Word Studies¶

exesti (G1832) — "lawful" / "it is permitted"¶

Original: ἔξεστι Part of Speech: verb BLB Count: 32 occurrences

Definition¶

Third person singular present indicative of a compound of ek and eimi — "it is permitted, it is lawful."

Key Observations¶

Appears in 1 Cor 6:12 (2x) and 1 Cor 10:23 (2x) — 4 of 32 total NT uses
Also used by Jesus: Mat 12:2,4,10,12 (Sabbath controversies); Mat 14:4; 19:3; 22:17
In the Gospels, exesti almost always appears in questions about what IS or ISN'T lawful
In Paul, it appears ONLY in 1 Cor 6:12 and 10:23 (and 2 Cor 12:4 in a different sense)

Notable Greek feature¶

In 1 Cor 6:12, the phrase is: "Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν" (All things TO ME are lawful) In 1 Cor 10:23, the phrase is: "Πάντα ἔξεστιν" (All things are lawful) — NO "moi" (to me) The removal of the personal pronoun in ch. 10 may indicate Paul is quoting a Corinthian slogan more generically.

sumphero (G4851) — "expedient" / "profitable"¶

Original: συμφέρω Part of Speech: verb BLB Count: 17 occurrences

Definition¶

From sun (with) and phero (to carry/bear) — "to bear together, to bring together; to be profitable, to be expedient."

Key Uses¶

1 Cor 6:12 — "all things are not expedient (sumpherei)"
1 Cor 10:23 — "all things are not expedient (sumpherei)"
1 Cor 10:33 — "not seeking mine own profit (sumpheron)"
1 Cor 12:7 — "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit (sumpheron) withal"
1 Cor 7:35 — "this I speak for your own profit (sumpheron)"
Mat 5:29 — "it is profitable (sumpherei) for thee that one of thy members should perish" — USED BY JESUS IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, in the context of lust=adultery
Mat 18:6 — "it were better (sumpherei) for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck"
Jhn 11:50; 16:7; 18:14 — used for expedient/profitable
Heb 12:10 — "for our profit (sumpheron)"

Remarkable connection¶

Both Jesus (Mat 5:29) and Paul (1 Cor 6:12) use sumphero in contexts addressing sexual morality. Jesus uses it to say it is "profitable" to lose a body member rather than be cast into hell for lust. Paul uses it to qualify what is "profitable" vs. merely permissible.

oikodomeo (G3618) — "edify" / "build up"¶

Original: οἰκοδομέω Part of Speech: verb BLB Count: 39 occurrences

Definition¶

From oikos (house) and demo (to build) — "to build a house, to construct; metaphorically, to build up, edify."

Key Uses in 1 Corinthians¶

1 Cor 10:23 — "all things edify not (oikodomei)"
1 Cor 3:9 — "ye are God's building (oikodome)"
1 Cor 8:1 — "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth (oikodomei)"
1 Cor 8:10 — "shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened (oikodomethesetai) to eat..."
1 Cor 14:4,17 — "edifieth the church"

Jesus uses oikodomeo¶

Mat 7:24 — "wise man, which built (oikodomesen) his house upon a rock" — END of Sermon on the Mount
Mat 7:26 — "foolish man, which built (oikodomesen) his house upon the sand"
Connection: Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a building metaphor; Paul uses the same vocabulary for spiritual building up.

exousiazo (G1850) — "have power over" / "exercise authority"¶

Original: ἐξουσιάζω Part of Speech: verb BLB Count: 4 occurrences

Definition¶

From exousia (authority/power) — "to exercise authority, to control, to have power over."

All NT uses¶

1 Cor 6:12 — "I will not be brought under the power (exousiasthesomai) of any" — FUTURE PASSIVE INDICATIVE — Paul refuses to be mastered/enslaved
1 Cor 7:4 — "The wife hath not power (exousiazei) of her own body"
Luk 22:25 — "they that exercise authority (exousiazousin) upon them"

Key observation¶

Paul uses the passive voice: "I will not BE BROUGHT UNDER the power of any." He is saying that even if something is technically permitted, he will not allow it to enslave him. This is a statement of moral self-governance, not permissiveness.

porneia (G4202) — "fornication"¶

Original: πορνεία BLB Count: 26 occurrences

Relevance to this study¶

Central to the immediate context of 1 Cor 6:12: - 1 Cor 5:1 — "fornication among you" - 1 Cor 6:13 — "the body is not for fornication" - 1 Cor 6:18 — "Flee fornication" - 1 Cor 10:8 — "Neither let us commit fornication" - Mat 5:32 — Jesus uses porneia in divorce exception clause

Paul and Jesus BOTH condemn porneia explicitly. Paul's "all things are lawful" is immediately followed by "the body is not for fornication... Flee fornication" — making it impossible to read "all things are lawful" as approving porneia.

Greek Parsing: 1 Corinthians 6:12¶

Πάντα (panta - all things, Nom Pl N)
μοι (moi - to me, Dat Sg)
ἔξεστιν (exestin - are lawful, Pres Act Ind 3S)
ἀλλ' (all' - but)
οὐ (ou - not)
πάντα (panta - all things, Nom Pl N)
συμφέρει (sumpherei - are expedient/profitable, Pres Act Ind 3S)

πάντα (panta - all things, Nom Pl N)
μοι (moi - to me, Dat Sg)
ἔξεστιν (exestin - are lawful, Pres Act Ind 3S)
ἀλλ' (all' - but)
οὐκ (ouk - not)
ἐγὼ (ego - I, Nom Sg — emphatic)
ἐξουσιασθήσομαι (exousiasthesomai - will be brought under power, Fut Pass Ind 1S)
ὑπό (hupo - by)
τινος (tinos - anyone, Gen Sg N)

Greek Parsing: 1 Corinthians 10:23¶

Πάντα (panta - all things, Nom Pl N)
ἔξεστιν (exestin - are lawful, Pres Act Ind 3S)
[NO "moi" here — "to me" is absent]
ἀλλ' (all' - but)
οὐ (ou - not)
πάντα (panta - all things)
συμφέρει (sumpherei - are expedient/profitable)

πάντα (panta - all things)
ἔξεστιν (exestin - are lawful)
ἀλλ' (all' - but)
οὐ (ou - not)
πάντα (panta - all things)
οἰκοδομεῖ (oikodomei - build up/edify, Pres Act Ind 3S)