1 Corinthians 10:8

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

1 Corinthians 10:8, King James Version

1 Corinthians 10:8 in other translations

BSB	We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
WEB	Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.
ASV	Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
YLT	neither may we commit whoredom, as certain of them did commit whoredom, and there fell in one day twenty-three thousand;
DARBY	Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
BBE	Again, let us not give way to the desires of the flesh, as some of them did, of whom twenty-three thousand came to their end in one day.
Webster	Neither let us commit lewdness, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

What does 1 Corinthians 10:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

8. fornication--literally, Fornication was generally, as in this case (Nu 25:1-18), associated at the idol feasts with spiritual fornication, that is, idolatry. This all applied to the Corinthians (1Co 5:1, 9; 6:9, 15, 18; 1Co 8:10). Balaam tempted Israel to both sins with Midian (Re 2:14). Compare 1Co 8:7, 9, "stumbling-block," "eat ... thing offered unto ... idol." three and twenty thousand--in Nu 25:9 "twenty and four thousand." If this were a real discrepancy, it would militate rather against inspiration of the subject matter and thought, than against verbal inspiration. The solution is: Moses in Numbers includes all who died "in the plague"; Paul, all who died "in one day"; one thousand more may have fallen the next day [Kitto, Biblical Cyclopædia]. Or, the real number may have been between twenty-three thousand and twenty-four thousand, say twenty-three thousand five hundred, or twenty-three thousand six hundred; when writing generally where the exact figures were not needed, one writer might quite veraciously give one of the two round numbers near the exact one, and the other writer the other [Bengel]. Whichever be the true way of reconciling the seeming discrepant statements, at least the ways given above prove they are not really irreconcilable.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 8. Neither let us commit fornication, etc. The case referred to here was that of the licentious intercourse with the daughters of Moab, referred to in Nu 25:1-9.

And fell in one day. Were slain for their sin by the plague that prevailed.

Three and twenty thousand. The Hebrew text in Nu 25:9, is twenty-four thousand. In order to reconcile these statements, it may be observed, that perhaps twenty-three thousand fell directly by the plague, and one thousand were slain by Phinehas and his companions, (Grotius;) or it may be that the number was between twenty-three and twenty-four thousand, and it might be expressed in round numbers by either. --Macknight. At all events, Paul has not exceeded the truth. There were at least twenty-three thousand that fell, though there might have been more. The probable supposition is, that the three and twenty thousand fell immediately by the hand of God in the plague, and the other thousand by the judges; and as Paul's design was particularly to mention the proofs of the immediate Divine displeasure, he refers only to those who fell by that, in illustration of his subject. There was a particular reason for this caution in respect to licentiousness.

(1.) It was common among all idolaters; and Paul, in cautioning them against idolatry, would naturally warn them of this danger.

(2.) It was common at Corinth. It was the prevalent vice there. To Corinthianize was a term synonymous among the ancients with licentiousness.

(3.) So common was this at Corinth, that, as we have seen, (see the Introduction,) not less than a thousand prostitutes were supported in a single temple there; and the city was visited by vast multitudes of foreigners, among other reasons on account of its facilities for this sin. Christians, therefore, were in a peculiar manner exposed to it; and hence the anxiety of the apostle to warn them against it.

(d) "some of them" Nu 25:1-9

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 Fell in one day three and twenty thousand - In Num 25:9, the number is 24,000; and, allowing this to be the genuine reading, (and none of the Hebrew MSS. exhibit any various reading in the place), Moses and the apostle may be thus reconciled: in Num 25:4, God commands Moses to take all the heads (the rulers) of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun; these possibly amounted to 1000, and those who fell by the plague were 23,000, so that the whole amounted to 24,000. Instead of εικοσιτρεις χιλιαδες, 23,000, two MSS., with the later Syriac and the Armenian, have εικοσιτεσσαρες χιλιαδες, 24,000; but this authority is too slender to establish a various reading, which recedes so much from the received text. I think the discordance may be best accounted for by supposing, as above, that Phineas and his companions might have slain 1000 men, who were heads of the people, and chief in this idolatry; and that the plague sent from the Lord destroyed 23,000 more; so an equal number to the whole tribe of Levi perished in one day, who were just 23,000. See Num 26:62; and see Lightfoot.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10:6-14

Carnal desires gain strength by indulgence, therefore should be checked in their first rise. Let us fear the sins of Israel, if we would shun their plagues. And it is but just to fear, that such as tempt Christ, will be left by him in the power of the old serpent. Murmuring against God's disposals and commands, greatly provokes him. Nothing in Scripture is written in vain; and it is our wisdom and duty to learn from…

Read the full comment on 1 Corinthians 10:6-14 →

1 Corinthians 10:8 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

μηδὲmēdeNeitherG3366

πορνεύωμενporneuōmenshall we commit sexual immoralityG4203

καθώςkathōseven asG2531

τινεςtinessomeG5100

αὐτῶνautōnof themG846

ἐπόρνευσαν,eporneusancommitted sexual immorality,G4203

καὶkaiandG2532

ἔπεσανepesanfellG4098

μιᾷmiaoneG1520

ἡμέρᾳhēmeradayG2250

εἴκοσιeikositwentyG1501

τρεῖςtreisthreeG5140

χιλιάδες.chiliadesthousand.G5505

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 10:8

Numbers 25:1-9
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal–peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. …
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Psalms 106:29
Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.
1 Corinthians 6:9
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

6:9,18; Nu 25:1-9; Ps 106:29; Re 2:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Corinthians 10:7
Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1 Corinthians 10:8
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1 Corinthians 10:9
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Ni forniquemos, como algunos de ellos fornicaron, y cayeron en un día veinte y tres mil.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ne commettons pas non plus la fornication, comme quelques-uns d’eux ont commis la fornication, et il en est tombé en un seul jour 23 000.
German Elberfelder 1871	Auch laßt uns nicht Hurerei treiben, gleichwie etliche von ihnen Hurerei trieben, und es fielen an einem Tage dreiundzwanzigtausend.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Neque fornicemur, sicut quidam ex ipsis fornicati sunt, et ceciderunt una die viginti tria millia.