1 Corinthians 10:18 (ASV)

Passage

Behold Israel after the flesh: have not they that eat the sacrifices communion with the altar?

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:17 seeing that we, who are many, are one bread, one body: for we are all partake of the one bread.

1 Corinthians 10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: have not they that eat the sacrifices communion with the altar?

1 Corinthians 10:19 What say I then? that a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

1 Corinthians 10:20 But [I say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "israel", "after", "flesh", "sacrifices", "communion", and "altar". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "seeing that we who are many are..." into verse 19's "What say I then that a thing...", so "behold" and "israel" 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 "behold" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.