1 Corinthians 10:9 (KJV)

Passage

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

1 Corinthians 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neither", "tempt", "christ", "some", "tempted", "destroyed", and "serpents". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neither" and "tempt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Neither let us commit fornication as some..." into verse 10's "Neither murmur ye as some of them...", so "neither" and "tempt" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "neither" and "tempt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.