In this chapter the apostle cautions the Corinthians against security on account of their gifts, knowledge, and profession, since men of great characters, and enjoying high privileges, have fallen into sin, and have been severely punished; and he particularly cautions against idolatry, and all…

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant The apostle having suggested his own fears and jealousies, lest, notwithstanding all his gifts and grace, he should be left to do anything that might be a means of laying him aside, and rendering him useless in his ministerial work; and…

And were all baptized unto Moses “In or by Moses”; and so the Syriac version renders it, (ביד מושא) , “by the hand of Moses”; by his means and direction, he going before, they followed after him into the sea, and passed through on dry land, and came out on the shore, which carried in it a…

And did all eat the same spiritual meat. ] Meaning the manna; and which the Jews also call [[7]] (מאכל רוחני) , “spiritual food”, as also their sacrifices, [[8]] (לחם רוחני) , “spiritual bread”: not that the manna was so in own nature; it was corporeal food, and served for the nourishment of the…

And did all drink the same spiritual drink By which is meant the water out of the rock, which was typical of the blood of Christ, which is drink indeed, and not figurative, as this was, for which reason it is called spiritual; or of the grace of Christ, often signified by water, both in the Old and…

But with many of them God was not well pleased As he is with none but those that are in Christ; and with none of the services of men, but what are done in faith, which become acceptable to him through Jesus Christ; for in him only persons and services are accepted with God; and this was the way of…

Now these things were our examples Or “types”; that is, these punishments which were inflicted on these persons for their sins, were designed as instructions for others to avoid the like sins, that they may escape the same punishment; just as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, being condemned with…

Neither be ye idolaters To which they seemed inclined to be, at least there was great danger that such they would be, by carrying their liberty to such a pitch, as to sit in an idol’s temple, and there eat things sacrificed unto them; and which the apostle cautions against, and uses arguments to…

Neither let us commit fornication To which the Corinthians were much addicted: hence the apostle elsewhere, in this epistle, makes use of arguments, to dissuade from it, as he does here, they judging it to be no evil: as some of them committed; i.e.

Neither let us tempt Christ As all such persons do, who, presuming on the power and grace of Christ to keep them, or upon what they have received from him, unnecessarily expose themselves to snares and temptations, and so to danger; and as many of the Corinthians did, who are here chiefly…

Neither murmur ye Against the true apostles of Christ, and faithful ministers of the word; nor against the laws and ordinances of Christ, or providences of God; so some of the members of this church did, or were inclined to do: as some of them also murmured: as against the Lord, so against Moses…

Now all these things happened unto them All these punishments came upon them in various ways, not by chance, but by the will of God, and as their sins deserved: and were for ensamples; to others, to their future posterity, and to the churches of God in all ages: and they are written for our…

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth Since the Jewish fathers, who enjoyed such peculiar favours and eminent privileges, had such various judgments inflicted on them; since they stood not, but many of them were visible instances of God’s displeasure; they were overthrown and cast down, their…

There hath no temptation taken you Some, indeed, understand these words by way of reproof, that whereas their trials and exercises which had attended them were very light ones, and comparatively trivial; and yet they had given way to these temptations, and had sunk under them, and fallen by them,…

Wherefore, my dearly beloved Some copies add, “brethren”; as do the Complutensian edition, and Ethiopic version; all which endearing epithets are used to persuade to attend to the exhortation enforced upon the foregoing considerations; since the Jewish fathers, who were idolaters, fell so much…

I speak as to wise men That is, what he was now going to say concerning the Lord’s supper, and the communion which believers have with Christ in it, which they as Christians must have knowledge of; and concerning the participation of the altar the Israelites had, who ate of the sacrifices of it,…

The cup of blessing, which we bless Meaning the cup of wine used in the Lord’s supper, which being set apart for that service, is taken up, and the name of the Lord called upon over it; and he is blessed and praised for his wondrous love and grace, in the gift and mission of his Son, to shed his…

For we being many, are one bread and one body The several members of the church of Christ; particular believers are indeed many, considered in themselves, in their own persons; yet by virtue of their union to Christ, which is manifested by their communion with him, they are one bread with him, the…

Behold Israel after the flesh So the apostle calls them, to distinguish them from the Israel of God, the spiritual Israel, whether Jews or Gentiles; who are born again, believe in the true Messiah, worship God in a spiritual manner, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in fleshly things;…

What say I then? &c.] Or may be objected to, or inferred from, what I say; that an idol is anything, or that which is sacrificed to idols is anything? to which must be answered, as the Syriac version reads, (לא) , “no”, by no means; by running the parallel between Christians having communion with…

But I say This is my sense and meaning, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils, and not to God; reference is had to for what the Gentiles sacrificed, though they did not sacrifice intentionally to the idols of gold, silver, wood, and stone, but to God in them, as…

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils, &c.] Not only they ought not, but they could not rightly, truly, and really drink the cup of wine in the Lord’s supper, in the true faith of Christ’s bloodshed, and his sacrifice offered up for them, in remembrance of his love, and to the…

Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? &c.] As they do who are guilty of idolatry in any shape: nothing is more highly resented by God, or stirs him up more to wrath and fury, and to inflict punishment; he cannot bear, nor will he admit of a rival in religious worship; he is a God jealous of his own…

All things are lawful for me All sorts of food are lawful to be eaten, every creature of God is good, there is nothing common or unclean in itself, polluted or polluting; and so things offered to idols may be lawfully eaten, but not as such, or in an idol’s temple, or before a weak brother; to do…

Let no man seek his own His carnal pleasure and private advantage in eating things sacrificed to “idols”, to the hurt and disadvantage of his brethren; otherwise it is lawful for a man to seek his own good, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, to seek for the necessaries of life, his spiritual peace…

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles the word (μακελλον) , rendered “shambles”, here used, is a Latin word, and is made use of by Latin writers in the same sense as here, for a place where food was sold [[8]].

For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof Which words are taken out of and to be understood of Christ, who by creation and preservation is Lord of the whole earth, and as Mediator has all in his possession; and having broken down the middle wall of partition, gives his people the free…

If any of them that believe not In Christ, and make no profession of faith in him; but are infidels to his person, office, grace, righteousness, Gospel, and ordinances, as there were many such at Corinth: “bid you” to a feast; invite you to dine or sup with them in their own houses: and ye be…

But if any man say unto you Either a weak believer, to prevent the doing of what he thought to be sinful; or the unbeliever, that invites to try the integrity of his Christian guest, and to draw him into a snare: this is offered in sacrifice unto idols; the meat that is in that dish, or that…

Conscience I say, not thine own Which is well informed about these things, and is fully persuaded that an idol is nothing, and that things sacrificed to idols are nothing; and as they cannot profit a man, or help forward his comfort, peace, and happiness, so they cannot hinder them: but of the…

For if I by grace be a partaker Either of Christian liberty, through the grace of God; or of the creatures God has given men to eat of through his goodness, and which are enjoyed by the saints with thankfulness: why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? that is, why should I expose…

Whether therefore ye eat or drink Which may principally refer to eating things sacrificed to idols, and drinking the libations of wine offered to them, since this is the subject of the apostle’s discourse; in doing of which he directs them to have the glory of God in view, and so to conduct, that…

Give none offence Avoid everything that may be the occasion of offence, of the stumbling and falling of others; whether things indifferent, when they are offensive to weak minds, and grieve, and wound, and stumble them; especially things sinful, which as they offend God, and are therefore called…

Even as I please all men in all things The apostle sets himself as an example, though he was far from being a man pleaser, in the bad sense of that phrase; nor must these all things, in which he is said to please all men, be taken in the largest sense; but are to be understood of things…