1 Corinthians 16:22
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.
Study Note
Study Note
The anathema formula 'if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha' is one of the most striking passages in the Pauline corpus for its combination of Greek liturgical curse (anathema) with an Aramaic prayer 'Maran atha' ('our Lord, come'). The retention of the Aramaic prayer in a predominantly Greek letter addressed to Corinth indicates that the phrase had achieved liturgical currency across the early church — a precious fragment of the Aramaic-speaking Jerusalem community's worship embedded in diaspora correspondence. Didache 10:6 preserves the same Aramaic prayer in an eucharistic context, confirming its liturgical function as a parousia-invocation accompanying the Lord's Supper. The verse is also important evidence that 'love of Christ' was already a constitutive criterion of community identity in the earliest Pauline mission — before the elaborate christological definitions of later councils.
Other Translations
If any man loveth not the Lord, let him be anathema. Maranatha.
if any one doth not love the Lord Jesus Christ--let him be anathema! The Lord hath come!
If any man has not love for the Lord, let him be cursed. Maran atha (our Lord comes).
Cross References
Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love …
Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and …
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: …
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O …
Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard …
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or …
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it …
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared …