Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [1 Corinthians: Chapter 9].
substantives in apposition, a sister a wife, a common Greek
idiom. This is a plea for the support of the preacher's wife and
children. Plainly Paul has no wife at this time. {And Cephas}
(\kai K•ph•s\). Why is he singled out by name? Perhaps because of
his prominence and because of the use of his name in the
divisions in Corinth (1:12). It was well known that Peter was
married (Mt 8:14). Paul mentions James by name in Ga 1:19 as
one of the Lord's brothers. All the other apostles were either
married or had the right to be.
9:6 {Have we not a right to forbear working?} (\ouk echomen
exousian m• ergazesthai;\). By \•\ (or) Paul puts the other side
about Barnabas (the only allusion since the dispute in Ac
15:39, but in good spirit) and himself. Perhaps (Hofmann) Paul
has in mind the fact that in the first great mission tour (Ac
13; 14), Barnabas and Paul received no help from the church in
Antioch, but were left to work their way along at their own
charges. It was not till the Philippian Church took hold that
Paul had financial aid (Php 4:15). Here both negatives have
their full force. Literally, Do we not have (\ouk echomen\,
expecting the affirmative reply) the right not (\m•\, negative of
the infinitive \ergazesthai\) to do manual labour (usual meaning
of \ergazomai\ as in 4:12)?" There was no more compulsion on
Paul and Barnabas to support themselves than upon the other
workers for Christ. They renounced no rights in being voluntarily
independent.
9:7 {What soldier ever serveth?} (\tis strateuetai pote;\). "Who
ever serves as a soldier?" serves in an army (\stratos\). Present
middle of old verb \strateu•\. {At his own charges} (\idiois
ops•niois\). This late word \ops•nion\ (from \opson\, cooked meat
or relish with bread, and \•neomai\, to buy) found in Menander,
Polybius, and very common in papyri and inscriptions in the sense
of rations or food, then for the soldiers' wages (often
provisions) or the pay of any workman. So of the wages of sin
(Ro 6:23). Paul uses \lab•n ops•nion\ (receiving wages, the
regular idiom) in 2Co 11:8. See Moulton and Milligan,
_Vocabulary_; Deissmann, _Bible Studies_, pp. 148,266; _Light
from the Ancient East_, p. 168. To give proof of his right to
receive pay for preaching Paul uses the illustrations of the
soldier (verse 7), the husbandman (verse 7), the shepherd
(verse 7), the ox treading out the grain (8), the ploughman
(verse 10), the priests in the temple (13), proof enough in
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