Fleshly
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Σαρκικός means fleshly or pertaining to flesh, and Paul's contexts determine whether the adjective is morally negative or simply refers to material, bodily matters. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, jealousy and division show that the church is behaving in a flesh-governed, merely human way.
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Full entry for σαρκικός (G4559) · Open the biblical lexicon
Σαρκικός means fleshly or pertaining to flesh, and Paul's contexts determine whether the adjective is morally negative or simply refers to material, bodily matters. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, jealousy and division show that the church is behaving in a flesh-governed, merely human way.
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include worldly (3), [ the weapons ] of the flesh (1), a material [harvest] (1), material [blessings] (1), of the flesh (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Romans 15:27. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (3), 2 Corinthians (2), 1 Peter (1), Romans (1).
Σαρκικός means fleshly or pertaining to flesh, and Paul's contexts determine whether the adjective is morally negative or simply refers to material, bodily matters. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, jealousy and division show that the church is behaving in a flesh-governed, merely human way. In 2 Corinthians 1:12, Paul contrasts fleshly wisdom with conduct shaped by God's grace.
Romans 15:27, however, uses the same adjective for material benefits that Gentile believers owe in response to sharing Jewish believers' spiritual blessings. The word therefore must not be treated as a synonym for “physical” in every occurrence, nor should material life be despised as inherently evil. Paul's moral concern is life governed by fallen human desire and wisdom rather than by God's Spirit and grace.
Paul's σαρκικός can describe flesh-governed conduct or, neutrally, material things. Context distinguishes sinful jealousy and human wisdom from bodily resources used in loving service.
For you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?
Jealousy and faction reveal that the Corinthians are acting according to merely human, flesh-governed patterns rather than spiritual maturity.
For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
Paul's ministry conduct rests in God-given holiness, sincerity, and grace rather than calculating fleshly wisdom.
They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.
Material assistance is a fitting response to shared spiritual blessing, showing that “fleshly” can refer neutrally to tangible goods.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Pertains to flesh-nature enslaved by appetites; broader than mere sensuality, including all carnal desires.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
11 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
fleshly, carnal
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
σαρκικός is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
A sound theology of σαρκικός must honor both creation and redemption. Paul does not teach that bodies or material resources are evil. Romans 15 calls tangible gifts “material” while presenting them as loving ministry. Yet in Corinth the adjective exposes a manner of life ruled by jealousy, rivalry, and wisdom calibrated to human advantage. The contrast is not spirit versus body but God's grace and Spirit versus fallen self-direction.
This distinction matters pastorally. Churches can condemn envy and faction without promoting shame about embodiment. They can use money, food, labor, and other material goods as instruments of fellowship. Teachers should therefore resist importing every feature of Paul's broader “flesh” theology into each occurrence without context. The word summons believers away from merely human patterns and toward Spirit-shaped holiness, sincerity, generosity, and unity in the embodied life God created and will raise.
1Cor.3.3
Σαρκικός is an adjective formed from σάρξ, flesh. It can mean made of flesh, pertaining to material life, or characterized by flesh in Paul's moral sense. The noun it modifies and the surrounding contrast, such as spiritual versus material or grace versus fleshly wisdom, determine the nuance.
The Old Testament affirms bodily creation while exposing the stubborn human heart and promising God's Spirit. In the New Testament, the Son truly assumes flesh, the Spirit renews God's people, material gifts serve fellowship, and resurrection secures the future of embodied life without sin's dominion.