What Does 1 Corinthians 11:28 Mean?
But let a man test himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.THE KEY
The word for “examine” names a test for what is genuine, and here that test leads into the meal.
THE MEANING
You examine yourself, and then you eat and drink. The verse places self-testing on the path to participation: it clarifies how you receive the bread and cup rather than replacing them.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Self-examination is meant to end in self-exclusion.
THE ROOT
δοκιμαζέτω
dokimazetō
GROWS FROM
δοκιμ-
dokim-
To test something and establish whether it is genuine or approved.
The verb carries the sense of testing for what proves sound, not merely looking inward. Its sequence here matters: you test yourself, and so you eat and drink; examination opens into participation.
ALSO GROWS
dokimos: approved, proven genuine
δόκιμος
The same word family names what has been tested and found sound, revealing the purpose behind examining yourself.
dokimē: proven character, tested genuineness
δοκιμή
Testing can bring a person’s demonstrated character into view, echoing this verse’s inward examination.
dokimion: testing or proof
δοκίμιον
The testing of faith is described with this related word in James 1:3, showing the root’s reach beyond a single act of self-examination.
THE PATTERN
Testing brings what is genuine into view so it can be received and held.
Probe me, O God, and perceive my heart; test me, and perceive my burning thoughts.The smelting pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the LORD probes the hearts.Test everything, and hold fast to what is good.THE THREAD
Test everything, and hold fast to what is good.“Prove” here translates the same Greek word used for “examine” in this verse. In both places, testing serves discernment: what proves sound can be held or received.
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