1 Corinthians 10:18

Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Behold	βλέπετε blepete	G991	to look at (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
Israel	Ἰσραὴλ Israēl	G2474	Israel (i.e. Jisrael) · noun — accusative singular masculine, a place
after	κατὰ kata	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
flesh	σάρκα· sarka	G4561	flesh (as stripped of the skin) · noun — accusative singular feminine
are	εἰσί eisí	G1526	they are
not	οὐχί ouchí	G3780	not indeed
they	τὸν ton	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — accusative singular masculine
eat	ἐσθίοντες esthiontes	G2068	used only in certain tenses · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
sacrifices	θυσίας thusias	G2378	sacrifice (the act or the victim · noun — accusative plural feminine
partakers	κοινωνοὶ koinōnoi	G2844	a sharer · noun — nominative plural masculine
altar	θυσιαστηρίου thusiastēriou	G2379	a place of sacrifice · noun — genitive singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 3:11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Leviticus 7:6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Ephesians 2:11-12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision…
Philippians 3:3-5 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Leviticus 3:3-5 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all…
Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 10:15-22

In this passage the apostle urges the general caution against idolatry, in the particular case of eating the heathen sacrifices as such, and out of any religious respect to the idol to whom they were sacrificed. I. He prefaces his argument with an appeal to their own reason and judgment: "I speak to wise men, judge you what I say, Co1 10:15. You are great pretenders to wisdom, to close reasoning and argument; I can leave it with your own reason and conscience whether I do not argue justly." Note, It is no dishonour to an inspired teacher, nor disadvantage to his argument, to appeal for the truth of it to the reason and consciences of his hearers. It comes upon them with the greater force whe…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 10:18

Israel after the flesh--the literal, as distinguished from the spiritual, Israel (Rom 2:29; Rom 4:1; Rom 9:3; Gal 4:29). partakers of the altar--and so of God, whose is the altar; they have fellowship in God and His worship, of which the altar is the symbol.

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 10:18

Behold Israel after the flesh - The Jews not yet converted to Christianity: the latter being Israel after the Spirit. As the design of the apostle was to withdraw his converts at Corinth from all temptations to idolatry, he produces two examples to show the propriety of his endeavors. 1. All who join together in celebrating the Lord's Supper, and are partakers of that one bread, give proof by this that they are Christians, and have fellowship with Christ. 2. All the Israelites who offer sacrifice, and partake of those sacrifices, give proof thereby that they are Jews, and are in fellowship with the object of their worship: so they who join in idol festivals, and eat things which have been of…

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John Gill on 1 Corinthians 10:18

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; but these were the descendants of Jacob or Israel by carnal generation, were carnal men, in the flesh, in a state of unregeneracy, and were employed in a carnal worship, in the observance of carnal commandments and ordinances; these the apostle directs to, to see, consider, and take notice of what they were doing; from whence some instruction might be taken, for the further clearing of the pr…

The Church Fathers

"Behold Israel after the flesh: have not they which eat the sacrifices communion with the altar?" Again, from the old covenant he leads them unto this point also. For because they were far beneath the greatness of the things which had been spoken, he persuades them both from former things and from those to which they were accustomed. And he says well, "according to the flesh," as though they themselves were according to the Spirit. And what he says is of this nature: "even from persons of the grossest sort ye may be instructed that they who eat the sacrifices, have communion with the altar." Dost thou see how he intimates that they who seemed to be perfect have not perfect knowledge, if they know not even this, that the result of these sacrifices to many oftentimes is a certain communion and friendship with devils, the practice drawing them on by degrees? For if among men the fellowship of salt and the table becomes an occasion and token of friendship, it is possible that this may happen also in the case of devils. But do thou, I pray, consider, how with regard to the Jews he said not, "they are partakers with God," but, "they have communion with the altar;" for what was placed thereon was burnt: but in respect to the Body of Christ, not so. But how? It is "a Communion of the Lord's Body." For not with the altar, but with Christ Himself, do we have communion.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 24

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 10:18

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 10:15-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 10:18

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 10:18

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 10:18

The Church Fathers

1 Corinthians 10:18

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 10:15-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 10:18

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 10:18

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 10:18

The Church Fathers

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 10:13-18

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 10:16-18