1 Corinthians 10:23 (DBY)

Passage

All things are lawful, but all are not profitable; all things are lawful, but all do not edify.

Nearby Context

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?

1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful, but all are not profitable; all things are lawful, but all do not edify.

1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own [advantage], but that of the other.

1 Corinthians 10:25 Everything sold in the shambles eat, making no inquiry for conscience sake.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "lawful", "profitable", and "edify". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "lawful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy..." into verse 24's "Let no one seek his own advantage...", so "all things" and "lawful" 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 "all things" and "lawful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.