The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:33 Explained

1 Corinthians 11:33

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

YLT: so then, my brethren, coming together to eat, for one another wait ye;

Darby: So that, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait for one another.

ASV: Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait one for another.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does 1 Corinthians 11:33 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Rather than disregarding the members of the congregation who had little or no food to bring to the love feasts, those who had plenty should share what they had. They should also wait to eat until all had been served.
Many churches these days have potluck suppers periodically that provide a modern counterpart to the first-century love feast. Some Christians have felt that we should practice the love feast whenever we observe the Lord"s Supper today. Most have concluded that the love feast was just the setting in which the Lord"s Supper took place in the early church. Jesus did not specifically command His disciples to observe the love feast as He urged them to eat the Lord"s Supper. Therefore most Christians believe the love feast is not an ordinance of the church and we are not bound to perpetuate it as the early church practiced it.

Context Summary

1 Corinthians 11:23-34 - Observing The Lord's Supper
There was much disorder in the Corinthian church, because the love-feast, which preceded the Holy Supper, was the scene of riot and conviviality, of ostentation and jealousy. In the love-feast of the early Church each brought his own supply of food, which was put into a common stock and shared by all alike; but at Corinth each family or group retained their own provisions, and a great distinction was thus made between rich and poor. This caused much heart-burning and was unworthy of Christians.
Note that the Apostle received the words of institution by direct revelation. The Lord's Supper is intended not only to commemorate the supreme act of Calvary, but to enable us spiritually to incorporate into ourselves the very life and death of Jesus, so that we may truly be crucified with Him and nevertheless live. "That I may know Him and the fellowship of His sufferings." We are liable to condemnation if we do not recognize the Body of Christ-that is, the Church-the unity of which is disturbed and obscured when there is dissension. If we judge ourselves, we escape the judgment and chastisement of the Almighty. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Corinthians 11

1  He reproves them, because in holy assemblies,
4  their men prayed with their heads covered,
6  and women with their heads uncovered;
17  and because generally their meetings were not for the better, but for the worse;
21  as, namely, in profaning with their own feast the Lord's supper
25  Lastly, he calls them to the first institution thereof

Greek Commentary for 1 Corinthians 11:33

Wait one for another [αλληλους εκδεχεστε]
As in John 5:3; Acts 17:16. That is common courtesy. Wait in turn. Vulgate has invicem expectate. [source]
Tarry [ἐκδέχεσθε]
In the usual New-Testament sense, as John 5:3; Acts 17:16; though in some cases the idea of expectancy is emphasized, as Hebrews 10:13; Hebrews 11:10; James 5:7. Some render receive ye one another, in contrast with despising the poorer guests; but this is not according to New-Testament usage. [source]

What do the individual words in 1 Corinthians 11:33 mean?

So then brothers of me coming together in order - to eat one another wait for
Ὥστε ἀδελφοί μου συνερχόμενοι εἰς τὸ φαγεῖν ἀλλήλους ἐκδέχεσθε

Ὥστε  So  then 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὥστε  
Sense: so that, insomuch that.
ἀδελφοί  brothers 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀδελφός  
Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
συνερχόμενοι  coming  together 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: συνέρχομαι  
Sense: to come together.
εἰς  in  order 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
φαγεῖν  to  eat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.
ἀλλήλους  one  another 
Parse: Personal / Reciprocal Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀλλήλων  
Sense: one another, reciprocally, mutually.
ἐκδέχεσθε  wait  for 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Middle or Passive, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἐκδέχομαι  
Sense: to receive, accept.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Corinthians 11:33?

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