1 Corinthians 10:20
New International Version
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

New Living Translation
No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.

English Standard Version
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Berean Standard Bible
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Berean Literal Bible
Rather, that what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to be fellow partakers with demons.

King James Bible
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

New King James Version
Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

New American Standard Bible
No, but I say that things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons.

NASB 1995
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

NASB 1977
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

Legacy Standard Bible
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they SACRIFICE TO DEMONS AND NOT TO GOD. And I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

Amplified Bible
On the contrary, the things which the Gentiles (pagans) sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons [in effect], and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons [by eating at feasts in pagan temples].

Christian Standard Bible
No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons!

American Standard Version
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But that which the pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; but I do not want you to be partakers with demons.

Contemporary English Version
No, I am not! This food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils.

English Revised Version
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with devils.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Hardly! What I am saying is that these sacrifices which people make are made to demons and not to God. I don't want you to be partners with demons.

Good News Translation
No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons.

International Standard Version
Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons.

Literal Standard Version
[No,] but that the things that the nations sacrifice—they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the demons.

Majority Standard Bible
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

New American Bible
No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons.

NET Bible
No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.

New Revised Standard Version
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.

New Heart English Bible
But I say that the things which pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I do not desire that you would have fellowship with demons.

Webster's Bible Translation
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons.

Weymouth New Testament
No, but that which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God; and I would not have you have fellowship with one another through the demons.

World English Bible
But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have fellowship with demons.

Young's Literal Translation
no, but that the things that the nations sacrifice -- they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the demons.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Flee from Idolatry
19Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.…

Cross References
Leviticus 17:7
They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.'

Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.

Psalm 106:37
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

Matthew 4:9
"All this I will give You," he said, "if You will fall down and worship me."

Galatians 4:8
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.


Treasury of Scripture

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils.

sacrifice.

Leviticus 17:7
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

Deuteronomy 32:16,17
They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger…

2 Chronicles 11:15
And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.

Jump to Previous
Communion Demons Desire Devils Evil Fellowship Gentiles Imply Offer Offered Pagans Part Partners Sacrifice Sacrifices Sharers Spirits Want Wish
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Communion Demons Desire Devils Evil Fellowship Gentiles Imply Offer Offered Pagans Part Partners Sacrifice Sacrifices Sharers Spirits Want Wish
1 Corinthians 10
1. The sacraments of the Jews are types of ours;
7. and their punishments,
11. examples for us.
13. We must flee from idolatry.
21. We must not make the Lord's table the table of demons;
24. and in all things we must have regard for our brothers.














(20) But I say.--Better, No; but that the things which they sacrifice they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.

The word "devils" means evil spirits. The heathen world is regarded by the Christian Church as under the dominion of the Evil Spirit and his emissaries (Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12), and in reminding the Corinthians that in Israel an eater of the sacrificial meat became a partaker with the altar of God, the Apostle meant to warn them that they would, if they partook of sacrificial meats offered on an altar of devils, become a sharer with that altar and the beings to whom the altar appertained.

Verse 20. - But. The word rejects the former hypothesis. "[No I do not admit that], but what I say is that," etc. They sacrifice to devils, and not to God. The word "demons" should be used, not" devils" (Deuteronomy 32:17). The argument is that, though the idol is nothing - a mere stock or stone - it is yet the material symbol of a demon (see Psalm 96:5; Psalm 106:37; Baruch 4:7). So Milton -

"And devils to adore for deities;
Then were they known to men by various names,
And various idols through the heathen world,...
The chief were those who, from the pit of hell,
Roaming to seek their prey on earth, durst fix
Their seats long after next the seat of God,
Their altars by his altar, gods adored
Among the nations round."


(Paradise Lost,' 1.) St. Paul uses a word which, while it would not be needlessly offensive to Gentiles, conveyed his meaning. The Greeks themselves called their deities daimonia, and St. Paul adopts the word; but to Jewish ears it meant, not "deities" or "demigods," but "demons."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
No,
ἀλλ’ (all’)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

[but]
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

[the]
(ha)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

sacrifices
θύουσιν (thyousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2380: A primary verb; properly, to rush, i.e. to sacrifice; by extension to immolate.

of pagans
ἔθνη (ethnē)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. A tribe; specially, a foreign one.

are offered
θύουσιν (thyousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2380: A primary verb; properly, to rush, i.e. to sacrifice; by extension to immolate.

to demons,
δαιμονίοις (daimoniois)
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1140: An evil-spirit, demon; a heathen deity. Neuter of a derivative of daimon; a d?Monic being; by extension a deity.

not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

to God.
Θεῷ (Theō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

And
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

I do not want
θέλω (thelō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

you
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

to be
γίνεσθαι (ginesthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

participants
κοινωνοὺς (koinōnous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2844: A sharer, partner, companion. From koinos; a sharer, i.e. Associate.

with demons.
δαιμονίων (daimoniōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 1140: An evil-spirit, demon; a heathen deity. Neuter of a derivative of daimon; a d?Monic being; by extension a deity.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say that the things which (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
1 Corinthians 10:19
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