1 Corinthians 11:28

Amplified Bible

But a person must [prayerfully] examine himself [and his relationship to Christ], and only when he has done so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
Before you do this sacred ritual, you'd best really examine how you've been living and what you've been saying.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Legacy Standard Bible
But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Bible in Basic English
But let no man take of the bread and the cup without testing himself.

Darby Translation
But let a man prove himself, and thus eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

Christian Standard Bible®
So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup.

World English Bible
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Therefore let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Weymouth's New Testament
But let a man examine himself, and, having done that, then let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.

King James Version (1611)
But let a man examine himselfe, and so let him eate of that bread, and drinke of that cup.

Literal Translation
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and let him drink of the cup;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But let a man examen himselfe, and so let him eate of this bred, and drynke of this cuppe.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Let a man then sift and approve himself, and accordingly let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

American Standard Version
But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

Revised Standard Version
Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Let a ma therfore examen him silfe and so let hi eate of the breed and drynke of the cup.

Update Bible Version
But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

Webster's Bible Translation
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.

Young's Literal Translation
and let a man be proving himself, and so of the bread let him eat, and of the cup let him drink;

New Century Version
Look into your own hearts before you eat the bread and drink the cup,

New English Translation
A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup.

Berean Standard Bible
Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

Contemporary English Version
That's why you must examine the way you eat and drink.

Complete Jewish Bible
So let a person examine himself first, and then he may eat of the bread and drink from the cup;

English Standard Version
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Let euery man therefore examine himselfe, and so let him eate of this bread, and drinke of this cup.

George Lamsa Translation
For this reason, let a man examine himself, and so eat of this bread, and drink of this cup.

Hebrew Names Version
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

International Standard Version
A person must examine himself and then eat the bread and drink from the cup.2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 6:4;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
On this account a man should prove himself, and then eat of this bread, and drink of this cup.

Murdock Translation
For this reason, a man should examine himself, and then eat of this bread, and drink of this cup:

New King James Version
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

New Living Translation
That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

New Life Bible
This is why a man should look into his own heart and life before eating the bread and drinking from the cup.

English Revised Version
But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

New Revised Standard
Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But let a man be proving himself, - and, so, of the loaf, let him eat, and, of the cup, let him drink;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice.

King James Version
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Lexham English Bible
But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But let a man examine hym selfe, and so let hym eate of this bread, and drinke of this cuppe:

Easy-to-Read Version
Before you eat the bread and drink the cup, you should examine your own attitude.

New American Standard Bible
But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Good News Translation
So then, you should each examine yourself first, and then eat the bread and drink from the cup.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But preue a man hym silf, and so ete he of `the ilke breed, and drynke of the cuppe.

Contextual Overview

²³For I received from the Lord Himself that [instruction] which I passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is (represents) My body, which is [offered as a sacrifice] for you. Do this in [affectionate] remembrance of Me." ²⁵In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in [affectionate] remembrance of Me." ²⁶For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are [symbolically] proclaiming [the fact of] the Lord's death until He comes [again]. ²⁷So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸But a person must [prayerfully] examine himself [and his relationship to Christ], and only when he has done so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks [without solemn reverence and heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ], eats and drinks a judgment on himself if he does not recognize the body [of Christ]. ³⁰That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason why many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep [in death]. ³¹But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly [recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior], we would not be judged. ³²But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined [by undergoing His correction] so that we will not be condemned [to eternal punishment] along with the world.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let a: 1 Corinthians 11:31, Psalms 26:2-7, Lamentations 3:40, Haggai 1:5, Haggai 1:7, Zechariah 7:5-7, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 6:4, 1 John 3:20, 1 John 3:21

and so: Numbers 9:10-13, Matthew 5:23, Matthew 5:24

Reciprocal: Leviticus 7:20 - having Deuteronomy 4:5 - General 1 Samuel 16:5 - sanctify yourselves 2 Chronicles 30:18 - had not cleansed Psalms 26:6 - so will Psalms 77:6 - and Matthew 26:27 - Drink John 11:55 - to purify 1 Corinthians 11:24 - this 1 Corinthians 11:25 - This

Cross-References

Genesis 11:2
And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there.

Genesis 11:4
They said, "Come, let us build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top will reach into the heavens, and let us make a [famous] name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered [into separate groups] and be dispersed over the surface of the entire earth [as the LORD instructed]."

Genesis 11:31
Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together to go from Ur of the Chaldeans into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran [about five hundred and fifty miles northwest of Ur], they settled there.

Genesis 15:7
And He said to him, "I am the [same] LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance."

Nehemiah 9:7
"You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But let a man examine himself,.... Whether he has a true sense of sin, sorrow and repentance for it; otherwise he will see no need of a Saviour, nor will he look to Christ for salvation, or be thankful to him for redemption by him; all which are necessary in a due observance of this ordinance; also, whether he is in the faith, whether he is a partaker of the true grace of faith, which is attended with good works, and shows itself by love to Christ, and to the saints; whereby a man goes out of himself to Christ for spiritual food and strength, peace and comfort, righteousness, life, and salvation; and by which he receives all from Christ, and gives him all the glory: this is absolutely necessary to his right and comfortable partaking of the Lord's supper, since without faith he cannot discern the Lord's body, nor, in a spiritual sense, eat his flesh, and drink his blood, nor attend on the ordinance in a manner acceptable unto God. Let him also examine and try whether he is sound in the doctrine of faith; or let him prove himself to be so, or show that he is one that is approved thereby; to whom the word of faith has come with power, and who has received it in the love of it, and firmly believes it; since an heretic is to be rejected from the communion of the church, and to be debarred the ordinances of it: let him examine himself, whether Christ is in him, whether he is revealed to him, and in him, as God's way of salvation, and the hope of glory; whether he is formed in his soul, his Spirit put, and his grace implanted there; since if Christ is not within, it will be of no avail to partake of the outward symbols of his body and blood. But if a man, upon reflection, under the influence and testimony of the Spirit, can come to a satisfaction in these things, however mean and unworthy he may seem in his own sight, let him come to the table of the Lord, and welcome.

And so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup; none should discourage or hinder him; nor should he deprive himself of such a privilege, to which he has an undoubted right. There seems to be an allusion in these words to what the master of the family used at the passover, when he said z,

"everyone that is hungry, יתי ויכול, "let him come and eat", and everyone that hath need or ought, let him keep the passover.''

z Haggadah Shel Pesach, p. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But let a man examine himself - Let him search and see if he have the proper qualifications - if he has knowledge to discern the Lord’s body (note, 1 Corinthians 11:29); if he has true repentance for his sins; true faith in the Lord Jesus; and a sincere desire to live the life of a Christian, and to be like the Son of God, and be saved by the merits of his blood. Let him examine himself, and see whether he have the right feelings of a communicant, and can approach the table in a proper manner. In regard to this we may observe:

(1) That this examination should include the great question about his personal piety, and about his particular and special fitness for this observance. It should go back into the great inquiry whether he has ever been born again; and it should also have special reference to his immediate and direct preparation for the ordinance. He should not only be able to say in general that he is a Christian, but he should be able to say that he has then a particular preparation for it. He should be in a suitable frame of mind for it. He should have personal evidence that he is a penitent; that he has true faith in the Lord Jesus; that he is depending on him, and is desirous of being saved by him.

(2) This examination should be minute and particular. It should extend to the words, the thoughts, the feelings, the conduct. We should inquire whether in our family and in our business; whether among Christians, and with the world, we have lived the life of a Christian. We should examine our private thoughts; our habits of secret prayer and of searching the Scriptures. Our examination should be directed to the inquiry whether we are gaining the victory over our easily besetting sins and becoming more and more conformed to the Saviour. It should, in short, extend to all our Christian character; and everything which goes to make up or to mar that character should be the subject of faithful and honest examination.

(3) It should be done because:

1. It is well to pause occasionally in life, and take an account of our standing in the sight of God. People make advances in business and in property only when they often examnine their accounts, and know just how they stand,
1. Because the observance of the Lord’s Supper is a solemn act, and there will be fearful results if it is celebrated in an improper manner.
2. Because self-examination supposes seriousness and calmness, and prevents precipitation and rashness - states of mind entirely unfavorable to a proper observance of the Lord’s Supper.
3. Because by self-examination one may search out and remove those things that are offensive to God, and the sins which so easily beset us may be known and abandoned.
4. Because the approach to the table of the Lord is a solemn approach to the Lord himself; is a solemn profession of attachment to him; is an act of consecration to his service in the presence of angels and of people; and this should be done in a calm, deliberate and sincere manner; such a manner as may be the result of a prayerful and honest self-examination.

And so let him eat ... - And as the result of such examination, or after such an examination; that is, let the act of eating that bread always be preceded by a solemn self-examination. Bloomfield renders it, “and then, only then.” The sense is plain, that the communion should always be preceded by an honest and prayerful self-examination.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 28. Let a man examine himself — Let him try whether he has proper faith in the Lord Jesus; and whether he discerns the Lord's body; and whether he duly considers that the bread and wine point out the crucified body and spilt blood of Christ.