1 Corinthians 6:16
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse isn't just about avoiding bad relationships; it's about the profound truth that any sexual union, regardless of its context, creates a spiritual oneness that mirrors Christ's union with his church. When we choose sexual intimacy outside of God's design, we are essentially declaring a shared "body" with someone or something that isn't meant to be our ultimate spiritual partner.
Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is directly confronting the Corinthian church about rampant sexual immorality, particularly their tolerance of a man living with his father's wife and now, in this verse, sexual impurity with prostitutes. He’s reminding them that such acts aren't just personal choices but have profound spiritual implications, violating their union with Christ by creating a perverse union with another person. The passage immediately following will emphasize that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, not to be defiled.
Paul drops a bombshell here, connecting sexual sin to a profound spiritual union. It's not just about the physical act, but a deep spiritual entanglement.
Paul uses the common understanding of marriage – "the two will become one flesh" – to shock the Corinthians. He's saying that sexual intimacy, even outside of marriage, creates a powerful, binding union. This union isn't just physical; it's spiritual. When believers engage in sexual immorality, they are "joined" to a partner in a way that creates a single spiritual entity, violating their union with Christ.
The verse specifically calls out union with a prostitute. Why this particular sin, and what does it reveal about our connection to Christ?
Paul uses the extreme example of joining with a prostitute to highlight the destructive nature of sexual immorality. This act, by its very definition, involves a one-time or casual union with someone outside the covenant of marriage. By becoming "one body" with such a person, a believer is essentially severing or corrupting their own sacred "one body" relationship with Christ, who is the ultimate bridegroom to His church.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
kollaō · Greek Verb
To be united, glued, or cleaved to something or someone; it implies an intense, intimate, and often inseparable connection. In a marital or spiritual sense, it denotes the formation of a single entity out of two.
pornē · Greek Noun
In the biblical sense, this refers to a person who sells sexual favors. It carries strong associations with moral corruption, apostasy, and the abandonment of God's design for human sexuality.
sarx · Greek Noun
This represents the human being in their entirety, particularly in a physical or sexual union. Biblically, it signifies the essential unity of a man and woman as established by God in creation.
Paul leverages the Old Testament's foundational principle of unity in marriage to condemn sexual immorality in Corinth, showing that sexual union with a prostitute is a perversion of God's design for intimacy.
c. 55-57 AD— this verse
Paul Writes 1 Corinthians
Paul writes this letter to the church in Corinth from Ephesus, addressing divisions, immorality, and doctrinal issues within the congregation.
c. 41-54 AD
Roman Rule in Corinth
Claudius's reign sees Rome consolidating its power, with governors like Gallio (mentioned in Acts 18) overseeing the province of Achaia, including Corinth.
c. 49 AD
Expulsion of Jews from Rome
Emperor Claudius expels Jews from Rome, an event that likely impacted Jewish communities throughout the empire, including Corinth, and may have led to friction within the church.
c. 50-52 AD
Paul's Ministry in Corinth
Paul spends about 18 months in Corinth, establishing the church and teaching about Christ, laying the groundwork for the issues he later addresses.
c. 40s-50s AD
Cultural and Religious Climate
Corinth was a bustling, cosmopolitan port city known for its wealth, trade, and a reputation for indulgence and varied religious practices, including temple prostitution.
This passage is the original Old Testament text quoted in 1 Corinthians 6:16, emphasizing that sexual union is intended by God to create a profound, one-flesh bond.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20This immediately following passage expands on the idea of the body being a temple of the Holy Spirit, directly linking sexual immorality to sinning against one's own body and God.
Ephesians 5:28-31Paul uses the analogy of marriage to describe Christ's relationship with the Church, highlighting the deep unity and sacrificial love intended within marriage, contrasting it with the destructive 'unity' of sexual immorality.
Proverbs 7:6-27This extended narrative vividly illustrates the deceptive allure and ruinous consequences of sexual sin, showing how it leads to destruction and death, just as Paul warns.
This verse isn't just about avoiding bad relationships; it's about the profound truth that any sexual union, regardless of its context, creates a spiritual oneness that mirrors Christ's union with his church. When we choose sexual intimacy outside of God's design, we are essentially declaring a shared "body" with someone or something that isn't meant to be our ultimate spiritual partner.
Paul is directly confronting the Corinthian church about rampant sexual immorality, particularly their tolerance of a man living with his father's wife and now, in this verse, sexual impurity with prostitutes. He’s reminding them that such acts aren't just personal choices but have profound spiritual implications, violating their union with Christ by creating a perverse union with another person. The passage immediately following will emphasize that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, not to be defiled.
Paul is directly confronting the Corinthian church about rampant sexual immorality, particularly their tolerance of a man living with his father's wife and now, in this verse, sexual impurity with prostitutes. He’s reminding them that such acts aren't just personal choices but have profound spiritual implications, violating their union with Christ by creating a perverse union with another person. The passage immediately following will emphasize that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, not to be defiled.
"Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”" — This verse isn't just about avoiding bad relationships; it's about the profound truth that any sexual union, regardless of its context, creates a spiritual oneness that mirrors Christ's union with hi…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
