Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian believers while resolving their questions about idolatrous feasts. He interrupts their practical inquiry to establish a non-negotiable boundary between Christian worship and pagan participation.
The words — The Greek οὐ δύνασθε (ou dunaste) literally translates to "you are not able," functioning as an absolute impossibility rather than a mere prohibition. The noun ποτήριον (potērion) denotes a drinking vessel, used here to signify the full communion and allegiance that the cup represents.
The thread — This prohibition against divided loyalty echoes Matthew 6:24 regarding serving two masters, Elijah's challenge in 1 Kings 18:21 against wavering between two opinions, and Paul's own warning in 2 Corinthians 6:15 about the incompatibility of Christ and Belial.
Why it lands — The text states that simultaneous participation in the Lord's table and demonic tables is structurally impossible. It demands a reader to recognize that shared meals dictate exclusive allegiance, leaving no neutral ground for religious syncretism.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
Cross-references
- Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
- 1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.
- 2 Corinthians 6:15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
- Isaiah 65:11 But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
- 1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
- Deuteronomy 32:37 He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
- 1 Corinthians 8:10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?