1 COR 8:1 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:1–13: Paul answered questions about eating meat that had been offered to idols

In this section Paul wrote about something else the Corinthians had asked him in their earlier letter. They had asked him whether it was acceptable for them to eat the meat of an animal that had been sacrificed to an idol. The primary context for eating such meat was at an idol’s temple. Sometimes an animal would be offered to a false god in connection with a celebration such as a birthday or wedding to seek the god’s blessing and presence at the celebration. The animal would be butchered by a priest and a portion of the meat would be burned on an altar as an offering to the false god. Some of the remaining meat would be returned to the person who offered it and could be eaten together with family or other invited guests at a private banquet room at the temple. (Some of the remaining meat might be sent to the meat market to be sold, a situation that Paul addresses in 10:25–26.)

There were two opinions in the Corinthian church about whether this meat could be eaten by a believer in Christ. Some of the Corinthian believers, including those who wrote the letter, understood that idols were only things that people have made or imagined. They were hoping Paul would agree with them that it was acceptable to eat this meat. However, some other believers thought that it was wrong to enter a temple and eat such meat. They still believed the false gods were real and believed that eating meat offered to them in sacrifice was an act of worship or fellowship with these gods.

Paul agreed in this chapter that the idols worshiped at these temples were not real gods. But he did not give permission to eat this meat at their temple. Doing so might influence other believers to also eat the meat, even though they believed it was wrong. Paul asked the Corinthians believers to act in love toward these brothers rather than selfishly demanding the right to eat this meat.

In chapter 10, Paul will continue to answer the question about eating meat sacrificed to idols. He says that a believer can have no part in the worship of idols and also that demons are active in the sacrifices to idols. He also addresses the separate situations of buying and eating meat sold in the meat market and what to do when someone invites you to eat meat in their home. Before this, in chapter 9, he uses himself as an illustration of the principle he set down at the end of chapter 8 of giving up your rights in love. He had the right to be paid for his work as an apostle, but he gave up his right so that the good news of Jesus would be better accepted.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

Paul gave instructions about eating meat of/from animals that had been sacrificed to false gods

Believers should not eat anything that causes other believers to sin

Paragraph 8:1–3

Paul introduced his new topic of eating the meat of animals that had been offered to idols. He talked about the difference between doing things because we know something and doing things because we love other people.

8:1a

Now about food sacrificed to idols:

¶ Now I say this concerning meat of/from animals that have been sacrificed to idols/gods.
¶ You^(plur) also asked if it is right to eat meat that people have offered to false gods. So now I will talk/write to you about that.

Now about: The Greek words that the BSB translates as Now about here introduce the next topic Paul wanted to discuss: whether or not to eat the meat of animals that had been sacrificed to idols. This was probably something the Corinthians had written about in their earlier letter to Paul. Some English versions make this explicit. For example:

Now, concerning what you wrote about… (GNT)

In your letter you asked me about food offered to idols. (CEV)

food sacrificed to idols: The Greek word that the BSB translates as food sacrificed to idols is formed from two root words, “idol” plus “to sacrifice.” Most versions are like the BSB and translate this as “food sacrificed/offered to idols.” A few versions translate this as “meat sacrificed to idols” since this offering was always meat.The Greek root θύω that is compounded in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος ‘food sacrificed to idols’ means “to kill” or “to slaughter ceremonially in offering a sacrifice.” This implies that the word always refers to meat because wine or grain offerings are not “killed.”

In this chapter Paul was talking about feasts that were eaten in a temple for an idol. When people brought an animal to a temple to be offered to an idol, the priests would kill the animal and burn parts of it on the altar there for the false god that the idol represented. The priests kept some parts of the meat for themselves and gave the rest of it to the person who brought the animal. That person could then use that meat to have a feast in the temple for himself and any invited guests.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

meat that people have sacrificed to idols

food which has been dedicated to false gods (NJB)

meat that has been grilled/burned at shrines/temples

idols: Jewish people and Christians used the word idols to describe objects or statues that represent a god. People used these idols when they worshiped the gods. Often the idols were made of wood or stone. Depending on the context, the word “idol” can refer to the statue, to the god of the stature, or to both. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

image/object/statue that is worshiped

gods

false gods

fetishes

8:1b

We know that we all have knowledge.

It is true, as you^(plur) say, we^(incl) all know many things about God.
I agree with you that we believers all know things about God.

We know: Paul was talking here about something that the Corinthians had said in their letter to him. He agreed with what they said. So when Paul said “we,” he meant himself and the Corinthian believers. This is an inclusive pronoun.

we all have knowledge: These words are probably a quotation from the Corinthians’ letter to Paul. Some English versions make this clear by using quotation marks. For example:

“all of us possess knowledge” (RSV)

Quotation marks alone will not make this clear to someone who is simply listening to this text. So you may wish to follow the REB and supply this information:

‘We all have knowledge,’ as you say. (REB)

knowledge: The Greek word that the BSB translates as knowledge here refers to the knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives to all believers concerning God and his ways. Refer to your translation of knowledge in 1:5. Paul and the Corinthians all had this knowledge, so the pronoun “we” is inclusive.

In some languages it may be natural to translate the abstract noun knowledge as a verb. It may also be necessary to supply the content of their knowledge. For example:

we all know about God

8:1c

Knowledge puffs up,

Knowledge makes us^(incl) arrogant,
Knowing things about God can make people feel big,
When you^(plur) know something, that makes you feel important.

Knowledge puffs up: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as puffs up originally meant “to blow air into something to make it bigger.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the word to simply mean “to cause a person to be arrogant.” Knowing things can make people feel arrogant. Some of the believers in Corinth had wrongly become proud about what they knew about God and how to follow Christ. Some other ways to translate this are:

Knowledge makes people arrogant (GW)

knowledge makes us proud of ourselves (CEV)

knowledge makes us feel important (NLT)

In some languages it may be natural to translate the abstract noun Knowledge as a verb:

When you know something, that makes you proud/arrogant.

If you think you know something, then you boast.

8:1d

but love builds up.

but love encourages God’s people.
but loving other people makes the church strong in faith.
But when you^(plur) care about other believers, you cause them to be better.

love builds up: The Greek word that the BSB translates as builds up means to encourage someone and make them strong in their faith. In Greek, there is no explicit object to the verb. It is not clear who is built up by love. If you need to supply an object, try to translate this in a general way indicating that love builds up everyone involved. For example:

it is love that strengthens the church (NLT)

love encourages people

the nature of love is that it serves/helps other people to grow in their faith

love: In this context, the word love means the devotion shown toward another person that causes someone to seek what is good for that person. It does not refer to romantic love between a man and a woman or husband and wife. In some languages it may be natural to translate the abstract noun love as a verb. For example:

When you love someone, you make them strong.

If people devote themselves to others, that helps/encourages them.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

περὶ δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: περί Δέ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν Ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ ἡ δέ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ)

Just as in [7:1](../07/01.md), Now about introduces a new topic that Paul wishes to address. Likely, the topics that he introduces in this way are what the Corinthians wrote to him about. Translate Now about here as you translated “now concerning” in [7:1](../07/01.md), [7:25](../07/25.md). Alternate translation: [Next, about]

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων

the idol_sacrificed_‹things›

Here Paul speaks about animals that are slaughtered, offered to a god, and then eaten. For many people in Paul’s culture, this was the only meat that was available for them to eat. In many cases, people would eat this meat at a god’s temple or shrine. However, sometimes the meat could be sold to people, who would then eat it in their homes. In the next few chapters, Paul will speak about whether and how Christians should eat or not eat this meat. If your language has a specific word or phrase for meat from an animal that has been offered to a god, you could use it here. If your language does not have such a word, you can use a descriptive phrase. Alternate translation: [meat from animals sacrificed to idols]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων

the idol_sacrificed_‹things›

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive form here to focus on what is sacrificed rather than focusing on the person doing the “sacrificing.” If you must state who does the action, you can use a vague or indefinite subject. Alternate translation: [the things that people have sacrificed to idols]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν

˱we˲_˓have˒_known that all knowledge ˱we˲_˓are˒_having

Here Paul could be: (1) expressing his own view about knowledge. Alternate translation: [We know that we all indeed have knowledge] (2) quoting what the Corinthians said in their letter so that he can respond to it, much like he did in [6:12–13](../06/12.md); [7:1](../07/01.md). Alternate translation: [you wrote, “We know that we all have knowledge.”]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν

all knowledge ˱we˲_˓are˒_having

Here Paul does not specify what the knowledge is about. It becomes clear in [8:4–6](../08/04.md) that Paul is speaking about knowledge about other gods, specifically knowing that there is only one God and that other gods do not really exist. If possible, do not give further explanation of knowledge here, since Paul explains later in the chapter. If you must specify what the knowledge is about, you could clarify that it is about the idols or the topic of things sacrificed to idols. Alternate translation: [we all have knowledge about idols] or [we all have knowledge about this issue]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν & ἡ γνῶσις

all knowledge ˱we˲_˓are˒_having & ¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: περί Δέ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν Ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ ἡ δέ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind knowledge, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “know.” Alternate translation: [we all know things. Knowing things]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη

¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: περί Δέ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν Ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ ἡ δέ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind love, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “love.” Alternate translation: [but loving other believers] or [but a loving action]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ

love ˓is˒_building

Paul here speaks as if believers were a building that one builds up. With this metaphor, he emphasizes that love helps other believers become stronger and more mature, just like building a house makes it strong and complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this figure of speech plainly or with a comparable metaphor. Alternate translation: [love enables other believers to grow] or [love edifies]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear 1 COR 8:1

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 8:1–13: Paul answered questions about eating meat that had been offered to idols

Paragraph 8:1–3

8:1a

8:1b

8:1c

8:1d

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 COR 8:1

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 8:1–13: Paul answered questions about eating meat that had been offered to idols

Paragraph 8:1–3

8:1a

8:1b

8:1c

8:1d

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 COR 8:1