UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Corinthians 10 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

5. On food (8:1–11:1) * Warning from Israelite history (10:1–12) * Encouragement and command (10:13–14) * The Lord’s Supper and food offered to idols (10:15–22) * Both freedom and care for others (10:23–11:1)

Special Concepts in this Chapter

The Exodus and wilderness journey

In the first half of this chapter, Paul consistently refers to the narrative about how God rescued the Israelites from Egypt and led them through the wilderness so that they could take possession of the land he had promised to give them. He mentions multiple stories from this narrative. God led the Israelites by appearing as a pillar of cloud, and he made a path through the sea for them (See: Exodus 13:17–14:31). God miraculously provided them with food while they were traveling through the desert (See: Exodus 16), and he also provided water from a rock for them to drink (See: Exodus 17:1–7 and Numbers 20:2–13). Despite this, the Israelites often grumbled against God and against their leaders, so God punished them by letting them die in the wilderness (See: Numbers 14:20–35). The Israelites also worshiped other gods (See: Exodus 32:1–6) and committed sexual immorality (See: Numbers 25:1–9), so God again punished them. Other times when the Israelites complained about their leaders, God sent snakes (See: Numbers 21:5–6) or a plague (Numbers 16:41–50) to kill them. Paul’s point here is that God acted to save the Israelites, but when they disobeyed or grumbled, God punished them. Paul wants the Corinthians to understand this as a warning to them as well. They should not be like the Israelites. (See: promisedland and desert)

“Spiritual”

In 10:3–4, Paul states that the Israelites ate “spiritual food” and drank “spiritual drink” from a “spiritual rock.” By “spiritual,” Paul could be referring to the action of God’s Spirit, who provided the food and drink from the rock. By using “spiritual,” Paul could also be identifying the “food,” “drink,” and “rock” as prefigurations or types of the Lord’s Supper, which he discusses later in the chapter. Or, he could simply want the reader to think of the Lord’s Supper without drawing any direct connection. Consider the theology of the group you are translating for to decide exactly how to express “spiritual” here. (See: spirit)

The Lord’s Supper

In 10:16–17, 21, Paul refers to the Lord’s Supper. He describes the unity that comes with the Lord and with other believers when believers partake of the “cup” and the “table,” that is, the bread and the wine. He then argues that this unity means that participating in the Lord’s Supper is incompatible with participating in meals that unite one to idols, or rather, to the demons that the idols represent. In these verses, use words and phrases that fit with how your language talks about the Lord’s Supper.

Things sacrificed to idols

In Paul’s culture, animals were often sacrificed to the gods. After the animal was slaughtered, the people who were participating in the worship would eat parts of the animal. Other times, some of the meat would be sold in the market, as Paul implies in 10:25. For most people who were not wealthy, participating in worship with a sacrifice or buying sacrificed meat in the market were two of the few situations in which they could eat meat. Throughout this chapter, Paul continues to explain how the Corinthians should think about eating or not eating this meat. (See: falsegod)

Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter

Rhetorical questions

In 10:16, 18–19, 22, 29–30, Paul uses rhetorical questions. He is not asking these questions because he wants the Corinthians to provide him with information. Rather, he is asking these questions because he wants the Corinthians to think about how they are acting and what they are thinking. The questions encourage them to think along with Paul. For ways to translate these questions, look for the notes on each verse that includes these kinds of questions. (See: figs-rquestion)

“That rock was Christ”

In 10:4, Paul states that the “rock” from which the Israelites received water “was Christ.” This metaphor can be interpreted in two major ways: (1) Paul could be saying that Christ was the one who made the rock provide the Israelites with water. (2) Paul could be saying that the rock provided water for the Israelites like Christ provides salvation for those who believe in him. (3) Paul could be saying that Christ was somehow present in or with the rock itself. Since Paul’s sentence allows for a number of interpretations, if possible you should also allow for a number of interpretations with your translation. Also, consider the theology of the group you are translating for to decide exactly how to express “that rock was Christ.”

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in this Chapter

Quoting the Corinthians

In 10:23, Paul quotes words that the Corinthians have said or that they wrote to him. The ULT indicates these words by putting quotation marks around them. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that an author is quoting someone else. (See: writing-quotations)

Are 10:28–29a a parenthesis?

In 10:25–27, Paul tells the Corinthians that they can eat any food from the marketplace or in someone’s home without asking about whether it was sacrificed to an idol. Everything belongs to God, so whether it was sacrificed or not does not matter. However, in 10:28–29a, Paul gives an exception: if someone tells you directly that the food was sacrificed to an idol, you should not eat it for the sake of the person who told you. Immediately after, however, in 10:29b, he asks a question that implies that one’s freedom should be constrained by some other person’s ideas about right and wrong. This does not seem to fit with the exception Paul has given in 10:28–29a. Most likely, Paul means 10:28–29a to be understood as a side note, and 10:29b follows directly from 10:27. In order to indicate this, the UST puts parentheses around 10:28–29a. Consider using a natural way in your language to indicate a side note or a digression from the main argument.