The apostle Paul refers to Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18. He makes the point that a minister of the gospel should be allowed to live from his work. This essay focuses on the meaning of Deuteronomy 25:4 in its literary context to establish if Paul is reading this verse as the author of Deuteronomy intended it.

The author sees a crisis in exegesis. He laments the lack of distinction between meaning and significance in interpretation theory. He examines Paul’s use of the Mosaic civil law from Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:8–10 to determine how Paul used the OT.