1 Corinthians 10:18 kjv
Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
1 Corinthians 10:18 nkjv
Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
1 Corinthians 10:18 niv
Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
1 Corinthians 10:18 esv
Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
1 Corinthians 10:18 nlt
Think about the people of Israel. Weren't they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?
1 Corinthians 10 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cor 10:17 | For we are one loaf, one body. | Unity in Christ |
| John 17:21-23 | That they may all be one... | Prayer for unity |
| Acts 2:42 | They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship. | Early church fellowship |
| Gal 3:28 | Neither Jew nor Gentile...all one in Christ. | Unity in Christ |
| Eph 4:3-6 | One body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism. | Call to unity |
| Rom 12:4-5 | For as we have many members in one body...we are one in Christ. | Body of Christ metaphor |
| Lev 22:3 | The Israelite may not eat any holy offering. | Purity in sacrifice |
| Deut 12:17-18 | You may not eat...within your gates your tithe. | Proper consumption of offerings |
| Num 18:8-19 | The Lord is your inheritance and your portion. | Priestly portions |
| Ps 22:26 | The poor shall eat and be satisfied. | Messianic prophecy |
| Isa 53:11 | He shall see his offspring and know satisfaction. | Suffering servant |
| Matt 26:26 | This is my body. | Institution of Lord's Supper |
| Mark 14:22 | This is my body. | Institution of Lord's Supper |
| Luke 22:19 | This is my body, which is given for you. | Institution of Lord's Supper |
| Acts 4:32 | The company of those who believed were of one heart. | Early church unity |
| 1 Cor 1:10 | That there be no division among you. | Plea against divisions |
| 1 Cor 11:24-25 | This is my body, broken for you...This cup is the new covenant. | Lord's Supper remembrance |
| 1 Cor 12:12-13 | For just as the body is one... we were all baptized into one body. | Diversity within unity |
| Eph 5:30 | Because we are members of his body. | Union with Christ |
| Phil 3:10 | Conformed to the image of his death. | Sharing in Christ's suffering |
| Col 1:24 | To complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. | Paul's sufferings for the church |
1 Corinthians 10 verses
1 Corinthians 10 18 Meaning
Israelites partake in sacrifices, signifying their covenant relationship with God and unity. By extension, participants in the Lord's Supper, representing Christ's sacrifice, are brought into spiritual union with Him and with fellow believers.
1 Corinthians 10 18 Context
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul addresses the Corinthian believers' participation in idol feasts. He emphasizes that sharing in idol sacrifices means associating with demons, a direct contradiction to fellowship with Christ. He contrasts this with their participation in the Lord's Supper, which signifies their unity with Christ and with each other. The verse is part of his argument to persuade them to abstain from foods offered to idols, stressing the serious spiritual implications of their actions.
1 Corinthians 10 18 Word Analysis
"Does not Israel after the flesh": This phrase refers to the people of Israel according to their physical descent and their practice of sacrificing to idols, particularly relevant in their history, like the incident at Mount Sinai with the golden calf. The "flesh" here denotes the earthly, physical lineage and practices, as distinct from a purely spiritual participation.
"partake of the sacrifices": The Greek word is "metochoi" (μετοχoi), meaning "sharers" or "partakers." This highlights a deep communion or fellowship.
"are they not partakers of the altar?": The altar was the central place of sacrifice and communion with God within the Israelite sacrificial system. Partaking of sacrifices on the altar signified participation in the benefits and fellowship related to that sacrifice and the God to whom it was offered.
Word Group Analysis: The contrast between participating in sacrifices to idols and partaking of the altar of the Lord, the God of Israel, establishes a parallel. If physical participation in the sacrifices of the "fleshly" Israel points to their participation in what is offered to the deity associated with that altar, then, by extension, participation in the Lord's Supper (which has Christ as its spiritual altar and offering) signifies spiritual participation with the Lord. This linkage connects the Old Testament sacrificial system's communal aspect to the New Testament’s reality in Christ.
1 Corinthians 10 18 Bonus Section
The "Israel after the flesh" refers to the physical, historical nation of Israel and their participation in their divinely appointed sacrifices, which signified their covenant relationship with God. This was a visible representation of their spiritual union with Him through the sacrificial system. This verse subtly reminds believers that the God of Israel is the same God they worship in Christ, underscoring continuity rather than discontinuity in God's redemptive plan, despite the new covenant in Christ. The concept of sharing in the altar directly connects the Old Testament sacrificial meal's fellowship to the New Testament’s communion meal, where Christ Himself is the substance and mediator of this fellowship.
1 Corinthians 10 18 Commentary
Paul uses the analogy of ancient Israel's sacrificial practices to explain the spiritual reality of the Lord's Supper. Just as Israelites who ate the sacrifices offered to their God were in communion with their God and with each other around the altar, believers who partake of the Lord's Supper are in communion with Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, and with their fellow believers. This highlights that actions of eating and drinking in worship have profound spiritual consequences, forging real unions. Participating in idol feasts severs union with Christ, while partaking of the Lord's Table strengthens it.