What Does 1 Corinthians 11:31 Mean?
For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.
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
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.THE KEY
The Greek ties inward discernment to judgment with the same root: what you distinguish in yourself is not left for judgment to expose.
THE MEANING
When you discern yourself, you are not judged. The verse speaks now of an inward recognition that meets what would otherwise meet you as judgment.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that avoiding self-examination protects you from judgment.
THE ROOT
διεκρίνομεν
diekrinomen
GROWS FROM
κρίνω
krinō
To separate or distinguish, then decide or judge.
“judged ourselves” in this verse is diekrinomen. The first verb, διεκρίνομεν (diekrinomen, “we discerned”), comes from διακρίνω (diakrinō, “distinguish or discern”); the second, ἐκρινόμεθα (ekrinometha, “we were judged”), comes from κρίνω (krinō, “judge”). English repeats “judge,” while Greek reveals the shared root and a shift in direction: discernment turns inward before judgment falls upon you.
ALSO GROWS
diakrinō: Distinguish, discern, or evaluate.
διακρίνω
This is the verb behind “judge ourselves”; it shows the inward action as discerning what is there.
krisis: Judgment or decision.
κρίσις
This related word names the judgment that follows discernment, linking the inward examination to the verse’s second clause.
THE PATTERN
Self-examination brings the inner condition into view so it can be recognized and addressed.
Let us feel for our ways and search them out, and turn back to the LORD.Probe me, O God, and perceive my heart; test me, and perceive my burning thoughts.THE THREAD
For whoever eats and drinks without its due weight eats and drinks judgment upon himself, not separating out the Lord's body.The Greek participle διακρίνων (diakrinōn, “discerning”) shares the root κρίνω (krinō, “distinguish or judge”) with “judge ourselves” in verse 31. The passage links discerning the body and discerning oneself through the same root.
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