“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow — the negation is total: 'is anything' (ti). Not humility but ontological truth: human labor in the kingdom counts as nothing apart from God's empowering. This is not denigration but cosmic realism. The Corinthians, measuring themselves by human achievement, have inverted the hierarchy.
Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 3:7
“So then, neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters, but God that gives the increase.” Do you observe the manner in which he soothes them, so that they should not be too much irritated, on hearing, “Who is this person,” and “Who is that?” “Nay, both are invidious, namely, both the saying, 'Who is this person? Who the other,'” and the saying, that “neither he that plants nor he that waters is anything.” How then does he soften these expressions? First, By…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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