1 Corinthians 10:20

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ You are intelligent people. Judge for yourselves the truth of what I say now. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁵ I speake as vnto them which have discrecion Iudge ye what I saye. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say. ¹⁵ I am talking to sensible people. Decide for yourselves what I am saying.1 Corinthians 8:1;">[xr] ¹⁵ I speak as to wise people; you then, judge what I say. ¹⁵ I am speaking to you as to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sacrifice: Leviticus 17:7, Deuteronomy 32:16, Deuteronomy 32:17, 2 Chronicles 11:15, Psalms 106:37-39, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Revelation 9:20

Reciprocal: Exodus 34:15 - eat Leviticus 26:1 - Ye shall Numbers 25:2 - they called Joshua 24:19 - a jealous Judges 2:13 - served Judges 16:23 - Dagon 1 Kings 11:8 - all his strange wives 1 Kings 16:13 - vanities 1 Kings 18:26 - no voice 2 Chronicles 25:15 - which could Psalms 31:6 - lying Psalms 106:28 - of the dead Psalms 115:4 - Their idols Isaiah 65:11 - prepare Jeremiah 44:23 - ye have burned Ezekiel 18:6 - not Zechariah 11:17 - idol Matthew 4:9 - if Acts 15:20 - from pollutions Acts 19:26 - that they 1 Corinthians 8:4 - we know 1 Corinthians 8:10 - sit 1 Corinthians 10:14 - flee 1 Corinthians 10:16 - the communion of the blood 2 Corinthians 6:15 - what concord Galatians 4:8 - ye did Ephesians 2:12 - without Ephesians 5:11 - no 1 Timothy 4:1 - and doctrines Hebrews 13:10 - an altar Revelation 13:4 - And they Revelation 21:8 - and idolaters

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

Genesis 10:1
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, [namely], of Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and to them were sons born after the flood.

Genesis 10:1
This is the family history of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. After the flood these three men had sons.

Genesis 10:1
This is the account of Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

Genesis 10:1
Now these [are] the generations of the sons of Noah; Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and to them were sons born after the flood.

Genesis 10:1
Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

Genesis 10:1
These are the records of the generations (descendants) of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and the sons born to them after the flood:

Genesis 10:1
These ben the generaciouns of the sones of Noe, Sem, Cham, and Jafeth. And sones weren borun to hem aftir the greet flood.

Genesis 10:1
And these [are] births of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and born to them are sons after the deluge.

Genesis 10:1
This is the account of Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 Deuteronomy 32:17 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 they pretended; yet inasmuch as in such worship and sacrifices they were directed, instigated, influenced, and assisted by devils, who took up their residence in these idols, and gave forth their oracles from them, they sacrificed to them; and which some have done, as in India and China, professedly and openly, and all other idolaters, eventually, virtually, and covertly:

and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils; as all wicked men have, in the commission of any lust, sin, or immorality; and as all idolaters have in their superstitious practices, and idolatrous worship; and if grace prevent not, will have to all eternity in everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; wherefore the apostle would have the Corinthians flee from idolatry, and all appearance of it, and abstain from eating things offered to idols, of which they could not eat without having fellowship with devils; this he says, to deter them from such practices, which must be very horrible and shocking, and bespeaks in him great care of them, and affection for them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But - The negative here is omitted, but is understood. The ellipsis of a negative after an interrogative sentence is common in the Classical writers as well as in the Scriptures. Bloomfield. The sense is, “No; I do not say this, but I say that there are reasons why you should not partake of those sacrifices; and one of those reasons is, that they have been really offered to devils.”

They sacrifice to devils - (δαιμονίοις daimoniois, “demons”). The pagans used the word demon either in a good or a bad sense. They applied it commonly to spirits that were supposed to be inferior to the supreme God; genii; attending spirits; or, as they called them, divinities, or gods. A part were in their view good, and a part evil. Socrates supposed that such a demon or genius attended him, who suggested good thoughts to him, and who was his protector. As these beings were good and well disposed, it was not supposed to be necessary to offer any sacrifices in order to appease them. But a large portion of those genii were supposed to be evil and wicked, and hence, the necessity of attempting to appease their wrath by sacrifices and bloody offerings. It was therefore true, as the apostle says, that the sacrifices of the pagan were made, usually at least, to devils or to evil spirits.

Many of these spirits were supposed to be the souls of departed people, who were entitled to worship after death, having been enrolled among the gods. The word “demons,” among the Jews, was employed only to designate evil beings. It is not implied in their writings to good angels or to blessed spirits, but to evil angels, to idols, to false gods. Thus, in the Septuagint the word is used to translate אלילים Elilim, “idols” Psalms 95:5; Isaiah 65:10; and שׁד shēd, Shaid, as in Deuteronomy 32:17, in a passage which Paul has here almost literally used, “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God.” No where in the Septuagint is it used in a good sense. In the New Testament the word is uniformly used also to denote “evil spirits,” and those usually which had taken possession of people in the time of the Saviour; Matthew 7:22; Matthew 9:33-34; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 11:18; Mark 1:34, Mark 1:39, et al. See also Campbell on the Gospels, Pre. Dissertation vi. part 1, Section 14-16. The precise force of the original is not, however, conveyed by our translation. It is not true that the pagans sacrificed to “devils,” in the common and popular sense of that word, meaning thereby the apostate angel and the spirits under his direction; for the pagans were as ignorant of their existence as they were of the true God; and it is not true that they designed to worship such beings. But it is true:

(1) That they did not worship the supreme and the true God. They were not acquainted with his existence; and they did not profess to adore him.

(2) They worshipped “demons;” beings that they regarded as inferior to the true God; created spirits, or the spirits of people that had been enrolled among the number of the gods.

(3) It was true that many of these beings were supposed to be malign and evil in their nature, and that their worship was designed to deprecate their wrath. So that, although an idol was nothing in itself, the gold or wood of which it was made was inanimate, and incapable of aiding or injuring them; and although there were no real beings such as the pagans supposed - no genii or inferior gods; yet they “designed” to offer sacrifice to such beings, and to deprecate their wrath. To join them in this, therefore, would be to express the belief that there were such beings, and that they ought to be worshipped, and that their wrath should be deprecated.

I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils - I would not that you should have communion with demons. I would not have you express a belief of their existence; or join in worship to them; or partake of the spirit by which they are supposed to be actuated - a spirit that would be promoted by attendance on their worship. I would not have you, therefore, join in a mode of worship where such beings are acknowledged. You are solemnly dedicated to Christ; and the homage due to him should not be divided with homage offered to devils, or to imaginary beings.