For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
Parallel translations
- WEB For what do I have to do with also judging those who are outside? Don’t you judge those who are within?
- BSB What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
- NKJV For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
- NASB For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
- NLT It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.
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 says it is not his place to judge outsiders, but the church is responsible to judge its own members. It matters because the church's disciplinary responsibility falls on those inside, not the world.
Overview
Paul draws a clear line: God will deal with those outside the church, but believers are accountable to address sin among those within. The Corinthians had reversed this, condemning each other while tolerating scandal in their midst. The verse defines the proper sphere of church discipline—the covenant community, not the surrounding society.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Mark 4:11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
- Luke 12:14And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
- 1 Tim 3:7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
- 1 Cor 5:3–5For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
- Col 4:5Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
- 1 Cor 6:1–5Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
- 1 Th 4:12That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
- John 18:36Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
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 5:12 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
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.