1 Corinthians 11:17–22, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 11:17–22
A Divided Meal Shames Those Who Have Nothing
The gathering is failing because people with nothing are shamed at the meal.
Paul cannot praise this meeting. They come together not for the better but for the worse. He partly believes the reports of divisions; factions make the approved visible, but what they eat is not the Lord's supper. Each goes ahead with a private meal. One is hungry, another is drunk. Do you not have houses for eating and drinking?
The charge is despising the church of God and humiliating those who have nothing. Hungry people are not the cause of the fracture, and they are not told to accept leftovers in silence. A table that should enact one Lord has become a class display. Later talk of examining yourself has to start here: the wound is socioeconomic contempt at a shared meal, not the appetite of the poor.
How this should shape us
Look at who eats first, who waits, who goes home empty, and who is already full. If your gathering's food, seating, or timing regularly shames people with less, you are not yet keeping the Lord's supper. Do not spiritualize a stacked table.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 11:17–22 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: The meaning of 'approved' and the precise source of factions are disputed. Socioeconomic inequity is strongly supported by the have/have-not contrast.
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 11:17–22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 11:17–22
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 11:17–22 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 11:17–22
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 11:17–22
Supports: Meal inequality, body discernment, proclamation, and ecclesial accountability, used within abstract-access limits.
Steinbrenner, 'The Lord's Supper in First Corinthians 11:17-34,' Currents in Theology and Mission 47.4 (2020), official abstract and metadata
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 11:17–22, 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, 11:17–22
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 11:17–22 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 11:17–22
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 11:17–22
Open source ↗peer reviewed socioeconomic exegetical article abstract
The Lord's Supper? When Eating and Dining Become Determinative in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
David A. Steinbrenner
Review & Expositor 117(4), 2020
Supports: Meal inequality, body discernment, proclamation, and ecclesial accountability, used within abstract-access limits.
Exact location: Steinbrenner, 'The Lord's Supper in First Corinthians 11:17-34,' Currents in Theology and Mission 47.4 (2020), official abstract and metadata
Open source ↗