Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience, for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.” But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, with all its fullness.” Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other’s conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for something I give thanks for? Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God; even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
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1 Corinthians 10:25-33 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are profitable. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own, but each one his neighbor’s good. Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience, for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.” But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, with all its fullness.” Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other’s conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for something I give thanks for? Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God; even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
Parallel Translations
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Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,
for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.”
But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience.
But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, with all its fullness.”
Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other’s conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience?
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for something I give thanks for?
Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;
even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
-
What soever is solde in the market that eate and axe no questions for conscience sake.
For the erth is the lordis and all that therein is.
Yf eny of them which beleve not bid you to a feest and yf ye be disposed to goo what soever is seet before you: eate axinge no question for conscience sake.
But and yf eny man saye vnto you: this is dedicate vnto ydols eate not of it for his sake that shewed it and for hurtynge of conscience. The erth is the lordes and all that there in is.
Conscience I saye not thyne: but the conscience of that other. For why shuld my liberte be iudged of another manes conscience:
For yf I take my parte with thakes: why am I evell spoken of for that thynge wherfore I geve thankes.
Whether therfore ye eate or dryncke or what soever ye do do all to the prayse of God.
Se that ye geve occasion of evell nether to the Iewes nor yet to the gentyls nether to the congregacion of god:
euen as I please all men in all thinges not sekynge myne awne proffet but the proffet of many that they myght be saved.
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Whatsoeuer is solde in the shambles, eate ye, and aske no question for conscience sake.
For the earth is the Lords, and all that therein is.
If any of them which beleeue not, call you to a feast, and if ye wil go, whatsoeuer is set before you, eate, asking no question for conscience sake.
But if any man say vnto you, This is sacrificed vnto idoles, eate it not, because of him that shewed it, and for the conscience (for the earth is the Lords, and all that therein is)
And the conscience, I say, not thine, but of that other: for why should my libertie be condemned of another mans conscience?
For if I through Gods benefite be partaker, why am I euill spoken of, for that wherefore I giue thankes?
Whether therefore ye eate, or drinke, or whatsoeuer ye doe, doe all to the glory of God.
Giue none offence, neither to the Iewes, nor to the Grecians, nor to the Church of God:
Euen as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine owne profite, but the profite of many, that they might be saued.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (68)
- Colossians 3:17 (v31) Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.
- Colossians 3:23 (v31) And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,
- 1 Peter 4:11 (v31) If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in…
- Deuteronomy 12:7 (v31) There you shall eat before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which…
- Deuteronomy 12:18 (v31) but you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose: you, your son, your daughter, your male…
Show all 65 cross-references
- Zechariah 7:5-6 (v31) “Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for…
- Psalms 24:1 (vv26, 28) The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
- Deuteronomy 12:12 (v31) You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levite who…
- Luke 11:41 (v31) But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
- Nehemiah 8:16-18 (v31) So the people went out, and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters, everyone on the roof of his house, in their courts, in…
- Acts 20:28 (v32) Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of the…
- 1 Corinthians 7:34 (v31) There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both…
- Galatians 1:10 (v33) For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant…
- 1 Corinthians 10:24 (v33) Let no one seek his own, but each one his neighbor’s good.
- 1 Corinthians 10:25 (v27) Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,
- 1 Corinthians 10:33 (v32) even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
- Romans 14:6 (v30) He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats,…
- Romans 14:13 (v32) Therefore let’s not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an…
- 1 Corinthians 8:10-13 (v28) 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…
- Exodus 19:5 (v26) Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all…
- Luke 10:7-8 (v27) Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house.…
- 1 Corinthians 9:19 (v29) For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (v33) For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I…
- 1 Timothy 4:4 (v25) For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.
- Deuteronomy 10:14 (vv26, 28) Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven, the heaven of heavens, and the earth, with all that is therein.
- 1 Corinthians 8:7 (vv25, 28) However, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of the idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and…
- Psalms 50:12 (v26) If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
- Acts 24:16 (v32) In this I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men.
- Romans 14:15-21 (v29) Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don’t destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Then…
- 1 Corinthians 8:13 (v32) Therefore if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble.
- 2 Corinthians 6:3 (v32) We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed,
- Romans 14:15 (v28) Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don’t destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
- Titus 1:15 (v25) To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience…
- Job 41:11 (v26) Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine.
- Romans 14:14 (v25) I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to…
- Romans 15:2-3 (v33) Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up. For even Christ didn’t please himself. But, as it is…
- 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (v27) I wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners; yet not at all meaning with the sexual sinners of this world, or with…
- 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 (v29) But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. For if a man sees you who have knowledge…
- 1 Corinthians 10:26 (v28) for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:22 (v32) What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What…
- 1 Timothy 3:15 (v32) but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the…
- Psalms 115:16 (v28) The heavens are Yahweh’s heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men.
- Jeremiah 27:5-6 (v28) ‘I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give…
- Matthew 6:31-32 (v28) “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek…
- Luke 5:29-30 (v27) Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. Their…
- Luke 15:23 (v27) Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s eat, and celebrate;
- Luke 19:7 (v27) When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”
- Acts 10:15 (v25) A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”
- Romans 13:5 (v25) Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
- 1 Corinthians 10:27-29 (v25) But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no…
- 1 Corinthians 10:32 (v29) Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;
- 2 Corinthians 1:13 (v27) For we write no other things to you than what you read or even acknowledge, and I hope you will acknowledge to the end,
- 2 Corinthians 4:2 (v27) But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the…
- 2 Corinthians 5:11 (v27) Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God, and I hope that we are revealed also in your…
- 2 Corinthians 8:21 (v29) Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (v29) Abstain from every form of evil.
- 1 Timothy 3:5 (v32) (but how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule one’s own house take care of God’s assembly?)
- Exodus 9:29 (v28) Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh. The thunders shall cease, and there will…
- Romans 11:14 (v33) if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them.
- 2 Corinthians 12:19 (v33) Again, do you think that we are excusing ourselves to you? In the sight of God we speak in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your…
- Philippians 1:10 (v32) so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ,
- 1 Timothy 4:3-4 (v30) forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know…
- 1 Timothy 6:17 (v26) Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the…
- 1 Corinthians 10:28 (v26) But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.…
- 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 (v33) Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies. Who is weak, and I am not…
65 distinct cross-references across this passage (68 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (23 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles He has…
25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles He has spoken above of dissembling in connection with idolatry, or, at least, as to those actions which the Corinthians could not engage in, without professing themselves to be the associates of the wicked in their superstitions. He now requires them, not merely to abstain from all professions of idolatry, but also to avoid carefully all occasions of offense, which are wont to arise from the indiscriminate use of things indifferent. For, although there was but one kind of offense on the part of the Corinthians, there were, at the same time different degrees of it. Now, as to the eating of food, he makes, in the first place, this general statement — that it is lawful to eat, with a safe conscience, any kind of food, because the Lord permits it. In the second place, he restricts this liberty as to the use of it — lest weak consciences should be injured. Thus this conclusion is divided into two parts the first relates to liberty and power as to things indifferent: the second to a limitation of it — that the use of it may be regulated in accordance with the rule of love.
Debating nothing ᾿Ανακρίνεσθαι, the word that Paul makes use of, means to reason on both sides, in such a way, that the person’s mind vacillates, inclining now to this side, and then to that. Accordingly, in so far as concerns a distinction of meats, he frees our consciences from all scruple and hesitation; because it is proper that, when we are certain from the word of the Lord that he approves of what we do, we should have ease and tranquillity in our minds.
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For conscience sake — that is to say, Before the judgment-seat of God — “In so far as you have to do with God, there is no occasion for your disputing with yourself, whether it be lawful or not. For I allow you to eat freely of all kinds of meat, because the Lord allows you everything without exception.”
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 29, 30, 31 The flesh that was sacrificed, was used to be…
The flesh that was sacrificed, was used to be sold in the shambles, and the price returned to the priests.
An applying of the rule to the present matter: Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, you may indifferently buy it as it were at the Lord’s hand, and eat it either at home with the faithful, or being called home to the unfaithful, to wit, in a private banquet: but yet with this exception, unless any man is present which is weak, whose conscience may be offended, by setting meats offered to idols before them: for then you ought to have consideration of their weakness.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv25–33 25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat,…
25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
Ver. 25. Whatsoever is sold, &c.] A portion of the consecrated flesh was usually sold by the priests, who make their markets of it, as Augustine upon the Romans testifieth.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv25–33 It is possible that butchers, before they brought their…
It is possible that butchers, before they brought their meat into the market, might offer some part of it to the idol; or it is possible that the priests, who had a share in the beasts offered to idols, or the people that had offered such beasts, who, also had a share returned them, might out of covetousness come and bring’ it to be sold in the market. The apostle directeth the Corinthians in such cases to make no scruple, but eat of it, if it were commonly sold in the shambles; which argued, that the thing in itself, considered nakedly, was not sinful. But yet he would have them in that case ask no questions, whence it came? Or whether it had not been offered to an idol? For the sake of other men’s consciences, lest some others standing by should take notice that they bought and ate such meat. Or their own consciences, lest, though the thing in itself, so separated from a sacred use, and returned to its common use, might be lawfully eaten, yet their consciences should afterwards reflect upon them for the doing of it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33 Here the apostle resolves the case, whether it were…
Here the apostle resolves the case, whether it were lawful to buy that meat in the market which had been offered to an idol in the temple.
He determines, 1. That it was; if it be sold in the shambles, it is to be looked upon as common food, and they may freely buy it without any scruple of conscience.
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But how came meat to be sold in the shambles, which was offered and sacrificed in the temples of the Gentiles?
Answer, It is probable that the priests, who had a share in the beasts that were offered unto idols, or the people, who had also a share returned them out of their own offerings, did bring such meat to be sold in the market: in this case, says the apostle, ask no questions about it.
Observe, 2. He assigns the reason for it: because the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. That is, those things that are sold for food in the market, are to be looked upon as the creatures of God, made for, and sanctified to, the use of man; and therefore you may eat of any creature which the Lord provideth for your food, without scruple of conscience, when others are not scandalized at it. 1Ti 4:4. Every creature of God is good, if received with thanksgiving.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv25–32 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles,.... the word rendered…
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles,.... the word rendered "shambles", here used, is a Latin word, and is made use of by Latin writers in the same sense as here, for a place where food was sold (i). The original of the name is said (k) to be this; one Macellus, a very wicked and profane man, being for his robberies and filthy life condemned to die, a place was built in his house by Aemylius and Fulvius, censors, for selling of provisions, and which from his name was called "Macellum". The Syriac version retains the word here, and so do the Talmudists, and Rabbins (l) frequently; who say (m),
"Nylwqm, the "shambles", and the butchers of Israel, though flesh of them is found in the hand of a stranger, it is free:''
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into these places the priests sent to be sold what was offered to their idols, which they could not dispense with themselves, or thought not lawful to make use of; for the Egyptians, as Herodotus says (n), used to cut off the heads of their beasts that were sacrificed, and carry them into the market and sell them to the Greeks, and if there were no buyers they cast them into the river. Now the apostle allows, that such meat that was sold in the shambles might be bought and eat of, but not in an idol's temple; there was a difference between an idol's temple, and eating things sacrificed to idols there, and buying them in shambles or meat market, and eating them at home:
that eat; buy, carry home, dress and eat, in your own houses:
asking no question; whether it was sacrificed to idols, or not:
for conscience sake; either a man's own, which may be hurt, wounded, and defiled, by eating contrary to it, should he know that what he eats had been offered to an idol; whereas if he asks no questions, and knows nothing of the matter, his conscience will not be afflicted: or else another man's that may stand by whilst the meat is bought, and sold; and who hearing questions asked and answered, and yet observes the meat, though sacrificed to idols, dressed and ate by the buyer, his conscience being weak, may be offended and grieved.
(i) Vid. Suet. Vita Jul. Caesar, c. 43. & Tiber. Nero, c. 34. (k) Alex. ab Alex Genial Diet. l. 3. c. 23. (l) T. Hieros. Chagiga, fol. 76. 2. T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 29. 2. Bereshit Rabba, fol. 75. 3. (m) T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 95. 1. (n) L. 2. c. 39.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 The apostle now applies this principle to the point…
The apostle now applies this principle to the point in question. Asking no questions - Whether it has been sacrificed or not.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv25–33 Verse 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that…
Verse 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat] The case to which the apostle refers is simply this; it was customary to bring the flesh of the animal to market, the blood of which had been poured out in sacrifice to an idol; or, taken more particularly, the case was this; one part of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar of the idol: a second part was dressed and eaten by the sacrificer; and a third belonged to the priest, and was often sold in the shambles. To partake of the second share, or to feast upon the sacrifice, St. Paul absolutely forbids, because this was one part of the religious worship which was paid to the idol; it was sitting down as guests at his table, in token that they were in fellowship with him. This was utterly incompatible with receiving the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was the communion of the body and blood of Christ. But as to the third share, the apostle leaves them at liberty either to eat of it or forbear; except that, by eating, their weak brethren should be offended; in that case, though the thing was lawful, it was their duty to abstain. See the notes on 1Co 8:1, c. Hindoos eagerly embrace whatever has been offered to an idol: hence it is common to see the flowers that have been thus offered placed in the hair of a Hindoo. Water that has been thus made sacred is preserved in Hindoo houses, and with it they rub their bodies, and occasionally sip a drop, regarding it as the water of life.-See Ward.
Asking no questions for consciences sake] Dr. Lightfoot observes, that "the Jews were vexed with innumerable scruples in their feasts, as to the eating of the thing, as well as to the company with which they ate and even the manner of their eating. Of fruits and herbs brought to the table, they were to inquire whether they were tithed according to custom; whether they were consecrated by the Truma, or whether they were profane; whether they were clean, or touched with some pollution, c. And concerning flesh set on the table, they were to inquire whether it was of that which had been offered to idols whether it were the flesh of an animal that had been torn by wild beasts; or of that which had been strangled, or not killed according to the canons; &c., &c. All which doubts the liberty of the Gospel abolished as to one's own conscience, with this proviso, that no scandal or offence be cast before another man's weak or scrupulous conscience."
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From this it is evident that the apostle had the case of the Jewish converts in view, and not the Gentiles. The latter were not troubled with such extraordinary scrupulousness.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv25, 27, 31 1Co 10:25-26. The apostle now applies this principle to…
1Co 10:25-26. The apostle now applies this principle to the point in question; and on the ground of it, gives the following rules concerning meats. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles — Though it were offered to idols before, yet being now set openly to sale, the idol is no more honoured therewith, and it is common meat; that you may buy, and eat it in private, either in a friend’s house or your own, asking no question — Whether it has been offered in sacrifice to an idol or not; for conscience’ sake — With a view to satisfy your conscience respecting the lawfulness of eating it. Or the expression, for conscience’ sake, may mean, lest any needless scruple should arise, either in your own or your brother’s conscience, so that you could not eat of it freely, without doubting in yourself, or giving offence to your brother. For the earth is the Lord’s, as the psalmist has expressed it, Psa 24:1, and the fulness thereof — All creatures therein, which were made for man’s use, and are given us freely to enjoy in Christ, 1Ti 4:4; 1Ti 6:17. And no demon hath any power or dominion over them. “By this argument the apostle showed the Corinthians that their knowledge and faith, as Christians, ought to prevent them from asking any questions concerning their food, which might lead the heathen to think that they acknowledged the power of their deities, either to give or to withhold any part of the fulness of the earth from the worshippers of the true God.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv25–33 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles - In the…
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles - In the market. The meat of animals offered in sacrifice would be exposed there to sale as well as other meat. The apostle says that it might be purchased, since the mere fact that it had been offered in sacrifice could not change its quality, or render it unfit for use. They were to abstain from attending on the feasts of the idols in the temple, from partaking of meat that had been offered them, and from celebrations observed expressly in honor of idols; but lest they should become too scrupulous, the apostle tells them that if the meat was offered indiscriminately in the market with other meat, they were not to hesitate to purchase it, or eat it.
Asking no question for conscience’ sake - Not hesitating or doubting, as if it might possibly have been offered in sacrifice. Not being scrupulous, as if it were possible that the conscience should be defiled. This is a good rule still, and may be applied to a great many things. But:
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(1) That which is purchased should be in itself lawful and right. It would not be proper for a man to use ardent spirits or any other intoxicating drinks because they were offered for sale, any more than it would be to commit suicide because people offered pistols, and bowie-knives, and halters to sell.
(2) There are many things now concerning which similar questions may be asked; as, e. g. is it right to use the productions of slave-labor, the sugar, cotton, etc., that are the price of blood? Is it right to use that which is known to be made on Sunday; or that which it is known a man has made by a life of dishonesty and crime? The consciences of many persons are tender on all such questions; and the questions are not of easy solution. Some rules may perhaps be suggested arising from the case before us:
If the article is exposed indiscriminately with others in the market, if it be in itself lawfill, if there is no ready mark of distinction, then the apostle would direct as not to hesitate. If the use and purchase of the article would go directly and knowingly to countenance the existence of slavery, to encourage a breach of Sunday, or to the continuance of a course of dishonest living, then it would seem equally clear that it is not right to purchase or to use it. If a man abhors slavery, and violations of Sunday, and dishonesty, then how can he knowingly partake of that which goes to patronize and extend these abominations? If the article is expressly pointed out to him as an article that has been made in this manner, and his partaking of it will be construed into a participation of the crime, then he ought to abstain; see 1Co 10:28. No man is at liberty to patronize slavery, Sunday violations, dishonesty, or licentiousness, in any form. Every man can live without doing it; and where it can be done it should be done. And perhaps there will be no other way of breaking up many of the crimes and cruelties of the earth than for good people to act conscientiously, and to refuse to partake of the avails of sin, and of gain that results from oppression and fraud.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 Eat of any thing, &c. Here at length St.…
Eat of any thing, &c. Here at length St. Paul prescribes them a rule by which they were to govern themselves, as to meats that they met with. Buy and eat any thing sold in the market, or of any thing that you meet with at the table of infidels, when they invite you, for all are the Lord’s creatures, and may be taken with thanksgiving, as we ought to take whatsoever we eat. --- But if any man say, this hath been sacrificed to idols, do not eat of it for his sake, &c. And why must they not then eat of it? because either he is an infidel that says it: and then by saying so, he may mean that they who eat it, ought to eat it in honour of their gods. Or if a weak brother says so, he thereby signifies, that his conscience judges it not lawful to be eaten; so that in one case, you seem to consent that things are to be taken in honour of idols: in the other, you give offence to your weak brother: and I would have you to be without offence, both to Jews and Gentiles; and not to think it enough that you can eat such things with thanksgiving. It may be asked here why the apostle should not absolutely for bid them ever any thing offered to idols, as this seems a thing absolutely forbidden in the council of Jerusalem? (Acts xv. 23.) To this some answer, that the apostle here expounds the true sense of that decree, which was only to be understood, when eating such meats gave scandal. Others say, the prohibition was only for a short time, and now was out of date. Others take notice, that the prohibition was not general, nor for all places, but only for the new converted Gentiles that were at Antioch, or in Syria and Cilicia, as specified in the decree. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv25–33 shambles--butchers' stalls; the flesh market.
shambles--butchers' stalls; the flesh market.
asking no question--whether it has been offered to an idol or not.
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for conscience' sake--If on asking you should hear it had been offered to idols, a scruple would arise in your conscience which was needless, and never would have arisen had you asked no questions.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv25–33 25. Whatsoever is sold—The meats of idol sacrifices were…
25. Whatsoever is sold—The meats of idol sacrifices were often exposed to sale in the shambles, especially by the priests, when they had on hand a surplus above their own consumption. To the Christian this was intrinsically as lawful as any other meat.
Shambles—Not markets, nor buildings; but meat stalls in the market. In view of this lawfulness, therefore, without any questions for conscience’ sake, even if well knowing that a pagan priest had just exposed it for sale, the believer might purchase and eat.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–32 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles] This and…
25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles] This and the two following verses are directed against over-scrupulousness. Some Christians were afraid to buy meat in the public market, lest it might have been offered in sacrifice to an idol. See note on ch. 1Co_8:1.
asking no question for conscience sake] Rather, entering upon no inquiry. This may be interpreted (1) as directing, that no inquiry was to be made, lest the answer should suggest conscientious scruples, or (2) as urging that no conscientious scruples need be felt which should lead to any necessity for making inquiries. The latter is more in accordance with the robust morality of the Apostle, and with the context The conscience need not be sensitive upon such points; it need not suggest entangling difficulties, where in truth there were none. This is better than to suppose with some, that information was to be kept back in order to avoid anxiety on the part of the scrupulous.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–33 (25) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles.—Here is the…
(25) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles.—Here is the practical application of the principle laid down. When a Christian sees meat exposed for sale in the public market let him buy it and eat it; he need not ask any question to satisfy his conscience on the subject. Some of the meat which had been used for sacrificial purposes was afterwards sold in the markets. The weaker Christians feared lest if they unconsciously bought and ate some of that meat they would become thereby defiled. The Apostle’s view is that when once sent into the public market it becomes simply meat, and its previous use gives it no significance. You buy it as meat, and not as part of a sacrifice. Thus the advice here is not at variance with the previous argument in 1Co_10:20-21. The act which is there condemned as a “partaking of the table of devils” is the eating of sacrificial meat at one of the feasts given in the court of the heathen temple, when the meat was avowedly and significantly a portion of the sacrifice. The words “for conscience sake” have been variously interpreted as meaning, (1) Enter into no inquiry, so that your conscience may not be troubled, as it would be if you learned that the meat had been used for sacrifice; or, (2) Ask no question, lest some weak person’s conscience be defiled if they hear that it is sacrificial meat and yet see you eat it. This latter interpretation must be rejected, as the Apostle clearly points out in 1Co_10:28 that he has been here speaking of the person’s own conscience, and only there proceeds to speak of a brother’s conscience.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv25–33 Whatsoever is sold. By this practical rule of common…
Whatsoever is sold. By this practical rule of common sense he protects the weak Christian from being daily worried by over scrupulosity. If a Christian merely bought his meat in the open market, no one could suspect him of meaning thereby to connive at or show favour to idolatry. It would, therefore, be needless for him to entertain fantastic scruples about a matter purely indifferent. The fact of its forming part of an idol offering made no intrinsic difference in the food. Shambles; rather food market. Asking no question for conscience sake. Do not trouble your conscience by scruples arising from needless investigation (ajnakrinwn) about the food.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv25–33 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles. In the…
25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles. In the butcher's stalls. This one might eat without question as to whether it had been part of an idol sacrifice or not.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 33 25. “Eat everything sold in market, asking no questions…
25. “Eat everything sold in market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake.” Certainly we have broad liberties amid the clear light of the Pentecostal dispensation. We need not Judaize on swine nor anything else. Yet we must live hygienically, pursuant to our constant duty to our own body, mind and spirit; and we must live prudently, not only on the questions of eating and drinking, but of all others, for the sake of our neighbors.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv25–33 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no…
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake ;
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v33 (See Scofield "Rom 1:16").
saved
(See Scofield "Rom 1:16").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv25, 31 Rules of conduct:
Rules of conduct:
v. 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat, asking no question for conscience’ sake;
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v. 26. for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.
v. 27. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you eat, asking no question for conscience’ sake.
v. 28. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience’ sake; for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof;
v. 29. conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other; for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?
v. 30. For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
The application of the principles of Christian love to the situation at Corinth was not very difficult. Everything, all the meat that was offered for sale in the meat-market, they might eat. But in doing so, for the sake of their weak brothers, they should not ask questions as to where the meat came from, whether or not it had been sent down from the temple. In this way they would avoid embarrassment in case they, in turn, should be interrogated. This latitude of action Paul substantiates with a passage from Scriptures: For the Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, everything that is found in it, all it contains, Psa 24:1. Christians may therefore use all the gifts of God as found in the world without the slightest hesitation, provided that no hindrance exists such as is referred to here. The apostle intimates, also, that the anxious search for scruples of conscience which some people regard as the essence of Christianity is not founded upon the will of God.
In case a Christian was invited by some unbeliever and thought it best to go, to accept the invitation, the same general rule should be applied. He should eat everything that was served, but again not ask any questions. The chances are that he would be narrowly watched not only by the non-Christian, who would probably use sacrificial meat, but also by any weak Christian that might be present at the same time. But if someone should then remark that sacrificial meat was being served, the Christian should no longer eat of it. Whether the information would be volunteered in a spirit of civility and by the desire to be of service to the Christian’s scruples or in a spirit of mockery, to embarrass him; whatever the occasion or motive, it changes the situation and causes the believer to decline the meat, not for the sake of his own conscience, but for the sake of his weak brother’s. Out of consideration for the scruples of his fellow-Christian the believer will abstain from eating meat under those circumstances. And if the objection is made that the decision concerning what is good and not good must rest with the individual Christian, the apostle would have him remember: For to what end is my liberty judged by another conscience; what advantage will I get out of it if I insist upon eating under these circumstances and then must expect the censure of another man’s scruples who simply cannot see that my course is altogether in accordance with the Word of God? Instead of receiving benefit from his inconsiderate use of his liberty, positive harm may result: If I with thanksgiving partake, why am I blasphemed and condemned on account of that for which I gave thanks? It will be regarded as an act of hypocrisy by the heathen and brothers that have not the right knowledge if a Christian, in such a situation, not only eats, but also offers thanks to God for the food. That is the reason why a Christian, out of deference to the conscience of the weaker brother, and in order to avoid giving offense, will decline to partake of sacrificial meat.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv25, 28, 31 you without asking questions of conscience
you without asking questions of conscience
"you. God wants you to eat the food with a clear conscience"
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translationWords
conscience
earth
believe
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv27, 29, 31 10:27-29 When Christians are invited for a meal with…
10:27-29 When Christians are invited for a meal with an unbeliever, the Christians are free to eat what is set before them unless warned that the meat has been offered to an idol. In that case, the Christian should refrain from eating it out of consideration for the conscience of the other person, who might misinterpret it or be hurt by believing that such eating honors the god to whom the meat has been sacrificed (see 8:7, 9-10; cp. Rom 14:13-15, 20-23).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.