New Living Translation
1 Corinthians 8:10
10For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?
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
8It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. 9But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. 12And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 81 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 regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.
- 1 Corinthians 10:20No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.
- Numbers 25:2These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab.
- Judges 9:27During the annual harvest festival at Shechem, held in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely, and everyone began cursing Abimelech.
- Amos 2:8At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their gods, they drink wine bought with unjust fines.
- 1 Corinthians 10:28(But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.
- Romans 14:14I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
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
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries