Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now concerning Apollos, the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now; but he will come when he has an opportunity.
- KJV As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.
- BSB Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
- NKJV Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.
- NASB Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly encouraged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul reports that he urged Apollos to visit Corinth, but Apollos chose to wait for a better time. It shows respectful cooperation among gospel workers without rivalry.
Overview
Some Corinthians had aligned themselves with Apollos over against Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4-6), yet here Paul shows no jealousy, freely encouraging Apollos to come. Apollos's free decision to delay underscores that fellow ministers acted as colleagues, not competitors, each exercising his own judgment under God. The passage quietly rebukes the church's factionalism by displaying the genuine unity of those who serve the one Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Cor 1:12Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
- 1 Cor 3:5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?
- Titus 3:4But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,
- Acts 18:24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.
- 1 Cor 3:22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
- Eccl 3:1For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
- Mark 6:21Then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.
- Acts 24:25As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.”
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Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 16:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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