1 Corinthians 10:9 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

Bible Comments

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither let us tempt Christ - I have already supposed, in the note on 1 Corinthians 10:4 (note), that Christ is intended by the spiritual rock that followed them: and that it was he, not the rock, that did follow or accompany the Israelites in the wilderness. This was the angel of God's presence who was with the Church in the wilderness, to whom our fathers would not obey, as St. Stephen says, Acts 7:38, Acts 7:39. Instead of Χριστον, Christ, several MSS. and a few versions have Κυριον, the Lord, and some few Θεον, God. But though some respectable MSS. have the Lord instead of Christ, yet this latter has the greatest proportion of authority on its side. And this affords no mean proof that the person who is called יהוה Yehovah in the Old Testament, is called Christ in the New. By tempting Christ is meant disbelieving the providence and goodness of God; and presuming to prescribe to him how he should send them the necessary supplies, and of what kind they should be, etc.

1 Corinthians 10:9

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.