1 Corinthians 9:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Since the one who plows cannot yet gather anything, but must only labor, he grants him hope. But to the one who threshes he already grants the use of the fruits.

“He who threshes,” he says, “receives what is expected in hope.” Then, lest someone say, “Is this the recompense for such labors?” he adds, “in hope,” that is, of the future.

Thus the law about not muzzling the mouth of the ox means nothing other than this: laboring teachers must receive recompense.

But lest someone say, “What then? For such great labors of the Apostles, do you assign them only the reward of receiving sustenance?” he added, “in hope,” that is, of future blessings.

Thus one must hope for those blessings also, and in addition eat and drink at the expense of the disciples.

The fifth was income received three times a year from those who dwelt in the house of God (Deut 16; Lev 23; Ex 30; 4 Kings 12; 2 Chr 24). This income remained even to the days of Christ.

The sixth was monetary income, in coin. The seventh was that every firstborn animal was given to the priests (Ex 13), while the firstborn of men was redeemed and paid for with money (Num 18). The eighth concerned Levites whom some laymen kept in their own houses. The Lord commanded that they be maintained in full sufficiency, and for this He promised blessing to the houses of those laymen (Deut 14:27, 29).

The ninth came from every animal offered in sacrifice, even for a whole burnt offering. For if an animal was appointed even for a whole burnt offering, its flesh was burned, but the skin remained for the priests' benefit (Lev 7). From other sacrificial animals, one part was offered in sacrifice, while another part remained by law for the priests (Lev 2, 6, 5). The tenth came from the Nazarenes (Num 6). The eleventh came from the forty-eight cities appointed by God for the Old Testament clergy (Josh 21). The twelfth came from houses and lands given to the Jewish clergy by testament (Lev 27; Num 18).

See then, Christians, how securely the clergy was provided for by God's command in the Old Testament. On the basis of these statutes, did not the holy Apostle have the right to require support from the laity, the shepherd from those shepherded? Certainly he had the full right, although he asked nothing for himself.

Yes, says the Apostle, these statutes were written also for us. For he who plows should certainly plow in hope, and he who threshes threshes in hope of receiving the expected fruit. So also the Lord commanded that those who preach the Gospel should live from the Gospel (1 Cor 9:14).

These apostolic words serve as an interpretation of the word said above: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (1 Cor 9:9).

Without doubt, he says, this word is not for our sake in vain, since justice requires that the one who teaches the faith should hope to receive a reward for it. He receives it when he sees the fruit of his teaching.

Here one must also note the Apostle’s wisdom. Since he said, “to partake of his hope,” lest anyone think that he has only the hope of bodily enjoyment, he added, “in hope.”

By this he shows that, while having the right to receive an earthly reward, he also has the hope of receiving a heavenly recompense.

After this proof founded on the law, he offers another, taken from the comparison of spiritual and bodily things.

Preachers of the truths of the faith must likewise have their recompense. This natural right is proved by the law, according to which oxen had to be fed as they walked over a threshing floor spread with sheaves of wheat.

By doing this, they threshed it (Deut 25:4), and at the same time they could eat.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, “The Apostles were soldiers, husbandmen, and shepherds. They dealt not with earth, not with irrational animals, not with sensible enemies, but with rational souls and demonic armies.”

“From sowing the Apostle passes to threshing. By this he indicates how great are the labors of teachers, who both plow and thresh.”

The law about not muzzling an ox while it treads out the grain means nothing other than this: laboring teachers must receive recompense.

Instead of saying, “Yes, this was written about us, with the thought that we should cultivate your souls, sow in them the seeds of truth, and then direct you in every way to bear fruit, without being anxious about our own support,” he speaks more briefly.

He could have said, “Just as the one who cultivates the earth cultivates it in hope that it will give him fruit, and the one who threshes threshes in full assurance that he will taste bread.”

Instead of describing his thought so fully, the Apostle takes one final comparison and sets it forth. He lets the readers themselves understand that by these images he means the preachers of the word.

“By the words, ‘He who plows ought to plow in hope,’ the Apostle said the same thing as this: the teacher must receive recompense for his labors” (Chrysostom).

By including both plowing, the beginning of the work, and threshing, almost its end, he showed the continuity of the Apostles’ labor over the faithful.

They do not act in such a way that they sow the word and have done everything by that alone. No, they continue to watch over them and labor, so as to draw out from them all that is good and winnow away all that is not good.

“From sowing he passes to threshing, and by this he indicates how great are the labors of teachers, who both plow and thresh” (Chrysostom).

The last words, “and he who threshes,” and so on, may be read thus: “and he who threshes threshes in hope of partaking of his hope.”

That is, he hopes to partake of what he had expected from the time he began to plow and sow. The matter is nearing its end, and the time is near when he will taste the fruit of his labors.

“Thus the law about not muzzling an ox while it treads out the grain means nothing other than this: laboring teachers must receive recompense” (Chrysostom).

“Here is the fourth proof that sustenance must be supplied to teachers” (Chrysostom). The argument is taken from the very nature of the work of preaching.