What Does 1 Corinthians 11:29 Mean in the King James?

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

1 Corinthians 11:29 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The verse ties judgment to failed discernment: both grow from ⁨κρίνω⁩ (krinō, “to distinguish and judge”).

THE MEANING

When you receive the bread and cup without perceiving the Lord’s body, the act you take into yourself becomes judgment to yourself. The verse places the consequence in a failure of discernment: the meal is shared, but what it signifies goes unrecognized.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

Taking part in a sacred meal does not automatically make it beneficial; the verse says it can become judgment when the Lord’s body is not discerned.

THE ROOT

διακρίνων

diakrinōn

GROWS FROM

κρίνω

krinō

To separate, distinguish, decide, or judge.

English makes “discern” and “damnation” sound like unrelated ideas. In Greek, ⁨διακρίνων⁩ (diakrinōn, discerning) and ⁨κρίμα⁩ (krima, judgment) share the root ⁨κρίνω⁩ (krinō, to distinguish and judge). The verse links what goes unrecognized with the judgment a person takes upon themselves.

ALSO GROWS

krima: Judgment or verdict.

κρίμα

This is the word rendered “damnation” here, tying the consequence directly to the root of discerning.

diakrisis: Distinction or discernment.

διάκρισις

This related word names the act of making a distinction, showing the perception at the center of the verse’s warning.

THE PATTERN

Discernment has consequences: what is distinguished or left unrecognized shapes the judgment a person meets.

And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

Leviticus 10:10 · KJVThe verse makes distinguishing necessary, naming differences that must not be collapsed.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Matthew 7:2 · KJVJudgment returns in the measure used, showing that the way a person judges shapes what they meet.

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14 · KJVDiscernment appears as a practiced capacity to distinguish, not merely a word for knowing.

THE THREAD

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

1 Corinthians 11:31 · KJV

The verb rendered “judge ourselves” belongs to the same Greek root family as “discern” in verse 29. The next line makes the connection plain: discernment and judgment are joined in the way a person meets the shared meal.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us