because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.
Parallel translations
- WEB for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
- KJV For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
- NKJV For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
- NASB for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
- NLT There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.
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 stays because God has opened a wide and effective door for ministry, even though many oppose him. Open doors and fierce opposition often come together.
Overview
The 'open door' is a frequent biblical image for God-given opportunity to spread the gospel (2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3). Paul does not view the many adversaries as a reason to flee but as evidence that the work is significant and worth pursuing. The verse encourages believers that fruitful gospel labor is normally accompanied by resistance, and that Christ's open doors are worth the cost.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Cor 2:12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,
- Acts 14:27When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
- Col 4:3as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
- Rev 3:7–8To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
- 2 Cor 1:8–10We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
- 1 Cor 15:32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
- Acts 19:8–10Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
- Phil 3:18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
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 16:9 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.