SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:9
Porque nosotros , colaboradores somos de Dios; y vosotros labranza de Dios sois, edificio de Dios sois.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:9
Verse 9. For we are labourers together with God] We do nothing of ourselves, nor in reference to ourselves; we labour together in that work which God has given us to do, expect all our success from him, and refer the whole to his glory. It would perhaps be more correct to translate qeou gar esmen sunergai, we are fellow labourers of God; for, as the preposition sun may express the joint labour of the teachers one with another, and not with God, I had rather, with Bishop Pearce, translate as above: i.e. we labour together in the work of God. Far from being divided among ourselves, we jointly labour, as oxen in the same yoke, to promote the honour of our Master. Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.] qeou gewrgion, qeou oikodomh este? The word gewrgion, which we translate husbandry, signifies properly an arable field; so Prov. xxiv. x20: I went by the FIELD, gewrgion, of the slothful; and Proverbs xxxi. 16: The wise woman considereth a FIELD, gewrgion, and buyeth it. It would be more literal to translate it, Ye are God's farm: gewrgion in Greek answers to hd sadeh in Hebrew, which signifies properly a sown field.
Ye are God's building. - Ye are not only the field which God cultivates, but ye are the house which God builds, and in which he intends to dwell.
As no man in viewing a fine building extols the quarryman that dug up the stones, the hewer that cut and squared them, the mason that placed them in the wall, the woodman that hewed down the timber, the carpenter that squared and jointed it, &c., but the architect who planned it, and under whose direction the whole work was accomplished; so no man should consider Paul, or Apollos, or Kephas, any thing, but as persons employed by the great Architect to form a building which is to become a habitation of himself through the Spirit, and the design of which is entirely his own.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. For we are labourers together with God , etc.] The ministers of the Gospel are labourers in the Lords vineyard, and not loiterers; their work is a laborious work, both to body and mind; which lies in close study and meditation, in diligent reading and constant prayer, in frequent ministration of the word, and administration of ordinances; besides reproofs, admonitions, and exhortations, counsels, and instructions, which are often necessary: it is a work, which no man is sufficient for of himself; what requires diligence, industry, and faithfulness; is honourable, and, when rightly performed, deserves respect: nor do they labour alone, but with God; not as co-ordinate, but as subordinate workers; for though they labour in planting and watering, yet they bear no part with him in giving the increase; he is the husbandman, the chief master builder, they are labourers under him; however, he works with them; hence their labours are not in vain, and they have great encouragement to go on in their work; and they are Gods labourers with one another, which is a sense of the phrase not to be overlooked. The apostle often, in his epistles, speaks of his fellow workmen, and fellow labourers, who wrought together with him under God: ye are Gods husbandry ; or tillage; he is the proprietor of the field, the occupier of it, the husbandman who breaks up the fallow ground of the hearts of his people; he casts in the seed of grace, he makes the ground good, and causes it to bring forth fruit; the churches of Christ are his property, land of his fertilizing, and all the fruit belongs unto him; they are gardens of his planting, and vineyards of his watering, and which he keeps night and day, lest any hurt: ye are Gods building ; as the former metaphor is taken from agriculture, this is from architecture: believers in a church state are Gods house, in which he dwells, and which he himself has built; he has laid the foundation, which is Jesus Christ; he makes his people lively stones, and lays them on it; he raises up the superstructure, and will complete the building, and ought to bear all the glory, and in all which he makes use of his ministers as instruments.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-9 - The ministers about whom the Corinthians contended, were onl instruments used by God. We should not put ministers into the place of God. He that planteth and he that watereth are one, employed by on Master, trusted with the same revelation, busied in one work, an engaged in one design. They have their different gifts from one and the same Spirit, for the very same purposes; and should carry on the sam design heartily. Those who work hardest shall fare best. Those who ar most faithful shall have the greatest reward. They work together with God, in promoting the purposes of his glory, and the salvation of precious souls; and He who knows their work, will take care they do no labour in vain. They are employed in his husbandry and building; and He will carefully look over them.
Greek Textus Receptus
θεου 2316 N-GSM γαρ 1063 CONJ εσμεν 2070 5748 V-PXI-1P συνεργοι 4904 A-NPM θεου 2316 N-GSM γεωργιον 1091 N-NSN θεου 2316 N-GSM οικοδομη 3619 N-NSF εστε 2075 5748 V-PXI-2P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
9. God's. In this and the two following clauses, God is emphatic. "It is of God that ye are the fellow-workers."Husbandry (gewrgion). Rev., in margin, tilled land. Only here in the New Testament. Bengel says: "Embracing field, garden, and vineyard." Building (oikodomh). Paul's metaphors are drawn from the works and customs of men rather than from the works of nature. "In his epistles," says Archdeacon Farrar, "we only breathe the air of cities and synagogues." The abundance of architectural metaphors is not strange in view of the magnificent temples and public buildings which he was continually seeing at Antioch, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus. His frequent use of to build and building in a moral and spiritual sense is noteworthy. In this sense the two words oijkodomew and oijkodomh occur twenty-six times in the New Testament, and in all but two cases in Paul's writings. 84 Peter uses build in a similar sense; 1 Pet. ii. 5. See edify, edification, build, Acts ix. 31; Rom. xv. 20; 1 Cor. viii. 1; 1 Cor. viii. 10, where emboldened is literally built up, and is used ironically. Also Rom. xiv. 19; xv. 2; 1 Cor. xiv. 3; Eph. ii. 21, etc. It is worth noting that in the Epistle to the Hebrews, while the same metaphor occurs, different words are used. Thus in ch. iii. 3, 4, built, builded, represent kataskeuazw to prepare. In ch. xi. 10, tecnithv artificer, and dhmiourgov, lit., a workman for the public: A.V., builder and maker. This fact has a bearing on the authorship of the epistle. In earlier English, edify was used for build in the literal sense. Thus Piers Ploughman: "I shal overturne this temple and a-down throwe it, and in thre daies after edifie it newe." See on Acts xx. 32. In the double metaphor of the field and the building, the former furnishes the mould of Paul's thought in vers. 6-9, and the latter in vers. 10-17. Edwards remarks that the field describes the raw material on which God works, the house the result of the work.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:9 {God's fellow-workers} (qeou sunergoi). this old word (co-workers of God) has a new dignity here. God is the major partner in the enterprise of each life, but he lets us work with him. Witness the mother and God with the baby as the product. {God's husbandry} (qeou gewrgion). God's tilled land (ge, ergon). The farmer works with God in God's field. Without the sun, the rains, the seasons the farmer is helpless. {God's building} (qeou oikodome). God is the Great Architect. We work under him and carry out the plans of the Architect. It is building (oikos, house, demw, to build). Let us never forget that God sees and cares what we do in the part of the building where we work for him.
