stands) God placed, i.e. at creation.

ἓ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν. Every one of them, A.V. Rather, each one of them. In later English every one has become an equivalent for all.

καθὼς ἠθέλησεν. As He willed. St Paul would have us draw the inference that our own peculiar disposition and talents are appointed us by God, that we may perform the special work in the world for which we were designed. We are not therefore to repine because we do not possess the qualifications which we see possessed by others, but to endeavour to make the best possible use of the gifts we have.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18.] νῦν δέ, but as the case really stands: see Hartung, Partikellehre, ii. 25.

τὰ μέλη, generally,—ἓν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν, severally.

καθὼς ἠθέλ. answers to καθὼς βούλεται, ver. 11.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. νῦν δε ὁ Θεὸς ἔθετο. ‘But, as it is, God placed the members, each one of them, in the body, even as He willed.’ As we see from manifest facts, God made unity, but not uniformity; He did not level all down to monotonous similarity. The aorists refer to the act of creation, and there is no need to turn either into a perfect (‘hath set,’ AV., RV.). From the very first it was ordered so, as part of a plan; therefore ‘placed’ rather than ‘set.’ Every member cannot have the same function, and therefore there must be higher and lower gifts. But pride and discontent are quite out of place, for they are not only the outcome of selfishness, but also rebellion against God’s will. This has two points; it was not our fellow-men who placed us in an inferior position, but God; and He did it, not to please us or our fellows, but in accordance with His will, which must be right. Who is so disloyal as to gainsay what God willed to arrange? Rom 9:20. Compare καθὼς βούλεται (v. 11), but the change of verb and of tense should be noted: it is not mere repetition. Deissmann (Bible Studies, p. 252) quotes ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἤθελεν from a private letter of about 200 a.d.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Set [εθετο] . See on Joh 14:16, where the same word is used by Christ of appointing His followers.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vv. 18-20. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. 19. But if they were all one member, where were the body? 20. But now are there many members and one body.”

The reality (νυνί, now) contrasting (δέ, but) with the condemned supposition.

A fine paronomasia, no doubt intentional, in θεός and ἔθετο. The high dignity of each member appears from the thought that it is God Himself who has placed it in the body, and placed it where it is best (the foot at the lower extremity of the body, the ear concealed at the side of the head, and not in view like the hand or the eye). Divine understanding has presided over this whole arrangement; inorganic matter nowhere invades this privileged domain of the human body.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.