Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
Parallel translations
- WEB But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.
- KJV But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
- NKJV But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
- NASB But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
- NLT That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Each person should examine himself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. Self-examination is the proper preparation for the Supper.
Overview
In light of the danger of unworthy participation, Paul calls for honest self-examination, testing one's heart, repentance, faith, and love toward others. This is not a counsel to abstain but to come rightly. The verse establishes the discipline of self-examination as integral to receiving the Supper worthily, with humble dependence on Christ's grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Gal 6:4Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else.
- 2 Cor 13:5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you actually fail the test?
- Lam 3:40Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
- Matt 5:23–24So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
- 1 Cor 11:31Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.
- Hag 1:5Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways.
- Ps 26:2–7Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
- Hag 1:7This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways.
- 1 Jn 3:20–21Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.
- Zech 7:5–7“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?
- Num 9:10–13“Tell the Israelites: ‘When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a dead body, or is away on a journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 11:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.