“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
- οἱthe
- γὰρfor
- κατὰdown from, against, according to, throughout, during
- σάρκαflesh, body
- ὄντεςI am, exist
- τὰthe
- τῆςthe
- σαρκὸςflesh, body
- φρονοῦσινI think, judge, observe
- οἱthe
- δὲbut, on the other hand, and
- κατὰdown from, against, according to, throughout, during
- πνεῦμαwind, breath, spirit
- τὰthe
- τοῦthe
- πνεύματοςwind, breath, spirit
The for according-to flesh being the of-the flesh they-mind, the but according-to spirit the of-the spirit.
For the ones being according to flesh mind the things of the flesh, but the ones according to spirit the things of the spirit.
The verse consists of a balanced antithetical parallelism with fronted prepositional phrases (κατὰ σάρκα / κατὰ πνεῦμα) followed by substantival participial constructions (οἱ ὄντες / οἱ [ὄντες understood]) and main verbs (φρονοῦσιν / [φρονοῦσιν understood]). Both clauses exhibit heavy ellipsis in the second member: the participle ὄντες and the verb φρονοῦσιν must be supplied from the first colon. The present tense throughout (ὄντες, φρονοῦσιν) marks continuous, habitual action, not episodic states.
The articular participle οἱ ὄντες functions as a substantive, creating a fixed class ("those who are"), while κατὰ + accusative establishes the sphere or standard of existence. The articular neuter plural τὰ τῆς σαρκός is a standard Greek construction for abstract substantives ("the things characterized by"). The genitive relationship (τῆς σαρκός, τοῦ πνεύματος) is qualitative/characteristic, not possessive. Word order is chiastic within each colon: prepositional phrase—participle—object—verb, then prepositional phrase—object (with participle and verb gapped).
The γὰρ signals to the hearer that explanation is arriving; the tightly parallel structure (οἱ...κατά...τὰ τῆς / οἱ δὲ...κατά...τὰ τοῦ) creates mnemonic balance and rhythmic expectation, making the antithesis memorable in oral delivery. The ellipsis in the second colon would be immediately supplied by the ear; hearers would naturally fill the gap from the established pattern. The sharp δέ pivot ("but") marks the turn audibly, cueing attention to the contrasting class.
Text-centered
The verse pivots on a fundamental anthropological dualism expressed through grammatical parallelism: two classes of persons defined by their sphere of existence (κατὰ σάρκα / κατὰ πνεῦμα) and the corresponding orientation of their practical reason (φρονέω). The repetition of σάρξ and πνεῦμα in both prepositional phrases and genitival constructions tightens the literary structure, making sphere-of-being and content-of-mind mirror one another. The present tenses situate this not as potential or eschatological but as present, descriptive reality.
Author-centered
Paul constructs an argument that moves from the Spirit's indwelling (v. 9) backward to its behavioral entailments, establishing that ethical capacity (law-fulfillment, v. 4) rests on ontological reorientation. The ὄντες participle denotes not occasional attitude but constituted identity: one *is* κατὰ σάρκα or κατὰ πνεῦμα, and from that being flows the φρονεῖν. Paul writes to a mixed congregation (Jewish and Gentile believers) in a city he has not visited, offering a theological synthesis that will frame his upcoming visit and the collection; the anthropological bifurcation here precludes ethnic or ritual middle ground.
Reader-centered
The reader's interpretive framework determines whether σάρξ is read moralistically (as "sinful nature," a semi-ontological corruption), existentially (as autonomous humanity in Adam), or cosmologically (as the present evil age). Similarly, whether πνεῦμα is capitalized (Holy Spirit) or lower-case (human spirit renewed by the Spirit) depends on one's pneumatology and anthropology. Readers shaped by Augustinian-Reformed traditions will see ontological categories of regeneration vs. depravity; those in Wesleyan-Arminian or Eastern Orthodox frameworks may see dispositional orientation open to synergistic response; post-colonial readers may interrogate the dualism itself as reflecting Hellenistic binaries imported into Hebraic corporate thought.
σάρξ and πνεῦμα denote two distinct regenerate/unregenerate states; the ὄντες participle marks ontological condition determined by electing grace, and φρονέω is the necessary fruit, not the cause, of that state
κατὰ σάρκα / κατὰ πνεῦμα describe volitional orientation available to all who have received prevenient grace; the ὄντες is descriptive of one's present walk, not determinative of ontological capacity; φρονέω is the habitual choice that sustains or abandons Spirit-dependence
σάρξ is humanity's fallen, mortal condition (φθορά) inherited from Adam; πνεῦμα is the deifying energy of the Holy Spirit drawing humanity into Trinitarian life; ὄντες marks participation in either death or life, a synergistic process of θέωσις
We endorse no tradition. The basis is shown so you can examine and decide for yourself.
πνεῦμα (v. 5b, accusative singular neuter): The anarthrous noun permits reading as either "Spirit" (Holy Spirit, parallel to vv. 9, 11, 14) or "spirit" (human spirit reoriented by the Spirit). Context strongly favors the Holy Spirit (the article appears at τοῦ πνεύματος immediately following, and vv. 9-16 consistently refer to the divine Spirit), but some interpreters take the anarthrous form as the human faculty under divine influence, creating a facultative anthropology. The lexical and grammatical data underdetermine the reference.
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