New Living Translation
Romans 14:3
3Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
Romans 14:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
- New International Version (NIV)The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
Context of Romans 14:3
1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. 5In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
Read all of Romans 14Romans 14:3 word by word
ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Letἐξουθενέωexoutheneō · to rejectG1848
- notμήmē · notG3361
- him that eatethὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- him that eatethἐσθίωesthiō · to eatG2068
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- letκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hath receivedπροσλαμβάνωproslambanō · to takeG4355
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
Cross-references for Romans 14:3
- Romans 14:10So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
- Zechariah 4:10Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)
- Matthew 18:10“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
- Luke 18:9Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
- 1 Corinthians 8:11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.
- Romans 14:13So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
- Matthew 7:1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.
- Matthew 9:14One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”
- Matthew 11:18For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
- 1 Corinthians 10:29It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?
- Colossians 2:16So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.
- Acts 10:34Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.
- Acts 15:8God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.
Commentaries on Romans 14:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Let not him that eateth - The Gentile, who eats flesh, despise him, the Jew, who eateth not flesh, but herbs. And let not him, the Jew, that eateth not indiscriminately, judge - condemn him, the Gentile, that eateth indiscriminately flesh or vegetables. For God hath received him - Both being sincere and upright, and acting in the fear of God, are received as heirs of eternal life, without any difference on account of these religious scruples or prejudices.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Let not him that eateth - That is, he who has no scruples about eating “meat,” etc., who is not restrained by the Law of the Jews respecting the Clean and unclean, or by the fact that meat “may” have been offered to idols. Despise him - Hold him in contempt, as being unnecessarily scrupulous, etc. The word “despise” here is happily chosen. The Gentile would be very likely to “despise” the Jew as being restrained by foolish scruples and mere distinctions…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4belittle … judge: The “strong,” who took pride in their freedom in Christ, looked down on those they considered to be weak. The weak, in turn, believed they were following the true path of faith. Because of this, they judged the strong for being too careless in their behavior. Similar attitudes have appeared many times throughout the history of the Christian church. Christians have often argued over different practices and judged one another in the same…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Let not him that eateth despise--look down superciliously upon "him that eateth not." and let not him that eateth not judge--sit in judgment censoriously upon "him that eateth." for God hath received him--as one of His dear children, who in this matter acts not from laxity, but religious principle.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 14:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 14
- 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
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- 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