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1 Corinthians 11:27–34, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 11:27–34
Discern the Body, Examine Practice, and Wait for One Another
Discerning the body means waiting for one another, not diagnosing the sick.
Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner is guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Self-examination is about the manner of participation. Eating and drinking without discerning the body brings judgment; Paul reads weakness, illness, and some deaths among them as discipline in that Corinthian crisis. The instruction he actually gives is concrete: wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, eat at home, so that you do not come together for judgment.
Unworthy here tracks the previous shaming of those who have nothing, not a purity quiz that keeps the poor, the scrupulous, or the grieving from the table. The Lord's supper is not a weapon against the hungry. Illness, disability, miscarriage, and death are not ordinary proof of secret sin or of unworthy communion. Judgment is meant to discipline so they will not be condemned with the world; the pastoral remedy is shared waiting, not a medical claim from the pulpit.
How this should shape us
Examine whether your practice waits, feeds, and honors the whole body. Meet ordinary hunger without turning the assembly into a private banquet. Do not tell a sick or grieving person that the cup has exposed a hidden fault, and do not use examine yourself to keep the poor away.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 11:27–34 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: What 'body' denotes and how sickness/death relate to divine judgment are disputed. The immediate remedy of mutual waiting strongly supports a social dimension.
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 11:27–34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 11:27–34
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 11:27–34 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 11:27–34
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 11:27–34
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 11:27–34, 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, 11:27–34
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 11:27–34 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 11:27–34
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 11:27–34
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 ↗