Devine Scripture

1 Corinthians 5:8

What does 1 Corinthians 5:8 mean?

A plain-English look at 1 Corinthians 5:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What 1 Corinthians 5:8 means

“Let us keep the feast” extends the Passover picture into the Christian life. Paul is not instituting a ritual but urging a way of living that matches redemption: not with the “old leaven” of tolerated sin, nor with the “leaven of malice and wickedness,” but with the “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” The church’s ongoing celebration of salvation is expressed in transparent, truthful, loving conduct. Community life should taste like purity, not bitterness or deceit. This verse shows that holiness is communal joy, not mere abstention. Having been redeemed by Christ, believers live a continuous festival of integrity before God and one another.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Let us then keep the feast, not with old leaven, and not with the leaven of evil thoughts and acts, but with the unleavened bread of true thoughts and right feelings.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

so that we may keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with unleavened food of sincerity and truth.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Therefore, let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness: but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

so that let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.

Context

After grounding purity in Christ’s sacrifice (v. 7), Paul describes the positive ethos that should mark the church. Verse 8 concludes the Passover/leaven section by translating doctrine into practice. With this foundation laid, verses 9–11 will clarify how this purity shapes associations, especially with professing believers who persist in scandalous sin, preventing misunderstandings from Paul’s earlier letter.

v.7Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:

v.8This passage

v.9I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators;

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9

    Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,

  • Ephesians 4:17

    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

  • 1 Corinthians 3:3

    for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?

  • Exodus 12:15

    Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

  • Matthew 16:12

    Then understood they that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

  • Exodus 13:6

    Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Jehovah.

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