1 Corinthians 8:10

1 Corinthians 8:10 in other versions

• King James Version (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;
• New International Version (NIV)For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

Context of 1 Corinthians 8:10

8Now food will not commend us to God nor bring us close to Him; we are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better if we do eat. 9Only be careful that this liberty of yours [this power to choose] does not somehow become a stumbling block [that is, a temptation to sin] to the weak [in conscience]. For if someone sees you, a person having knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, then if he is weak, will he not be encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols [and violate his own convictions]? 11For through your knowledge (spiritual maturity) this weak man is ruined [that is, he suffers in his spiritual life], the brother for whom Christ died. 12And when you sin against the brothers and sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience [by confusing them], you sin against Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:10 word by word

ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σὲ τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• any manτιςtis · oneG5100
• seeὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• theeσύsu · youG4771
• which hastὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• which hastἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• knowledgeγνῶσιςgnōsis · knowledgeG1108
• sit at meatκατάκειμαιkatakeimai · to reclineG2621
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the idol’s templeεἰδωλεῖονeidōleion · idol's templeG1493
• shallοἰκοδομέωoikodomeō · to buildG3618
• notοὐχίouchi · not!G3780
• the conscienceσυνείδησιςsuneidēsis · conscienceG4893
• of himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• which isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• weakἀσθενήςasthenēs · weakG772
• to eatἐσθίωesthiō · to eatG2068
• ·εἰςeis · towardG1519
• those things which are offered to idolsεἰδωλόθυτοςeidōlothuton · sacrificed to idolsG1494

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 8:10

• 1 Corinthians 8:1Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].
• 1 Corinthians 10:20On the contrary, the things which the Gentiles (pagans) sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons [in effect], and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons [by eating at feasts in pagan temples].
• Numbers 25:2For they invited the Israelites to the sacrifices of their gods, and the Israelites ate [food offered to idols] and bowed down to Moab’s gods.
• Judges 9:27They went out into the field, gathered the grapes of their vineyard and trod them, and held a festival; and they entered the house of their god, and they ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
• Amos 2:8They stretch out beside every [pagan] altar on clothes taken in pledge [to secure a loan, disregarding God’s command], And in the house of their God [in contempt of Him] they frivolously drink the wine [which has been] taken from those who have been fined.
• 1 Corinthians 10:28But if anyone says to you, “This meat has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’s sake—
• Romans 14:14I know and am convinced [as one] in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean [ritually defiled, and unholy] in itself; but [nonetheless] it is unclean to anyone who thinks it is unclean.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 8:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10If any man see thee which hast knowledge - Of the true God, and who art reputed for thy skill in Divine things. Sit at meat in the idol's temple - Is it not strange that any professing the knowledge of the true God should even enter one of those temples? And is it not more surprising that any Christian should be found to feast there? But by all this we may see that the boasted knowledge of the Corinthians had very little depth in things purely spiritual…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10For if any man - Any Christian brother who is ignorant, or anyone who might otherwise become a Christian. Which hast knowledge - Who are fully informed in regard to the real nature of idol worship. You will be looked up to as an example. You will be presumed to be partaking of this feast in honor of the idol. You will thus encourage him, and he will partake of it with a conscientious regard to the idol. Sit at meat - Sitting down to an entertainment in…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 Eating one kind of food, and abstaining from another, have nothing in them to recommend a person to God. But the apostle cautions against putting a stumbling-block in the way of the weak; lest they be made bold to eat what was offered to the idol, not as common food, but as a sacrifice, and thereby be guilty of idolatry. He who has the Spirit of Christ in him, will love those whom Christ loved so as to die for them. Injuries done to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-10Believers should ensure their actions, like eating sacrificial meat, do not cause others to struggle (compare Romans 14:13, 20–21; Galatians 5:13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. if any man--being weak. which hast knowledge--The very knowledge which thou pridest thyself on (1Co 8:1), will lead the weak after thy example to do that against his conscience, which thou doest without any scruple of conscience; namely, to eat meats offered to idols. conscience of him which is weak--rather, "His conscience, seeing he is weak" [Alford and others]. emboldened--literally, "built up." You ought to have built up your brother in good: but…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 8:10

• Commandments
• Conscience
• Evil
• Example
• Expediency
• Fraternity
• Idolatry
• Prudence
• Self-Denial
• Stumbling
• Temptation

In the dictionaries

• Charity
• Commend
• Offend
• Perish
• Touching
• Builder
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Drunkenness
• Food
• Gnosticism

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings