1 Corinthians6:1

Translation

Any of you who has a matter

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against another, dare he

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go to law

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before the unrighteous and not before the saints?

Paraphrase

If any of you has a legal matter arise with a fellow believer in Jesus, should he take the risk of having the lawsuit heard in a court full of unrighteous people instead of being heard by fellow followers of Jesus who have been redeemed from the guilt of sin and are living with God’s principles as their top priority?

Footnotes

1: "a matter"

We get our English words “pragmatic, and pragmatism” from this Greek word. It usually meant something like, “a matter, a thing, a situation, a deed, business” and other such things. It was very fluid, and context had to determine what it referred to.

2: "dare he"

In Greek this is a strong word, pointing to an act that requires great courage and boldness to face a necessary risk. Here Paul is using it almost in a mocking way, indicating that their courage in taking such a dispute to a worldly court is a risk that should not be taken.

3: "go to law"

The Greek word “to judge” carries the basic meaning “to distinguish or decide between”. But if the verb form is middle or passive, it has the idea of “go to law, go to court, have a lawsuit against.”