1 Corinthians 8:10
8 But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?
11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
12 By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?
- KJV
- For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
- WEB
- For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol’s temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
- ASV
- For if a man see thee who hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol`s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
- DARBY
- For if any one see thee, who hast knowledge, sitting at table in an idol-house, shall not his conscience, he being weak, be emboldened to eat the things sacrificed to the idol?
- BLB
- For if anyone should see you, the one having knowledge, reclining in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him being weak be built up to eat the [things] sacrificed to idols?
- ÅB
- For dersom noen ser deg som har kunnskap, sitte til bords i avgudshuset, vil da ikke samvittigheten hos ham som er skrøpelig, få dristighet til å spise avgudsofferet?
- OTB
- For hvis noen ser deg, den som har kunnskap, spise i et avgudstempel, vil ikke hans samvittighet, hvis han er svak, bli oppmuntret til å spise ting ofret til avguder?
- B1930
- For dersom nogen ser dig som har kunnskap, sitte til bords i avgudshuset, vil da ikke samvittigheten hos ham som er skrøpelig, få dristighet til å ete avgudsofferet?
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
1 Corinthians 10:28–29
But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience—
Read in context1 Corinthians 8:4
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.
Read in contextRomans 14:23
But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.
Read in context1 Corinthians 10:20–21
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Read in context1 Corinthians 8:1–2
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
Read in contextRomans 14:14
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
Read in context1 Corinthians 8:7
But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
Read in contextNumbers 25:2
who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods.
Read in context