1 Corinthians 8:9

1 Corinthians 8:9

7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, ^awith consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is ^bdefiled.

8 But ^afood does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

9 But ^abeware lest somehow this liberty of yours become ^ba stumbling block to those who are weak.

10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not ^athe conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

11 And ^abecause of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12 But ^awhen you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

13 Therefore, ^aif food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Take heed (blepete). A warning to the enlightened.

Lest by any means (mh pwv). Common construction after verbs of caution or fearing, mh pwv with aorist subjunctive genhtai.

This liberty of yours (h ecousia umwn auth). Ecousia, from ecestin, means a grant, allowance, authority, power, privilege, right, liberty. It shades off easily. It becomes a battle cry, personal liberty does, to those who wish to indulge their own whims and appetites regardless of the effect upon others.

A stumbling-block to the weak (proskomma toiv asqenesin). Late word from proskoptw, to cut against, to stumble against. So an obstacle for the foot to strike. In Romans 14:13 Paul uses skandalon as parallel with proskomma. We do not live alone. This principle applies to all social relations in matters of law, of health, of morals. Noblesse oblige. The enlightened must consider the welfare of the unenlightened, else he does not have love.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Corinthians 8:9:**

Romans 14:1
1 Corinthians 8:13

<< 1 Corinthians 8:8

1 Corinthians 8:10 >>

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