1 Corinthians 10:19 (LSB)

Passage

What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

1 Corinthians 10:18 Look at the nation Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

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

1 Corinthians 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mean", "sacrificed", "idols", and "anything". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mean" and "sacrificed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Look at the nation Israel Are not..." into verse 20's "No but I say that the things...", so "mean" and "sacrificed" 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 "mean" and "sacrificed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.