1 Corinthians 11 · Verse 17

1 Corinthians 11:17

Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
1 Corinthians 11:17, King James Version

1 Corinthians 11:17 in other translations

BSBIn the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.
WEBBut in giving you this command I don’t praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
ASVBut in giving you this charge, I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better but for the worse.
YLTAnd this declaring, I give no praise, because not for the better, but for the worse ye come together;
DARBYBut in prescribing to you on this which I now enter on, I do not praise, namely, that ye come together, not for the better, but for the worse.
BBEBut in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.
WebsterNow in this that I declare to you, I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

What does 1 Corinthians 11:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. in this--which follows. I declare--rather, "I enjoin"; as the Greek is always so used. The oldest manuscripts read literally "This I enjoin (you) not praising (you)." that--inasmuch as; in that you, &c. Here he qualifies his praise (1Co 11:2). "I said that I praised you for keeping the ordinances delivered to you; but I must now give injunction in the name of the Lord, on a matter in which I praise you not; namely, as to the Lord's Supper (1Co 11:23; 1Co 14:37). not for the better--not so as to progress to what is better. for the worse--so as to retrograde to what is worse. The result of such "coming together" must be "condemnation" (1Co 11:34).

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 17. Now in this that I declare. In this that I am about to state to you; to wit, your conduct in regard to the Lord's Supper. Why this subject is introduced here is not very apparent. The connexion may be this. In the subjects immediately preceding he had seen much to commend, and he was desirous of commending them as far as it could be done. In 1Cor 11:2 of this chapter he commends them in general for their regard to the ordinances which he had appointed when he was with them. But while he thus commended them, he takes occasion to observe that there was one subject on which he could not employ the language of approval or praise. Of their irregularities in regard to the Lord's Supper he had probably heard by rumour, and as the subject was of great importance, and their irregularities gross and deplorable, he takes occasion to state to them again more fully the nature of that ordinance, and to reprove them for the manner in which they had celebrated it.

That ye come together. You assemble for public worship.

Not for the better, but for the worse. Your meetings, and your observance of the ordinances of the gospel, do not promote your edification, your piety, spirituality, and harmony; but tend to division, alienation, and disorder. You should assemble to worship God, and promote harmony, love, and piety; the actual effect of your assembling is just the reverse. In what way this was done he states in the following verses. These evil consequences were chiefly two: first, divisions and contentions; and, secondly, the abuse and profanation of the Lord's Supper.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Now in this - I praise you not - In the beginning of this epistle the apostle did praise them for their attention in general to the rules he had laid down, see 1Cor 11:2; but here he is obliged to condemn certain irregularities which had crept in among them, particularly relative to the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Through some false teaching which they had received, in the absence of the apostle, they appear to have celebrated it precisely in the same way the Jews did their passover. That, we know, was a regular meal, only accompanied with certain peculiar circumstances and ceremonies: two of these ceremonies were, eating bread, solemnly broken, and drinking a cup of wine called the cup of blessing. Now, it is certain that our Lord has taken these two things, and made them expressive of the crucifixion of his body, and the shedding of his blood, as an atonement for the sins of mankind. The teachers which had crept into the Corinthian Church appear to have perverted the whole of this Divine institution; for the celebration of the Lord's Supper appears to have been made among them a part of an ordinary meal. The people came together, and it appears brought their provisions with them; some had much, others had less; some ate to excess, others had scarcely enough to suffice nature. One was hungry, and the other was drunken, μεθυει, was filled to the full; this is the sense of the word in many places of Scripture. At the conclusion of this irregular meal they appear to have done something in reference to our Lord's institution, but more resembling the Jewish passover. These irregularities, connected with so many indecencies, the apostle reproves; for, instead of being benefited by the Divine ordinance, they were injured; they came together not for the better, but for the worse.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
The apostle rebukes the disorders in their partaking of the Lord's supper. The ordinances of Christ, if they do not make us better, will be apt to make us worse. If the use of them does not mend, it will harden. Upon coming together, they fell into divisions, schisms. Christians may separate from each other's communion, yet be charitable one towards another; they may continue in the same communion, yet be uncharitable. This last is schism, rather than the former. There is a careless and irregular eating of the Lord's supper, which adds to guilt. Many rich Corinthians seem to have acted very wrong at the Lord's table, or at the love-feasts, which took place at the same time as the supper. The rich despised the poor, and ate and drank up the provisions they brought, before the poor were allowed to partake; thus some wanted, while others had more than enough. What should have been a bond of mutual love and affection, was made an instrument of discord and disunion. We should be careful that nothing in our behaviour at the Lord's table, appears to make light of that sacred institution. The Lord's supper is not now made an occasion for gluttony or revelling, but is it not often made the support of self-righteous pride, or a cloak for hypocrisy? Let us never rest in the outward forms of worship; but look to our hearts.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Corinthians 11:17 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.

ΤοῦτοToutoIn thisG3778
δὲdenowG1161
παραγγέλλωνparangellōninstructingG3853
οὐκouknotG3756
ἐπαινῶepainōI do praiseG1867
ὅτιhotibecauseG3754
οὐκouknotG3756
εἰςeisforG1519
τὸtotheG3588
κρεῖσσονkreissonbetterG2908
ἀλλ᾽all᾽butG235
εἰςeisforG1519
τὸtotheG3588
ἧσσονhēssonworseG2276
συνέρχεσθε.¶sunerchestheyou come together.G4905

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

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 11:17

  • Hebrews 10:25

    Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

  • Isaiah 58:1-4

    Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

  • 1 Peter 2:14

    Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:22

    What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

  • 1 Corinthians 14:23

    If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

  • 1 Corinthians 14:26

    How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:2

    Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

  • Leviticus 19:17

    Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

  • Jeremiah 7:9-10

    Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

  • 1 Corinthians 11:20

    When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:34

    And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

  • Isaiah 1:13-14

    Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I praise.
2,22; Le 19:17; Pr 27:5; Ro 13:3; 1Pe 2:14
that ye.
20,34; 14:23,26; Isa 1:13,14; 58:1-4; Jer 7:9,10; Heb 10:25

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

Context

  • 1 Corinthians 11:16

    But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:17

    Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:18

    For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Esto empero os denuncio, que no alabo, que no por mejor sino por peor os juntáis.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Or, en prescrivant ceci, je ne vous loue pas, – c’est que vous vous réunissez, non pas pour votre profit, mais à votre détriment.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Indem ich aber dieses vorschreibe, lobe ich nicht, daß ihr nicht zum Besseren, sondern zum Schlechteren zusammenkommet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Hoc autem præcipio: non laudans quod non in melius, sed in deterius convenitis.