1 Corinthians 3 · Verse 13

1 Corinthians 3:13

Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:13, King James Version

1 Corinthians 3:13 in other translations

BSB	his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.
WEB	each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is.
ASV	each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.
YLT	of each the work shall become manifest, for the day shall declare it, because in fire it is revealed, and the work of each, what kind it is, the fire shall prove;
DARBY	the work of each shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire shall try the work of each what it is.
BBE	Every man's work will be made clear in that day, because it will be tested by fire; and the fire itself will make clear the quality of every man's work.
Webster	Every man's work will be made manifest: for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will try every man's work, of what sort it is.

What does 1 Corinthians 3:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

13. Every man's work--each teacher's superstructure on the foundation. the day--of the Lord (1Co 1:8; He 10:25; 1Th 5:4). The article is emphatic, "The day," that is, the great day of days, the long expected day. declare it--old English for "make it clear" (1Co 4:4). it shall be revealed by fire--it, that is, "every man's work." Rather, "He," the Lord, whose day it is (2Th 1:7, 8). Translate literally, "is being revealed (the present in the Greek implies the certainty and nearness of the event, Re 22:10, 20) in fire" (Mal 3:3; 4:1). The fire (probably figurative here, as the gold, hay, &c.) is not purgatory (as Rome teaches, that is, purificatory and punitive), but probatory, not restricted to those dying in "venial sin"; the supposed intermediate class between those entering heaven at once, and those dying in mortal sin who go to hell, but universal, testing the godly and ungodly alike (2Co 5:10; compare Mr 9:49). This fire is not till the last day, the supposed fire of purgatory begins at death. The fire of Paul is to try the works, the fire of purgatory the persons, of men. Paul's fire causes "loss" to the sufferers; Rome's purgatory, great gain, namely, heaven at last to those purged by it, if only it were true. Thus this passage, quoted by Rome for, is altogether against, purgatory. "It was not this doctrine that gave rise to prayers for the dead; but the practice of praying for the dead [which crept in from the affectionate but mistaken solicitude of survivors] gave rise to the doctrine" [Whately].

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 13. Every man's work shall be made manifest. What every man has built on this foundation shall be seen. Whether he has held truth or error; whether he has had correct views of piety or false; whether what he has done has been what he should have done or not.

For the day. The day of judgment. The great day which shall reveal the secrets of all hearts, and the truth in regard to what every man has done. The event will show what edifices on the true foundation are firmly, and what are weakly built. Perhaps the word day here may mean time in general, as we say, "time will show;" and as the Latin adage says, dies doeebit; but it is more natural to refer it to the day of judgment.

Because it shall be revealed by fire. The work, the edifice which shah be built on the true foundation, shall be made known amidst the fire of the great day. The fire which is here referred to is, doubtless, that which shall attend the consummation of all things--the close of the world. That the world shall be destroyed by fire, and that the solemnities of the judgment shah be ushered in by a universal conflagration, is fully and frequently revealed. See Isa 66:15; 2Thes 1:8, 2Pet 3:7,10,11. The burning fires of that day, Paul says, shall reveal the character of every man's work, as fire sheds light on all around, and discloses the true nature of things. It may be observed, however, that many critics suppose this to refer to the fire of persecution, etc. (Macknight.) Whitby supposes that the apostle refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. Others, as Grotius, Rosenmuller, etc., suppose that the reference is to time in general; it shall be declared ere long; it shall be seen whether those things which are built on the true foundation, are true by the test of time, etc. But the most natural interpretation is that which refers it to the day of judgment.

And the fire shall try every man's work. It is the property of fire to test the qualities of objects. Thus, gold and silver, so far from being destroyed by fire, are purified from dross. Wood, hay, stubble, are consumed. The power of fire to try or test the nature of metals, or other objects, is often referred to in the Scripture. Comp. Isa 4:4; Isa 24:15, Mal 3:2, 1Pet 1:7. It is not to be supposed here that the material fire of the last day shall have any tendency to purify the soul, or to remove that which is unsound; but that the investigations and trials of the judgment shall remove all that is evil, as fire acts with reference to gold and silver. As they are not burned, but purified; as they pass unhurt through the intense heat of the furnace, so shall all that is genuine pass through the trials of the last great day, of which trials the burning world shall be the antecedent and the emblem. That great day shall show what is genuine and what is not.

(1) "it" "is" (a) "the fire" Zech 13:9, 1Pet 1:7, 4:12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 13 The day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire - There is much difference of opinion relative to the meaning of the terms in this and the two following verses. That the apostle refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem I think very probable; and when this is considered, all the terms and metaphors will appear clear and consistent. The day is the time of punishment coming on this disobedient and rebellious people. And this day being revealed by fire, points out the extreme rigour, and totally destructive nature, of that judgment. And the fire shall try every man's work - If the apostle refers to the Judaizing teachers and their insinuations that the law, especially circumcision, was of eternal obligation; then the day of fire - the time of vengeance, which was at hand, would sufficiently disprove such assertions; as, in the judgment of God, the whole temple service should be destroyed; and the people, who fondly presumed on their permanence and stability, should be dispossessed of their land and scattered over the face of the whole earth. The difference of the Christian and Jewish systems should then be seen: the latter should be destroyed in that fiery day, and the former prevail more than ever.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let us not dare to join a merely human or a…

Read the full comment on 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 →

1 Corinthians 3:13 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.

ἑκάστουhekastouof eachG1538

τὸtotheG3588

ἔργονergonworkG2041

φανερὸνphaneronmanifestG5318

γενήσεται·genēsetaiwill become;G1096

ἡhētheG3588

γὰρgarforG1063

ἡμέραhēmeradayG2250

δηλώσει,dēlōseiwill disclose [it],G1213

ὅτιhotibecauseG3754

ἐνeninG1722

πυρὶpurifireG4442

ἀποκαλύπτεται,apokaluptetaiit is revealed,G601

καὶkaiandG2532

ἑκάστουhekastouof eachG1538

τὸtotheG3588

ἔργονergonworkG2041

ὁποῖόνhopoionwhat sortG3697

ἐστινestinit isG1510

τὸtotheG3588

πῦρpurfireG4442

δοκιμάσει.dokimaseiwill prove.G1381

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

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 3:13

1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
1 Corinthians 3:14-15
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Zechariah 13:9
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
Romans 2:16
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
1 Corinthians 1:8
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Malachi 3:17
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Romans 2:5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

man's.
14,15; 4:5; 2Ti 3:9
the day.
1:8; Mal 3:17; Ro 2:5,16; 2Th 1:7-10; 2Ti 1:18; 2Pe 3:10; Re 20:12
shall be revealed. Gr. is revealed.
Lu 2:35
and the fire.
Isa 8:20; 28:17; Jer 23:29; Eze 13:10-16; Zec 13:9; 1Pe 1:7; 4:12

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

Context

1 Corinthians 3:12
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1 Corinthians 3:13
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1 Corinthians 3:14
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 3

1 Corinthians 3:13 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	La obra de cada uno será manifestada: porque el día la declarará; porque por el fuego será manifestada; y la obra de cada uno cuál sea, el fuego hará la prueba.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	l’ouvrage de chacun sera rendu manifeste, car le jour le fera connaître, parce qu’il est révélé en feu; et quel est l’ouvrage de chacun, le feu l’éprouvera.
German Elberfelder 1871	so wird das Werk eines jeden offenbar werden, denn der Tag wird es klar machen, weil er in Feuer geoffenbart wird; und welcherlei das Werk eines jeden ist, wird das Feuer bewähren.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	uniuscujusque opus manifestum erit: dies enim Domini declarabit, quia in igne revelabitur: et uniuscujusque opus quale sit, ignis probabit.