The Passage: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

The Text (KJV)

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. 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. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 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.

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 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.

--- 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (KJV)

Key Greek Terms

The passage’s interpretive cruxes mostly turn on these Greek words. Each is given fuller treatment in its movement chapter; here is the quick reference.

Verse	Greek term	Transliteration	Range of meaning	Why it matters
18	σχίσματα	schismata	tears, splits, factions	Are these the same as v. 19 haireseis, or a different (lighter) thing?
19	αἱρέσεις	haireseis	choices, factions, parties; later “heresies”	Paul says these must be — the puzzling claim of v. 19
19	δόκιμοι	dokimoi	tested, approved, genuine	Same root as dokimazetō in v. 28 — the testing/approving thread
20	δεῖπνον	deipnon	the main evening meal	Not a snack — this is a real dinner
20	κυριακόν	kyriakon	belonging to the Lord	Adjective: “the Lord’s-own supper” (only here + Rev 1:10 in NT)
23	παρέλαβον	parelabon	I received (technical: received tradition)	The paradosis (tradition) language — what Paul received and passed on
24	ἀνάμνησιν	anamnēsin	remembrance, memorial, calling-to-mind	Cognitive recall? Cultic re-presentation? The interpretive crux of B
25	διαθήκη	diathēkē	covenant, testament, will	The new diathēkē — covenantal language
27	ἀναξίως	anaxiōs	in an unworthy manner	Adverb, modifying how (not who) — manner of eating, not personal worth
28	δοκιμαζέτω	dokimazetō	let him test/approve	Same root as dokimoi in v. 19
29	διακρίνων	diakrinōn	discerning, judging, distinguishing	”Not discerning the body” — the great crux of C
29	σῶμα	sōma	body	Whose body? Christ’s eucharistic body? The church body? Both?
30	ἀσθενεῖς	astheneis	weak (often of physical illness)	Real bodily sickness, not metaphor
30	ἄρρωστοι	arrōstoi	sickly, infirm, diseased	Even stronger than astheneis
30	κοιμῶνται	koimōntai	sleep (euphemism for death)	Real deaths in the community
31	διεκρίνομεν	diekrinomen	were discerning, judging	Same root as v. 29 — paired deliberately
32	παιδευόμεθα	paideuometha	we are being disciplined (as a child)	The chastening/training of God, not condemnation
33	ἐκδέχεσθε	ekdechesthe	wait for, receive together	What “tarry one for another” actually means
34	διατάξομαι	diataxomai	I will set in order, give directions	Paul’s apostolic authority over remaining practical questions

Full word studies on the heavyweight terms (anamnēsis, anaxiōs, diakrinōn to sōma, paradosis) belong in Appendix A.

Translation Comparison: The Disputed Lines

For the lines where translations diverge enough to affect the theology, here is a comparison. KJV is primary; other translations are labeled.

v. 19 — “heresies must be”

Translation	Rendering
KJV	”there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest”
ESV	”there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized”
NASB	”there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you”
NIV	”there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval”

Translation issue: KJV’s “heresies” is etymologically accurate but loaded for modern ears. Modern translations consistently use “factions” — closer to the 1st-century sense, which was “party affiliation” before it took on the post-Nicene “doctrinal deviation” meaning.

v. 24 — “which is broken for you”

Translation	Rendering
KJV	”this is my body, which is broken for you”
ESV	”This is my body, which is for you”
NASB	”This is My body, which is for you”
NIV	”This is my body, which is for you”

Translation issue: The KJV “broken” reflects the Byzantine textual tradition (klōmenon). The earliest manuscripts (P46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) omit the participle — just “which is for you.” Most critical editions follow the shorter reading. The theological weight (“broken for you”) is preserved by context (he broke bread, and his body was given for them) but the word itself is textually uncertain.

v. 27 — “unworthily”

Translation	Rendering
KJV	”shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily”
ESV	”eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner”
NASB	”eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner”
NIV	”eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner”

Translation issue: The Greek ἀναξίως is an adverb — it modifies the manner of eating, not the worth of the person. Modern translations are clearer on this. The pastoral implication is significant: Paul is not asking whether you are worthy (no one is), but whether you are eating worthily — discerning what you are doing.

v. 29 — “not discerning the Lord’s body”

Translation	Rendering
KJV	”not discerning the Lord’s body”
ESV	”without discerning the body”
NASB	”if he does not properly recognize the body”
NIV	”without discerning the body of Christ”

Translation issue: “The Lord’s” in KJV reflects later manuscripts that added τοῦ Κυρίου (“of the Lord”) to clarify. Earliest manuscripts read simply τὸ σῶμα — “the body.” This matters: with “of the Lord” added, the sense is forced toward eucharistic body. With just “the body,” it is genuinely ambiguous — could be Christ’s eucharistic body, or the church as the body of Christ (which Paul develops at length in chapter 12, just one chapter later). Both readings have strong defenders. See Movement C.

v. 30 — “weak and sickly… many sleep”

Translation	Rendering
KJV	”many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep”
ESV	”many of you are weak and ill, and some have died”
NASB	”many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep”
NIV	”many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep”

Translation issue: All translations agree on the literal meaning. The interpretive question is not the translation but whether this is (a) direct divine judgment, (b) natural consequence of broken community, or (c) an apostolic-era observation that does not continue. See The Health Question (v. 30).

Immediate Context

This passage sits inside Paul’s larger correction of the Corinthian gatherings (11:2–14:40):

11:2-16 — propriety in praying and prophesying (the head-covering pericope)
11:17-34 — the Lord’s Supper (this passage)
12:1-31 — spiritual gifts and the one-body metaphor
13:1-13 — the love chapter
14:1-40 — order in the assembly; prophecy and tongues

Two observations about this placement:

Paul moves seamlessly from Supper-abuse to body-metaphor. Chapter 12 develops “the body” at length: “ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (12:27). When 11:29 says “not discerning the body,” chapter 12 is one paragraph away and the same vocabulary is in Paul’s hand. This is part of why some readers take “the body” in 11:29 as the church.
“The rest will I set in order when I come” (v. 34) frames everything after. Paul knows he is not finished. Chapter 14 picks up gathering-order again (“Let all things be done unto edifying,” 14:26). The Lord’s Supper passage is one piece of a longer correction.