1 Corinthians 10:17

For [ο τ ι]. Better, seeing that. It begins a new sentence which is dependent on the following proposition : Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one body. Paul is deducing the mutual communion of believers from the fact of their communion with their common Lord. By each and all receiving a piece of the one loaf, which represents Christ's body, they signify that they are all bound in one spiritual body, united to Christ and therefore to each other. So Rev., in margin. Ignatius says : "Take care to keep one eucharistic feast only; for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup unto unity of His blood;" i e., that all may be one by partaking of His blood (Philadelphia, 4.).

Body. Passing from the literal sense, the Lord's body (ver. 16), to the figurative sense, the body of believers, the Church.

Partake of [ε κ μ ε τ ε χ ο μ ε ν]. Or partake from. That which all eat is taken from [ε κ] the one loaf, and they eat of it mutually, in common, sharing it among them [μ ε τ α]. So Ignatius : "That ye come together ena arton klwntev breaking one loaf" (Ephesians, 20.).