1 Corinthians 4:5

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

So then, do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ὥστε μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος, ὃς καὶ φωτίσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους, καὶ φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν: καὶ τότε ὁ ἔπαινος γενήσεται ἑκάστῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Transliteration

Hōste mē pro kairou ti krinete, heōs an elthē ho Kyrios, who also phōtisei ta krypta tou skotous, and phanerōsei tas boulas tōn kardiōn: and then the epainos genēsetai to each from tou Theou.

Grammar Details

• *Hōste*: conjunction - so that/therefore
• *mē*: negative particle - not
• *pro kairou*: preposition + genitive, masculine, singular - before time/prematurely
• *ti*: accusative, neuter, singular - anything/something
• *krinete*: present imperative, 2nd plural, active - judge
• *heōs an elthē*: conjunction + particle + aorist subjunctive, 3rd singular - until comes
• *ho Kyrios*: article + nominative, masculine, singular - the Lord
• *phōtisei*: future indicative, 3rd singular, active - will illuminate/bring to light
• *ta krypta*: article + accusative, neuter, plural - the hidden things
• *tou skotous*: article + genitive, neuter, singular - of the darkness
• *phanerōsei*: future indicative, 3rd singular, active - will reveal/make manifest
• *tas boulas*: article + accusative, feminine, plural - the counsels/motives/intentions
• *tōn kardiōn*: article + genitive, feminine, plural - of the hearts
• *epainos*: nominative, masculine, singular - praise/commendation
• *genēsetai*: future indicative, 3rd singular, middle - will be/become
• *hekastō*: dative, masculine, singular - to each one
• *apo tou Theou*: preposition + article + genitive, masculine, singular - from God

Word Meanings

• *pro kairou*: before the time/prematurely/too early
• *krinete*: judge/decide/condemn
• *phōtisei*: will illuminate/bring to light/expose
• *krypta*: hidden things/secrets/concealed matters
• *phanerōsei*: will reveal/make manifest/bring to light
• *boulas*: counsels/motives/purposes/intentions
• *epainos*: praise/commendation/approval

Referenced Verses

• Rom 2:1 : 1 The Condemnation of the Moralist Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.
• Rom 2:16 : 16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
• 1 Cor 3:13 : 13 each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.
• 2 Cor 5:10 : 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.
• 2 Cor 10:18 : 18 For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends.
• 1 Pet 1:7 : 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold– gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away– and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• Rom 2:29 : 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the letter. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.
• Jas 5:7 : 7 Patience in Suffering So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s return. Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains.
• Rev 20:12 : 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened– the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.
• Rev 1:7 : 7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him. This will certainly come to pass! Amen.)
• 1 Pet 5:4 : 4 Then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.
• 1 Thess 5:2 : 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night.
• Heb 4:13 : 13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
• Jas 4:11 : 11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.
• 2 Cor 4:2 : 2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.
• Rom 14:4 : 4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
• Rom 14:10-13 : 10 But you who eat vegetables only– why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything– why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,“As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” 12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Exhortation for the Strong not to Destroy the Weak Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.
• Matt 24:46 : 46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes.
• Eccl 12:14 : 14 For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
• Matt 25:23 : 23 His master answered,‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
• Luke 6:37 : 37 Do Not Judge Others“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• Luke 12:1-3 : 1 Fear God, Not People Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples,“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. 3 So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
• John 5:44 : 44 How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?
• John 21:22 : 22 Jesus replied,“If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow me!”
• Matt 7:1-2 : 1 Do Not Judge“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.
• Matt 24:30 : 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
• Matt 25:21 : 21 His master answered,‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
• Rom 2:7 : 7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,
• 1 Cor 1:7 : 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1 Cor 3:8 : 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work.
• Eccl 11:9 : 9 Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.
• 1 Cor 11:26 : 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
• 1 Cor 15:23 : 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him.
• 2 Pet 3:4 : 4 and saying,“Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.”
• 2 Pet 3:12 : 12 while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze!
• Jude 1:14 : 14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, even prophesied of them, saying,“Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones,
• Mal 3:18 : 18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.