The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 10:12 Explained

1 Corinthians 10:12

KJV: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

YLT: so that he who is thinking to stand -- let him observe, lest he fall.

Darby: So that let him that thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

ASV: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore  let  him that thinketh  he standeth  take heed  lest  he fall. 

What does 1 Corinthians 10:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Paul concluded with a word of warning to those who felt too confident that they were all right with God (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6). The "strong" who felt free to participate in pagan feasts seem to be those he had in mind. Self-confidence could lead to a spiritual fall, as it had so often in Israel"s history.

Context Summary

1 Corinthians 10:11-22 - Have No Fellowship With Evil
By the end of the world is meant the end of one great era and the beginning of another. The Jewish dispensation was passing, the Christian age coming. What gracious encouragement shines in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13! Our faithful God! The tempter must get permission before assailing us, Luke 22:32. No temptation is unprecedented, and as others have conquered so may we, Hebrews 4:15. The pressure of temptation is always accompanied by a corresponding store of grace, if only our eyes were open to perceive it.
To abstain from idol feasts was the clear duty of all Christians. By partaking of heathen sacrifices which were offered to demons, they became one with the demons and their votaries; just as in the Lord's Supper we show our oneness not only with the Savior but with each other. It was clear, therefore, that the Corinthian Christians could not consistently partake of idol feasts and the Lord's Supper. What an incentive is given here to frequent and reverent participation in the Lord's Supper! It proclaims our union with Him and His people, and it gives us a distaste for all that is alien to its spirit. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

Greek Commentary for 1 Corinthians 10:12

Lest he fall [μη πεσηι]
Negative purpose with μη — mē and second aorist active subjunctive of πιπτω — piptō f0). [source]

What do the individual words in 1 Corinthians 10:12 mean?

Therefore the [one] thinking to stand let him take heed lest he fall
Ὥστε δοκῶν ἑστάναι βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ

  the  [one] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δοκῶν  thinking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: δοκέω  
Sense: to be of opinion, think, suppose.
ἑστάναι  to  stand 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Infinitive Active
Root: ἵστημι  
Sense: to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.
βλεπέτω  let  him  take  heed 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: βλέπω  
Sense: to see, discern, of the bodily eye.
μὴ  lest 
Parse: Adverb
Root: μή 
Sense: no, not lest.
πέσῃ  he  fall 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: πίπτω 
Sense: to descend from a higher place to a lower.