1 Corinthians 4:13 Meaning and Explanation
“Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Though slandered, the apostles answer kindly; in the world's eyes they have become its garbage, the scum scraped from everything.
What Does 1 Corinthians 4:13 Mean?
Paul closes the catalog with its lowest point. When slandered, he responds with gentle appeal, and he names how the world regards the apostles in the harshest terms, 'filth' and 'offscouring,' the refuse swept up and thrown away.
These were words sometimes used of the lowest victims offered to avert disaster, scapegoats despised by all. Yet Paul wears the label without bitterness, for it places him alongside his crucified Lord, who was also 'despised and rejected.' The verse confronts the Corinthians' craving for status with the strange dignity of the cross. What the world discards, God treasures, and the lowest place in the world's eyes can be the closest to Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:13 in the Original Language
perikatharma (περικάθαρμα), 'filth' -- refuse scraped off in cleansing, the scum or dregs removed and discarded.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 4:13
What does 1 Corinthians 4:13 mean?
Though slandered, the apostles answer kindly; in the world's eyes they have become its garbage, the scum scraped from everything.