Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 9:5

"Have we no right to lead about a wife that is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?" — 1 Corinthians 9:5 (ASV)

To lead about a sister, a wife—i.e., to take with us on our journeys a Christian woman as a wife. Roman Catholic theologians have interpreted this as referring to “the custom of Christian matrons attending as sisters upon the Apostles.” However, since the Apostle illustrates his meaning by referring to Peter, whom we know had a wife, such an interpretation is inadmissible.

In this verse, Saint Paul carries his statement of apostolic right to support one step further. Not only did he have a right to be supported himself, but the Church’s support of the married Apostles and their wives implied the same right for all. A practice that grew out of a misunderstanding of this passage’s true meaning led to serious scandal and was finally condemned by the First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325).

The brethren of the Lord, and Cephas.—These are mentioned specifically, not as distinct from the Apostles (for Cephas, of course, was one), but as examples that would have great weight with the particular Jewish faction to whom this argument was presented. James was Bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18).

The other brethren of our Lord were Joses, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). They were not of the twelve Apostles; even after their conversion, they are mentioned as distinct from the Twelve (Acts 1:14), although James subsequently occupied an apostolic position (Galatians 2:9).

Various and ingenious suggestions have been made as to who these “brethren of the Lord” were; among others, that they were cousins, or children of Joseph by a former marriage. These views arose from a desire to establish the perpetual virginity of Mary.

The natural conclusion from studying the mention of their names in the Gospels, without preconceived prejudice, is that Joseph and Mary lived together after the miraculous birth of Christ and that these were their children.

This conclusion is also supported by the use of the word “first-born” in reference to our Lord (Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7), the word “till” (Matthew 1:25), and the phrase “before they came together” (Matthew 1:18). Further support comes from their repeated mention as brethren in connection with His mother Mary (See Note on Matthew 12:46).