Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 9:4

"Have we no right to eat and to drink?" — 1 Corinthians 9:4 (ASV)

Have we not power...?—This question follows the parenthetical argument contained in 1 Corinthians 9:2–3. Having established his right to be called an Apostle by the fact that he had seen the Lord and had been instrumental in their conversion, he now, in the same interrogative style, asserts his rights as an Apostle. The use of the plural “we” carries on the thought that he is claiming this right as one of the Apostles—all of whom have, as Apostles, such a right. The form in which the question is asked implies, “Surely we have this right.”

This verse, taken in connection with 1 Corinthians 8:9, where the same word in Greek, “liberty,” occurs in connection with eating, shows how this line of thought has grown out of the preceding subject. The question there, however, was that of eating meat offered to idols; the question here is the right to eat and drink (i.e., live) at the expense of the Church (Luke 10:7).