1 Corinthians 11:17

“Now in this that I declare unto you, etc.] The Syriac version reads, “this is what I command”; which some refer to what he had been discoursing of, adding to his arguments, and the examples of the church, his own orders and command, that men should worship God publicly, uncovered, and women covered; though it seems rather to respect what follows, what the apostle was about to declare unto them; concerning which he says, I praise you not; as he did in (<461102>1 Corinthians 11:2) that they were mindful of him, remembered his doctrines, and kept the ordinances in the manner he had delivered them to them: and it should seem by this, that the greater part of them were not to be blamed, though…”

“in this--which follows. I declare--rather, "I enjoin"; as the Greek is always so used. The oldest manuscripts read literally "This I enjoin (you) not praising (you)." that--inasmuch as; in that you, &c. Here he qualifies his praise (Co1 11:2). "I said that I praised you for keeping the ordinances delivered to you; but I must now give injunction in the name of the Lord, on a matter in which I praise you not; namely, as to the Lord's Supper (Co1 11:23; Co1 14:37). not for the better--not so as to progress to what is better. for the worse--so as to retrograde to what is worse. The result of such "coming together" must be "condemnation" (Co1 11:34).”

“Now in this that I declare - In this that I am about to state to you; to wit, your conduct in regard to the Lord’s Supper. Why this subject is introduced here is not very apparent. The connection may be this. In the subjects immediately preceding he had seen much to commend, and he was desirous of commending them as far as it could be done. In 1 Corinthians 11:2 of this chapter he commends them in general for their regard to the ordinances which he had appointed when he was with them. But while he thus commended them, he takes occasion to observe that there was one subject on which he could not employ the language of approval or praise. Of their irregularities in regard to the Lord’s supper…”

“11:17-34 Paul addresses problems in the way the Corinthians were relating to each other and to the Lord while taking the Lord’s Supper. 11:17 when you meet together: Early Christians met together in someone’s home at least once a week, usually on the Lord’s Day (see 16:2).”

“I praise: Co1 11:2, Co1 11:22; Lev 19:17; Pro 27:5; Rom 13:3; Pe1 2:14 that ye: Co1 11:20, Co1 11:34, Co1 14:23, Co1 14:26; Isa 1:13, Isa 1:14, Isa 58:1-4; Jer 7:9, Jer 7:10; Heb 10:25 1 Corinthians 11:18”