1 Corinthians 10:13
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Chapter Context
1 Corinthians 10 is a pastoral epistle chapter in the New Testament that explores themes of grace, hope, fellowship. Written during Paul's third missionary journey (c. 55 CE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: The church existed in a prosperous, cosmopolitan, morally permissive Roman colony.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-33: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it provides guidance for worship and spiritual devotion. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within 1 Corinthians and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Analysis
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it—After stern warnings, Paul offers encouragement. The word peirasmos (πειρασμός, "temptation/trial/testing") covers both external trials and internal temptations. Common to man (anthrōpinos, ἀνθρώπινος, "human/ordinary/within human capacity") means your struggles aren't uniquely severe or insurmountable.
The central affirmation is God is faithful (pistos de ho theos, πιστὸς δὲ ὁ θεός)—He keeps covenant promises to sustain His people. He will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able establishes a divine limit on testing. God sovereignly controls the intensity and duration of trials, ensuring they remain endurable. This doesn't mean comfort—Israel's temptations were severe—but that God's grace matches every test.
Make a way to escape (ten ekbasin, τὴν ἔκβασιν, literally "the way out") promises divine provision for endurance. Importantly, the escape is to bear it (hypenegkein, ὑπενεγκεῖν, "to endure/carry"), not to avoid it. God provides strength to persevere through trials, not necessarily removal from them. This verse is a bulwark against despair: no temptation is irresistible when met with God's enabling grace.
Historical Context
Ancient Stoicism taught self-sufficiency in trials through reason and willpower. Christianity offers better hope—God's faithfulness and enabling grace. The Corinthians faced real temptations: social pressure to conform, economic inducements to participate in guild banquets at temples, sexual immorality normalized in their culture. Paul assures them that God's power to preserve exceeds any trial's power to destroy.
Reflection
- What temptations feel uniquely difficult for you, and how does Paul's promise that they're "common to man" provide perspective?
- How have you experienced God providing "a way to escape" that enabled endurance rather than escape from trials?
- In what current struggles do you need to trust God's faithfulness rather than your own strength?
Word Studies
- Faith: πίστις (Pistis) G4103 - Faith, belief, trust
Cross-References
- References God: Daniel 3:17, 2 Peter 2:9
- Faith: Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, 2 Thessalonians 3:3
- Parallel theme: Jeremiah 29:11, Luke 22:46, 2 Timothy 4:18, Hebrews 12:4, Revelation 3:10