The passage
      v1-5. In the opening verses, Paul presents a warning from history. Israel had participated in the outpouring of God's providential care toward his called-out people. Yet, this had not magically protected them from God's wrath. Israel had suffered loss, and this must be a warning to us that the same can occur if we persist, like them, to flirt with paganism.
      v6-10. Paul goes on to further develop his Exodus illustration. First, he points out why "God was not pleased" with Israel and thus judged them.
      v11-12. He then warns the Corinthians that they are in a similar situation. They are blessed, yet idolatrous and therefore facing judgment. Be careful then, for it is dangerous to think that we are safe. It is better to be on our guard.
      v13. Finally, Paul encourages his readers with the truth that not all tests of faith are as dangerous as syncretism. We don't have to end up neurotic with life. Most of Satan's ploys, his tests of our faith, are easily resisted with the Lord's help. God restrains the tempters' hand and ends the test before it overwhelms us. When we rely on the Lord, we endure. This is not so when we flirt with other deities, "therefore, my friends, flee from idolatry."

Flee from idolatry
      While in the wilderness, Israel faced many tests of faith. Would the Lord provide for Israel and lead them to safety in the promised land? Israel failed these tests time and time again. At Meribah they sought to provoke the Lord's gracious hand with the retort, "is the Lord among us or not?" The worst failures occurred when they looked to other deities for their security, for example, the incident of the Golden Calf, or Baal of Peor, and of course, they continued to flirt with syncretism when they looked to the gods of Canaan, to the fertility cult of Baal. Organized Christianity today faces similar tests of faith. Sadly, we have often sought security in the secular deities of human ingenuity and sensual power. Syncretism is no new thing and the scriptures warn us to run from it.

1. Duty-bound religion
      In a world that glories in the deity of human ingenuity, it is only to be expected that believers are constantly moved toward duty, expectations, demands and obligations. This form of Christianity has lead to subjugation, guilt and disillusionment. It has moved us from the cross back to the Law.
      Yet, the Christianity of the New Testament is a Spirit bound religion - a religion of grace. It is a religion concerned with faith in the renewing work of the Spirit of Christ. A receiving, rather than doing form of Christianity, leads to faithful discipleship through the compelling love of Christ; it moves us from the cross to the empty tomb and onward to freedom.
      The danger we face is that we can so easily move from grace to law, from receiving to doing, as if Christ has not completely secured our salvation. We can so easily be sucked into duty-bound religion - a religion of human ingenuity and effort. Always remember, "we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code", Rom.7:6.

2. Power religion
      Another great danger we face today is the seductive power of sensuality, the very danger facing the Corinthians. This world is the domain of the powers of darkness, Luke.4:5-7. An idol has no power in itself, so the Corinthians were right, in a sense, not to be concerned about attending feasts at the local pagan temple. Yet, behind the idol there lies the powers of darkness.
      The Corinthians were using the freedom they had in Christ to enslave themselves again to sin. This they did by being "participants with demons" through their involvement in the temple feasts, 1Cor.10:20. The people of Israel did the self same thing. Confident in their standing before God, they conjoined the pagan gods of Egypt with Jehovah. This only led them into "pagan revelry" and "sexual immorality". So it was that their "bones were scattered over the desert".
      The pagan cult of human sensuality is dominant in Western society. Youthfulness, beauty, energy..... these we glory in, rather than just enjoy. These powers manipulate and so a mass of humanity is enslaved to media marketing, personality politics and galloping greed. Debt, violence, sex... display a people who worship the creature rather than the Creator.
      Believers are not immune from corrupted sensuality. Although we "cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons", 1Cor.10:21, we none-the-less intrude success criteria, entertainment, manipulative marketing ....., we intrude the spirit of this age into our worship services. We chase the god of success and lead others to chase the same illusionary dream. Therefore, flee from idolatry.

v1
      oiJ patereV hJmwn "our forefathers" - the fathers of us. To what degree Paul is including his Gentile audience in the "our" is unclear. Paul is quite happy separating Jew from Gentile with the pronouns "us" and "you", but at the same time he does recognize that "you" share with "us" in Christ. So, the failure of Israel in the desert is a Jewish failure, but that doesn't mean it is without implication for his Gentile readers.
      panteV (paV ....) "all" - Paul stresses the collective nature of Israel's failure.
      uJpo thn nefelhn "under the cloud" - The imagery is interesting in that it leaves us unsure of what cloud where. Is this the cloud that went before Israel in the desert, Ex.13:21? In v2 the people are immersed "in" the cloud. It is likely that what we have here is the cloud of God's Shekinah glory, an evidence of his presence, the bright misty cloud that has enveloped his people and the great ones (eg. Moses) in past ages. In later midrash the cloud is spoken of as enveloping Israel.

v2
      ebaptisqhsan (baptizw) aor. pass. "baptized" - immersed. The constant use of the anglicized "baptize" for the Greek word meaning "immersed" in New Testament translations is unnecessary and confusing. So here, the inevitable consequence is to try to draw some link between what was happening to Israel in the cloud and the sea, with Christian water baptism. It is possible that Paul is suggesting that Israel was blessed with the Spirit, as are we, and yet they died in the wilderness, but it is more likely that he is saying they were immersed in the prophetic words of Moses, inevitably the Deuteronomic law, and yet they died in wilderness. The law did not save them.

v3
      pneumatikon brwma "spiritual food" - Clearly a reference to manna, but an unlikely allusion to the Lord's Supper. Manna is spiritual in the sense of "supernatural", Moffatt. Israel was blessed, but .......

v4
      pneumatikhV akolouqoushV petraV "the spiritual rock that accompanied them" - spiritual following rock. As in v3, "spiritual" should be taken as "supernatural", rather than say, allegorical. The water from the rock is probably that of the waters of Meribah, Numbers 20:1-13. The idea that the rock "accompanied", or better "followed" Israel during the wilderness journey, derives from a tradition that later developed in Judaism and was possibly floating around in the first century. It was understood that the rock was a well that followed Israel and supplied water for the journey. Water was supplied in the same way as Manna was supplied, supernaturally.
      hJ petra de hJn oJ CristoV "and that rock was Christ" - and the rock was Christ. The point that Paul is making in this passage is that God was supernaturally supporting Israel in the wilderness, but they still turned from him and relied on other deities for their security, and so they died in the desert. Here Paul is making the point that the rock/well "was" divine in the sense of being miraculously supplied to give life to the people. It is not God, nor like God, but from God. Although a difficult phrase to interpret, Paul is not so much arguing for the preexistence of Christ, but that Christ was doing the providing. The divine provision, now for us in Jesus, is for us the same as it was for them. The rock serves as a "type" for the divine provision of God's people, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

v5
      all "nevertheless" - but. Should be taken as a strong adversative. Even though Israel had divine supernatural support, "God was not pleased .....
      eudokhsen (eudokew) "pleased" - well pleased. Not used in the sense of emotion, but more in the sense of a determined will to act against faithlessness. "God did not spare them", Calvin.
      gar "-" - for, set up an explanation for. Serves to explain the statement: "God was not pleased with most of them." The evidence for this is that "their bodies were. ......"
      toiV pleiosin "most [of them]" - the majority. Given that Paul has used "all" up to this point, why the change? We know that the children of that generation entered the promised land, along with Joshua and Caleb, so Paul may have them in mind.
      katestrwqhsan (katestrwnnumi) "were scattered" - scattered, spread about. "Laid low", Barrett, Conzelmann, although "scattered" is to be preferred.

v6
      tupoi (oV) "examples" - pattern, example, prototype. "Awful, warning example", Barrett.
      hJmwn "us" - The example is for "us". Paul has included himself.
      epiqumhtaV (hV) "setting our hearts on" - the one who desires or craves after. Here the craving after idolatry and its associated sexual immorality.

v7
      paizein (paizw) inf. "to indulge in pagan revelry" - dance, play. Possibly "amorous play", or used here in an illustrative way of idolatry. Calvin suggests the latter. Most likely describing the sexual revelry of cultic worship. The quote comes from Exodus 32:6.

v8
      porneuwmen (porneuw) subj. "we should [not] commit sexual immorality" - [neither] let us commit fornication. Hortatory subjunctive.
      Numbers 25:1, 9. Note the disparity in the quoted number for the Baal of Peor incident, 23,000 for 24,000. Such lapses in memory remind us of the human dimension evident in the Bible. We could argue that divine revelation is contained within human frailty, but we are on safer ground if we argue for the inspiration of frail humans such that their message is God's message (despite their poor memory).

v9
      ekpeirazwmen (ekpeirazw) subj. "we should [not] test [the Lord]" - [neither] let us tempt, test. Hortatory subjunctive. Note general "us". Paul's intended meaning is not quite clear. He is possibly using the word "test" from the waters of Massah narrative, as the verb is not found in the narrative of the bronze snake, Numbers 21:4-7. So rather than "test" in the sense of stir up to anger, the word is possibly being used in the sense of stir up to jealousy. "Do we think that by flirting with other deities, we will force the Lord to act more kindly toward us?" Note also the possible use of Psalm 78:18 as a source, and of Jesus' use of the idea in the temptation.
      ton Criston "the Lord" - Due to a textual variant the reference may be to "the Lord" or "Christ". If "Christ", again Jesus is linked with Israel's experience of the divine in their wilderness wanderings.
      apwllunto (apwllumi) imperf. "were killed" - were being destroyed. Imperfect implies a continuation of the dying, "were killed day-by-day."

v10
      gogguzete (gogguzw) imp. "do [not] grumble" - [neither] grumble, murmur. As a second person plural, Paul is again directly addressing the Corinthians. Obviously, Paul is referring to Israel's complaining in the wilderness, possibly Numbers 14, or 16.
      kaqaper "as" - evan as. Connecting particle used to form a comparative clause where similarities are being established. "Let us not grumble as they grumbled."
      tou oloqreutou (hV) "the destroying angel" - the destroyer. The presence of the definite article indicates that Paul is following the popular understanding of these passages in Numbers where a special destroyer, an angel of punishment, was active during times of Israel's rebellion.

v11
      de - but. Adversative. God's punishment overtook Israel in the wilderness, "but" was written down to warn us.
      tupikwV adv. "as examples" - by way of warning example, or prototype. This time the prototypes are negative and illustrate what will happen to "us" if we follow Israel's lead. Davidson in his book "Typology" calls these prototypes "advance-presentations." The events did not overtake Israel just to serve as an illustration for the Corinthian church, rather that God's reign over the kingdom of God is constant, such that his dealing with Israel is the same as for the Corinthians, as it is for the church today. If we toy with syncretism we can expect the same consequences that befell Israel in the wilderness.
      proV "as" - for, for the purpose of, with a view toward. The events were written down for the purpose of warning us.
      eiV ouJV ta telh aiwnwn kathnthken "on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" - to whom the ends of the ages has come. The plural "ends" and "ages", does not imply a number of ends and a number of ages. Note the "now/not yet", inaugurated (rather than realized) eschatology. All the prototypes point to the eternal reality.

v12
      wJste "so" - so then. This inferential conjunction is quite strong and in this verse may be paraphrased as: "so the moral is", Moule.
      oJ dokwn eJstanai (iJsthmi) inf. "if you think you are standing firm" - the one assuming to have stood. The NIV translation is rather tame. Paul is warning those who think they are free to eat meat offered to idols (irrespective of the damage they may do to a weaker brother while somehow remaining safe from the satanic influences associated with pagan cults) that such syncretic associations may well destroy them. "Let the person who is cocksure beware lest they fall."

v13
      peirasmoV "temptation" - temptation, test. Bruce and Fee (+NRSV, NEB) opt for test/trial, a time of testing which may well lead to temptation. Conzelmann opts for "temptation". Given the context, namely, the issue of eating meat offered to idols (covered as one subject in chapters 8 to 10), and Israel's wilderness test, Paul most likely has in mind a test of loyalty to God, rather than a temptation to break a commandment. There are two types of what we would call, tests of faith. This verse concerns the majority of such tests, tests "common to man"; Job-like tests driven by the evil one to turn the believer away from their reliance on God. These tests can be handled; the Lord will see to that. Note how this verse is often used to teach that in the temptations of life our Lord provides a way out. The context does not support such an interpretation. The other test, the one which is the subject of this passage, concerns the temptation of using ones freedom in Christ to associate with pagan idolatry through eating temple foods, and to do this as if by putting God to the test, under the assumption that he will act graciously in the face of such "adultery". This temptation is the subject of Paul's warning in chapters 8 to 10, a temptation we must "flee from", v14. When it comes to syncretism, we need to be very fearful, for it leads to damnation. There is no way out with this type of test.
      anqrwpinoV adj. "what is common to man" - human. It is likely that the tests Paul has in mind here are those which are humanly bearable, rather than "common", tests that do not involve idolatry (flirting with other deities). cf. NEB.
      oJ dunasqe (dunamai) "what you can bear" - what you are able. Paul here defines God's sovereign hand in Satan's tests. The first point he makes is that God does not let us be tested beyond our endurance, although again, this is only so for the tests that are "common to man", which is why we must flee idolatry.
      alla "but" - Paul has set up a contrast between the two phrases, "will not let ....." and "will also provide...."
      poihsei sun tw/ peirasmw/ "when you are tempted, he will also provide" - he will make with the test. The NIV has read the phrase independent of the verb and formed a temporal clause. The natural reading is that along with the test the Lord provides/makes a way of escape. Either way, the meaning is the same. Note, it is "the test" as it is "the way of escape." The definite article should be read.
      thn ekbasin (ekbasiV) "a way" - the way of escape, the way out. Yet, the word also means "end" or "result" and so the sense may be here of the Lord ending the test before it reaches a point beyond our endurance. The evil one does the testing, the Lord keeps him in check, cf. Job. Paul has here defined the second sovereign involvement of God in the tests of a believer's faith.
      dunasqai (dunamai) uJpenegkein (uJpoferw) inf. "so that you can stand under it" - to be able to endure. "So that you are able to continue to bear it." The infinitive "to be able" is read by the NIV as a final (purpose) clause, but it could be epexepegetic (explanatory), and this would make more sense of the sentence. God provides a way out of the test, by enabling us to endure it, rather than he provides a way out of the test "so that" we can endure it, cf. NEB.