1 Corinthians 11:28

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

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

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.

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]

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

American Standard Version
But let a man prove himself, and so let him 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.

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

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

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:

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

New Revised Standard
Examine yourselves, and only then 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.

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.

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

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

Christian Standard Bible®
Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

Contextual Overview

²³Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me. What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt. ²⁷Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. ²⁹If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later. ³³So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord's Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you're so hungry that you can't wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast. The other things you asked about, I'll respond to in person when I make my next visit.

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 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth."

Genesis 11:31
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram's wife) and set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.

Genesis 15:7
God continued, "I'm the same God who brought you from Ur of the Chaldees and gave you this land to own."

Nehemiah 9:7
You're the one, God , the God who chose Abram And brought him from Ur of the Chaldees and changed his name to Abraham. You found his heart to be steady and true to you and signed a covenant with him, A covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, The Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, —to give it to his descendants. And you kept your word because you are righteous.

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.