1 Corinthians 15:34

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:34, King James Version

1 Corinthians 15:34 in other translations

BSB	Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
WEB	Wake up righteously and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
ASV	Awake to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak this to move you to shame.
YLT	awake up, as is right, and sin not; for certain have an ignorance of God; for shame to you I say it.
DARBY	Awake up righteously, and sin not; for some are ignorant of God: I speak to you as a matter of shame.
BBE	Be awake to righteousness and keep yourselves from sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I say this to put you to shame.
Webster	Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

What does 1 Corinthians 15:34 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

34. Awake--literally, "out of the sleep" of carnal intoxication into which ye are thrown by the influence of these skeptics (1Co 15:32; Joe 1:5). to righteousness--in contrast with "sin" in this verse, and corrupt manners (1Co 15:33). sin not--Do not give yourselves up to sinful pleasures. The Greek expresses a continued state of abstinence from sin. Thus, Paul implies that they who live in sinful pleasures readily persuade themselves of what they wish, namely, that there is to be no resurrection. some--the same as in 1Co 15:12. have not the knowledge of God--and so know not His power in the resurrection (Mt 22:29). Stronger than "are ignorant of God." An habitual ignorance: wilful, in that they prefer to keep their sins, rather than part with them, in order to know God (compare Joh 7:17; 1Pe 2:15). to your shame--that you Corinthian Christians, who boast of your knowledge, should have among you, and maintain intercourse with, those so practically ignorant of God, as to deny the resurrection.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 34. Awake to righteousness. Rom 13:11. The word here translated "awake" denotes, properly, to awake up from a deep sleep or torpor; and is usually applied to those who awake, or become sober after drunkenness. The phrase "to righteousness"--δικαιως may mean either "rouse to the ways of righteousness, to a holy life, to sound doctrine," etc., or it may mean "as it is right and just that you should be." Probably the latter is the correct idea, and then the sense will be, "Arouse from stupidity on this subject; awake from your conscious security; be alarmed, as it is right and proper that you should be, for you are surrounded by dangers, and by those who would lead you into error and vice; rouse from such wild and delusive opinions as these persons have, and exercise a constant vigilance as becomes those who are the friends of God and the expectants of a blessed resurrection."

And sin not. Do not err; do not depart from the truth and from holiness; do not embrace a doctrine which is not only erroneous, but the tendency of which is to lead into sin. It is implied here, that, if they suffered themselves to embrace a doctrine which was a denial of the resurrection, the effect would be that they would fall into sin; or that a denial of that doctrine led to a life of self-indulgence and transgression. This truth is everywhere seen; and against this, effect Paul sought to guard them. He did not regard the denial of the doctrine of the resurrection as a harmless speculation, but as leading to most dangerous consequences in regard to their manner of life or their conduct.

For some have not. Some among you. You are surrounded by strangers to God; you have those among you who would lead you into error and sin.

I speak this to your shame. To your shame as a church; because you have had abundant opportunities to know the truth, and because it is a subject of deep disgrace that there are any in your bosom who deny the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and who are strangers to the grace of God.

(b) "to righteousness" Rom 13:11, Eph 5:14 (c) "speak this" 1Cor 6:5

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 34 Awake to righteousness - Shake off your slumber; awake fully, thoroughly, δικαιως, as ye ought to do: so the word should be rendered; not awake to righteousness. Be in earnest; do not trifle with God, your souls, and eternity. Sin not - For this will lead to the destruction both of body and soul. Life is but a moment; improve it. Heaven has blessings without end. Some have not the knowledge of God - The original is very emphatic: αγνωσιαν γαρ Θεου τινες εχουσι, some have an ignorance of God; they do not acknowledge God. They have what is their bane; and they have not what would be their happiness and glory. To have an ignorance of God - a sort of substantial darkness, that prevents the light of God from penetrating the soul, is a worse state than to be simply in the dark, or without the Divine knowledge. The apostle probably speaks of those who were once enlightened, had once good morals, but were corrupted by bad company. It was to their shame or reproach that they had left the good way, and were now posting down to the chambers of death.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:20-34

All that are by faith united to Christ, are by his resurrection assured of their own. As through the sin of the first Adam, all men became mortal, because all had from him the same sinful nature, so, through the resurrection of Christ, shall all who are made to partake of the Spirit, and the spiritual nature, revive, and live for ever. There will be an order in the resurrection. Christ himself has been the…

Read the full comment on 1 Corinthians 15:20-34 →

1 Corinthians 15:34 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐκνήψατεeknēpsatedo sober upG1594

δικαίωςdikaiōsrighteouslyG1346

καὶkaiandG2532

μὴmēnotG3361

ἁμαρτάνετε·hamartanetedo sin;G264

ἀγνωσίανagnōsianignoranceG56

γὰρgarforG1063

θεοῦtheouof GodG2316

τινεςtinessomeG5100

ἔχουσιν·echousinhave;G2192

πρὸςprostoG4314

ἐντροπὴνentropēn[the] shameG1791

ὑμῖνhuminof youG4771

λαλῶ.¶lalōI speak.G2980

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 15:34

1 Corinthians 6:5
I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
Hebrews 5:11-12
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Romans 13:11
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Joel 1:5
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
1 Corinthians 8:7
Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
John 5:14
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Romans 1:28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Jonah 1:6
So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
John 8:11
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Psalms 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
1 Thessalonians 4:5
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Awake.
Joe 1:5; Jon 1:6; Ro 13:11; Eph 5:14
sin not.
Ps 4:4; 119:11; Joh 5:14; 8:11
some.
8:7; Ro 1:28; 1Th 4:5
I speak.
6:5; Heb 5:11,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
1 Corinthians 15:35
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

Read all of 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:34 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Velad debidamente, y no pequéis; porque algunos no conocen á Dios: para vergüenza vuestra hablo.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Réveillez-vous pour vivre justement, et ne péchez pas; car quelques-uns sont dans l’ignorance de Dieu, je vous le dis à votre honte.
German Elberfelder 1871	Werdet rechtschaffen nüchtern und sündiget nicht, denn etliche sind in Unwissenheit über Gott; zur Beschämung sage ichs euch.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Evigilate justi, et nolite peccare: ignorantiam enim Dei quidam habent, ad reverentiam vobis loquor.