1 Corinthians 10:22

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Doing that would make the Lord jealous. Do you really want to do that? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

Revised Standard Version
Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ether shall we provoke the lorde? Or are we stronger then he? All thynges are laufull vnto me but all thynges are not expedient.

Hebrew Names Version
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

International Standard Version
Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he is, are we?Deuteronomy 32:21; Ezekiel 22:14;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

New Century Version
Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We are not stronger than he is, are we?

Update Bible Version
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Webster's Bible Translation
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

English Standard Version
Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

World English Bible
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Weymouth's New Testament
Or are we actually arousing the Lord to jealousy. Are we stronger than He is?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether we han enuye to the Lord? whether we ben strengere then he? Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but not alle thingis ben spedeful.

English Revised Version
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Berean Standard Bible
Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Contemporary English Version
We would make the Lord jealous if we did that. And we are not stronger than the Lord.

Amplified Bible
Do we [really] provoke the Lord to jealousy [when we eat food sacrificed to handmade "gods" at pagan feasts]? Are we [spiritually] stronger than He? [Certainly not! He knows that the idols are nothing. But we deeply offend Him.]

American Standard Version
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Bible in Basic English
Or may we be the cause of envy to the Lord? are we stronger than he?

Complete Jewish Bible
Or are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We aren't stronger than he is, are we?

Darby Translation
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Etheridge Translation
Or, do we provoke the Lord ? are we stronger than he ?

Murdock Translation
Or, would we sedulously provoke our Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

King James Version (1611)
Doe we prouoke the Lord to iealousie? are we stronger then he?

New Living Translation
What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord's jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

New Life Bible
Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Do we think we are stronger than the Lord?

New Revised Standard
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Doe we prouoke the Lord to anger? are we stronger then he?

George Lamsa Translation
Are we trying to provoke our LORD to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or are we to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we mightier than he?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? All things are lawful for me: but all things are not expedient.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Either do we prouoke the Lorde to anger? Are we stronger then he?

Good News Translation
Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?

Christian Standard Bible®
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

King James Version
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Lexham English Bible
Or are we attempting to provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he is, are we?

Literal Translation
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? Deut. 32:21

Young's Literal Translation
do we arouse the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than He?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Or wyl we prouoke the LORDE? I maye do all thinges, but all thinges are not profitable.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

New English Translation
Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?

New King James Version
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Simplified Cowboy Version
This ain't going to do nothing but make the Big Man upset. You don't want to do that, do you? He doesn't share his table with demons.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

Legacy Standard Bible
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Contextual Overview

¹⁵I assume I'm addressing believers now who are mature. Draw your own conclusions: When we drink the cup of blessing, aren't we taking into ourselves the blood, the very life, of Christ? And isn't it the same with the loaf of bread we break and eat? Don't we take into ourselves the body, the very life, of Christ? Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn't become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don't reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is. That's basically what happened even in old Israel—those who ate the sacrifices offered on God's altar entered into God's action at the altar. ¹⁹Do you see the difference? Sacrifices offered to idols are offered to nothing, for what's the idol but a nothing? Or worse than nothing, a minus, a demon! I don't want you to become part of something that reduces you to less than yourself. And you can't have it both ways, banqueting with the Master one day and slumming with demons the next. Besides, the Master won't put up with it. He wants us—all or nothing. Do you think you can get off with anything less?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

we provoke: Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 6:15, Deuteronomy 32:16, Deuteronomy 32:21, Joshua 24:19, Psalms 78:58, Zephaniah 1:18

are: Job 9:4, Job 40:9-14, Ezekiel 22:14, Hebrews 10:31

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:17 - General Exodus 20:23 - General Numbers 5:14 - General Numbers 25:11 - that I Deuteronomy 4:25 - do evil Deuteronomy 29:20 - his jealousy 1 Kings 14:9 - to provoke 1 Kings 14:22 - they provoked 1 Kings 18:21 - How long 2 Chronicles 13:17 - five hundred Job 9:19 - he is strong Job 33:13 - strive Job 40:2 - Shall Job 41:10 - who Psalms 76:7 - who Proverbs 6:34 - General Isaiah 1:4 - provoked Isaiah 3:8 - to provoke Isaiah 45:9 - unto him Jeremiah 7:18 - children Jeremiah 7:19 - they provoke Jeremiah 36:29 - Thou hast Jeremiah 44:8 - ye provoke Ezekiel 8:3 - provoketh Ezekiel 28:6 - Because Daniel 4:35 - none Acts 5:39 - to fight Acts 9:5 - it is Acts 23:9 - let Acts 26:14 - hard 1 Peter 5:6 - the Revelation 18:8 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

2 Kings 15:19
Then Tiglath-Pileser III king of Assyria showed up and attacked the country. But Menahem made a deal with him: He bought his support by handing over about thirty-seven tons of silver. He raised the money by making every landowner in Israel pay fifty shekels to the king of Assyria. That satisfied the king of Assyria, and he left the country.

Job 1:17
While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."

Isaiah 11:11
Also on that day, the Master for the second time will reach out to bring back what's left of his scattered people. He'll bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Sinar, Hamath, and the ocean islands.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?.... 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 honour; nor will he give, or suffer to be given by others, his praise and glory to graven images:

are we stronger than he? to give into idolatrous practices, is to proclaim and enter into a war against God; and what madness must this be? who can be so sottish and stupid as to think of succeeding? when God is omnipotent, and man a poor feeble impotent creature, a worm, and but dust and ashes: thus the apostle dissuades from idolatry, and every species and branch of it; partly from its ill effect, in bringing men into fellowship with devils; and partly from the impossibility of practising it, in consistence with a true and real participation of the cup and table of the Lord; and from the absurdity and stupidity of it, and its dangerous consequence, in exposing men to the vengeance of an almighty incensed Being.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? - That is, shall we, by joining in the worship of idols, “provoke” or “irritate” God, or excite him to anger? This is evidently the meaning of the word παραζηλοῦμεν parazēloumen, rendered “provoke to jealousy.” The word קנא qaana', usually rendered by this word by the Septuagint, has this sense in Deuteronomy 32:21; 1 Kings 14:22; Ezra 8:3; Psalms 78:58. There is a reference here, doubtless, to the truth recorded in Exodus 20:5. That God “is a jealous God,” and that he regards the worship of idols as a direct affront to himself. The sentiment of Paul is, that to join in the worship of idols, or in the observance of their feasts, would be to participate in that which had ever been regarded by God with special abhorrence, and which more than anything else tended to provoke his wrath. We may observe, that any course of life that tends to alienate the affections from God, and to fix them on other beings or objects, is a sin of the same kind as that referred to here. Any inordinate love of friends, of property, of honor, has substantially the same idolatrous nature, and will tend to provoke him to anger. And it may be asked of Christians now, whether they will by such inordinate attachments provoke the Lord to wrath? whether they will thus excite his displeasure, and expose themselves to his indignation? Very often Christians do thus provoke him. They become unduly attached to a friend, or to wealth, and God in anger takes away that friend by death, or that property by the flames, or they conform to the world, and mingle in its scenes of fashion and gaiety, and forget God; and in displeasure he visits them with judgments, humbles them, and recalls them to Himself.

Are we stronger than he? - This is given as a reason why we should not provoke his displeasure. We cannot contend successfully with Him; and it is therefore madness and folly to contend with God, or to expose ourselves to the effects of His indignation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? — All idolatry is represented as a sort of spiritual adultery; it is giving that heart to Satan that should be devoted to God; and he is represented as being jealous, because of the infidelity of those who have covenanted to give their hearts to him.

Are we stronger than he? — As he has threatened to punish such transgressors, and will infallibly do it, can we resist his omnipotence? A sinner should consider, while he is in rebellion against God, whether he be able to resist that power whereby God will inflict vengeance.