Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 11:17
In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation while correcting their misuse of communal meals and Lord's Supper observances. He speaks directly to the church during a broader rebuke of their fractured fellowship.
The words — παραγγέλλων (parangellōn) means "instructing" and ἐπαινῶ (epainō) means "I praise." The text explicitly states Paul offers no commendation for these directives.
The thread — The necessity of orderly gathering appears in Hebrews 10:25, which commands believers not to neglect meeting together, and in 1 Corinthians 11:22, which questions whether they have homes to eat and drink in. Both references anchor the warning to the practical reality of corporate assembly.
Why it lands — The text states that harmful gatherings produce more damage than benefit and requires immediate correction. It asks readers to evaluate whether their communal habits build up the church or fracture it.
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
Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 10:25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
- Isaiah 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- 1 Corinthians 11:22 Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
- 1 Corinthians 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
- 1 Peter 2:14 or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
- Leviticus 19:17 You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.
- 1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
- 1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church.
- Jeremiah 7:9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,
- Isaiah 1:13 Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.