Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:33KJV
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1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV)

What does 1 Corinthians 15:33 mean?

1 Corinthians 15:33 warns readers not to be misled: spending time with bad influences or listening to harmful talk can spoil good character and behavior. The verse points out that who and what you associate with can have a real impact on your morals.

Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, addressing believers who were being influenced by people denying the resurrection of the dead. He cautions them that accepting or entertaining wrong ideas—especially from those with corrupt beliefs—can undermine the good habits and values they have learned. The warning is practical and direct, urging the community to be careful about the company they keep and the conversations they entertain.

The Greek behind 1 Corinthians 15:33

  • κακαὶ (kakē, G2556) — "evil": This word refers to something morally bad or harmful. Paul is not just talking about minor faults, but about influences that are truly damaging to character.
  • ὁμιλίαι (homiliai, G3657) — "communications": This Greek word often means companionship or associations, not just spoken words. Paul is warning about the effect of close relationships, not only conversations.
  • φθείρουσιν (phtheirousin, G5351) — "corrupt": This word means to ruin, destroy, or spoil. The idea is that good character can be gradually worn down or spoiled by persistent negative influence.
  • ἤθη (ēthē, G2239) — "manners": This term refers to habits, morals, or character, not just polite behavior. Paul is concerned with the deeper qualities that shape a person's life.

Why 1 Corinthians 15:33 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Paul is not only warning against bad language but against any kind of close association with harmful influences, especially those who deny important truths.
  • It connects to the wider context of 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul is defending the resurrection and urging the church not to be swayed by false teaching.
  • The verse highlights the practical reality that beliefs and behaviors are shaped by the people and ideas we allow into our lives, making it a timeless warning about the power of influence.

Where else these words appear

“corrupt” Greek G5351 · used in 7 verses

  • 1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
  • Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

“good” Greek G5543 · used in 7 verses

  • Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
  • Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
  • Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

“Be” Greek G4105 · used in 37 verses

  • Matthew 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
  • John 7:12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
  • 2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

“evil” Greek G2556 · used in 46 verses

  • Matthew 21:41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
  • Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
  • Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: