1 Corinthians 10:20 (YLT)

Passage

<FI> no,<Fi> but that the things that the nations sacrifice--they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the demons.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:18 See Israel according to the flesh! are not those eating the sacrifices in the fellowship of the altar?

1 Corinthians 10:19 what then do I say? that an idol is anything? or that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything? --

1 Corinthians 10:20 <FI> no,<Fi> but that the things that the nations sacrifice--they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the demons.

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye are not able the cup of the Lord to drink, and the cup of demons; ye are not able of the table of the Lord to partake, and of the table of demons;

1 Corinthians 10:22 do we arouse the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than He?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "nations", "sacrifice--they", "demons", "wish", "come", and "fellowship". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "nations", 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 an..." into verse 21's "Ye are not able the cup of...", so "things" and "nations" 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 "things" and "nations" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.