1 Corinthians 10:14–22, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 10:14–22
The Lord's Table Cannot Be Joined to Idol Fellowship
Two tables cannot share one allegiance.
After that warning, Paul tells discerning people to flee idolatry. The cup of blessing is a sharing in the blood of Christ; the bread is a sharing in his body. Because there is one bread, the many are one body. Israel according to the flesh, eating the sacrifices, are partners in the altar. He grants that an idol is nothing and that there is no God but one, yet what pagans sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, not to God.
You cannot drink the Lord's cup and the cup of demons, or sit at both tables. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? The issue is split worship at a sacrificial meal, not a haunted object, a secret map of cabals, or a warrant to harass, mock, or attack people of other religions. Fleeing idolatry means refusing divided loyalty, not treating neighbors as demons.
How this should shape us
Ask which table is actually training your loyalty. Keep ordinary friendship and civic life without joining a rite that splits your worship. Do not smash objects, hunt conspiracies, or make another faith's practitioners into targets.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 10:14–22 in your own words. Include its place in 1 Corinthians, the unit's logic, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters differ over sacramental presence, demon ontology, and which meals count as participation. The explicit temple-table incompatibility is stronger than a blanket rule about every market item.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
1 Corinthians 10:14–22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 10:14–22
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 10:14–22 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 10:14–22
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 10:14–22
Supports: Relation of idol-food instruction, Israel's Scriptures, worship, rights, and neighbor-directed freedom.
Evans, Idolatry and Proper Worship: Paul's Use of the Old Testament in 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, UC dissertation (2020), repository abstract and chapter description
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 10:14–22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 10:14–22
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 10:14–22 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 10:14–22
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 10:14–22
Open source ↗modern open access doctoral dissertation
Emotional Rescue: Idolatry and Affective Conversion in 1 Corinthians 8-10
Marshall McKee Evans
University of California, Santa Barbara, 2020
Supports: Relation of idol-food instruction, Israel's Scriptures, worship, rights, and neighbor-directed freedom.
Exact location: Evans, Idolatry and Proper Worship: Paul's Use of the Old Testament in 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, UC dissertation (2020), repository abstract and chapter description
Open source ↗