Les Feldick Bible Study

Does 1 Corinthians 10:24 mean you should try to get what your neighbor has?

No, this verse does not authorize seeking what belongs to another. The context explains Paul is not telling believers to try to get what the next man has, since that contradicts his teaching. Instead, it presses concern for what benefits and enhances a neighbor's situation rather than selfish advantage.

Les explains that the word "wealth" is italicized in many translations and was an unfortunate insertion, better left blank. He stresses that Paul is not saying you are to try to get what the next man has, because that flies in the face of everything he teaches. What Paul is really saying is that we are not to just constantly look for what's in it for number one—"What's in it for me?" Instead, don't be concerned about what you do for yourself, but be concerned about what it will do for your neighbor and how it will enhance his situation. The discussion then moves to verse 25 and the open market, the Middle Eastern market where meat sold in the shambles was a typical way of doing things.

1 Corinthians 10:24

Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.

More Questions

Does 1 Corinthians 10:24 mean Christians should try to get what other people have?

In 1 Corinthians 10:24 Paul is not telling believers to try to get what the next man has, because that would fly in the face of everything else Paul teaches.