1 Corinthians 10:7 (WEB)

Passage

Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”Exodus 32:6

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:5 However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1 Corinthians 10:7 Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”Exodus 32:6

1 Corinthians 10:8 Let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.

1 Corinthians 10:9 Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "idolaters", "some", "written", "people", "down", "drink", "rose", and "play". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "idolaters" and "some", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Now these things were our examples to..." into verse 8's "Let us not commit sexual immorality as...", so "idolaters" and "some" 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 "idolaters" and "some" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.