1 Corinthians 10:20 (DBY)

Passage

But that what [the nations] sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Now I do not wish you to be in communion with demons.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:18 See Israel according to flesh: are not they who eat the sacrifices in communion with the altar?

1 Corinthians 10:19 What then do I say? that what is sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

1 Corinthians 10:20 But that what [the nations] sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Now I do not wish you to be in communion with demons.

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink [the] Lord's cup, and [the] cup of demons: ye cannot partake of [the] Lord's table, and of [the] table of demons.

1 Corinthians 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nations", "sacrifice", "demons", "wish", and "communion". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nations" and "sacrifice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "What then do I say that what..." into verse 21's "Ye cannot drink the Lord's cup and...", so "nations" and "sacrifice" 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 "nations" and "sacrifice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.