^3:1So, brothers and sisters,¹ I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh,² as infants in Christ. ^3:2I fed you milk,³ not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready, ^3:3for you are still influenced by the flesh.⁴ For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?⁵

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Footnotes

1 Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in .
2 Grk “fleshly [people]”; the Greek term here is σαρκινός ( 1).
3 Milk refers figuratively to basic or elementary Christian teaching. Paul’s point was that the Corinthian believers he was writing to here were not mature enough to receive more advanced teaching. This was not a problem at the time, when they were recent converts, but the problem now is that they are still not ready.
4 Or “are still merely human”; Grk “fleshly.” Cf. σαρκικός 2, “pert. to being human at a disappointing level of behavior or characteristics, (merely) human.” The same phrase occurs again later in this verse.
5 Grk “and walking in accordance with man,” i.e., living like (fallen) humanity without the Spirit’s influence; hence, “unregenerate people.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans?

NLTNew Living Translation

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to fleshly people, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to eat it. But now you are still not able, for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not live like unregenerate people?

KJV 1900King James Version

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

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