1 Corinthians 10:9 (YLT)

Passage

neither may we tempt the Christ, as also certain of them did tempt, and by the serpents did perish;

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 10:7 Neither become ye idolaters, as certain of them, as it hath been written, `The people sat down to eat and to drink, and stood up to play;'

1 Corinthians 10:8 neither may we commit whoredom, as certain of them did commit whoredom, and there fell in one day twenty-three thousand;

1 Corinthians 10:9 neither may we tempt the Christ, as also certain of them did tempt, and by the serpents did perish;

1 Corinthians 10:10 neither murmur ye, as also some of them did murmur, and did perish by the destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:11 And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neither", "tempt", "christ", "certain", "serpents", and "perish". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neither" and "tempt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "neither may we commit whoredom as certain..." into verse 10's "neither murmur ye as also some of...", so "neither" and "tempt" 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 "neither" and "tempt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.