Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians 10:22

Ἢ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν; (1 Corinthians 10:22)

Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

The Rhetorical Force of the Question

In 1 Corinthians 10:22, Paul concludes a solemn warning with two piercing rhetorical questions: ἢ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; and μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν;. The particle ἢ (“or”) connects this verse to the preceding admonitions about idolatry, forcing the reader to confront the logical consequence of participating in pagan rituals. The verb παραζηλοῦμεν (present active indicative of παραζηλόω) means “to provoke to jealousy,” recalling Old Testament language where Israel’s idolatry stirred YHWH’s jealousy (cf.… Learn Koine Greek