1 COR 8:13 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Διόπερ
2. dioper
3. Therefore even
4. Therefore
5. 13550
6. C·······
7. therefore_even
8. therefore_even
9. S
10. Y59
11. 116242
1. εἰ
2. ei
3. if
4. -
5. 14870
6. C·······
7. if
8. if
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116243
1. βρῶμα
2. brōma
3. food
4. -
5. 10330
6. N····NNS
7. food
8. food
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116244
1. σκανδαλίζει
2. skandalizō
3. is stumbling
4. -
5. 46240
6. VIPA3··S
7. ˓is˒ stumbling
8. ˓is˒ stumbling
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116245
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116246
1. ἀδελφόν
2. adelfos
3. brother
4. -
5. 800
6. N····AMS
7. brother
8. brother
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116247
1. μού
2. egō
3. of me
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1G·S
7. ˱of˲ me
8. ˱of˲ me
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116248
1. οὒ
2. ou
3. by no means
4. -
5. 37560
6. D·······
7. by_no_means
8. by_no_means
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116249
1. μή
2. mē
3. not
4. won't
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116250
1. φάγω
2. esthiō
3. I may eat
4. eat
5. 20680
6. VSAA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ eat
8. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ eat
9. -
10. Y59; R114224; Person=Paul
11. 116251
1. κρέα
2. kreas
3. meats
4. -
5. 29070
6. N····ANP
7. meats
8. meats
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116252
1. κρέας
2. kreas
3. -
4. -
5. 29070
6. N····ANS
7. meat
8. meat
9. -
10. -
11. 116253
1. εἰς
2. eis
3. to
4. -
5. 15190
6. P·······
7. to
8. to
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116254
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116255
1. αἰῶνα
2. aiōn
3. age
4. -
5. 1650
6. N····AMS
7. age
8. age
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116256
1. ἵνα
2. hina
3. in order that
4. -
5. 24430
6. C·······
7. in_order_that
8. in_order_that
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116257
1. μή
2. mē
3. not
4. -
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116258
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116259
1. ἀδελφόν
2. adelfos
3. brother
4. -
5. 800
6. N····AMS
7. brother
8. brother
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116260
1. μού
2. egō
3. of me
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1G·S
7. ˱of˲ me
8. ˱of˲ me
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116261
1. σκανδαλίσω
2. skandalizō
3. I may stumble
4. -
5. 46240
6. VSAA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ stumble
8. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ stumble
9. -
10. Y59; R114224; Person=Paul
11. 116262

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 8:7–13

In this paragraph Paul discussed a problem related to the knowledge that an idol is nothing. The problem is that not all believers have this knowledge. When those without this knowledge eat food sacrificed to idols, they think they are participating in rites to real gods. They know this is wrong, but being weak they are easily influenced to do it anyway. So believers who know that idols are nothing should not think only about what they have freedom to do, but rather should think about how what they do may influence other believers toward idolatry. They should not do anything that would cause another believer to do something he thinks is wrong.

8:13

Paul concluded this section by using himself as an example. He said that he would give up his rights and freedoms in order not to hurt other believers. He implied that he wanted the Corinthians to think and act in the same way that he did.

8:13a

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble,

So now, if I might cause/lead another believer to do something wrong by my choice of what to eat,
So if what I choose to eat may harm the faith of a brother or sister in Christ,

Therefore: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Therefore here introduces a conclusion to this part of Paul’s discussion.

if what I eat causes my brother to stumble: Paul assumed that this could be true, though it was probably not true that Paul caused a brother to fall into sin by what he ate. Paul says this to make the point that he would happily give up eating all meat if it might influence someone to do what they believed was wrong.

what I eat: The Greek word that the BSB translates as what I eat is literally “food.” It is the general word for food that was used in 8:8a.

causes…to stumble: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as causes…to stumble means much the same as “become a stumbling block to the weak” in 8:9b. See the note there. In this context, this verb refers to causing someone to do what he thinks is wrong.

8:13b

I will never eat meat again,

then I will never eat any kind of meat anymore.
I personally have decided I will not eat meat again forever.

I will never eat meat again: Paul uses a general word for meat here and not the specific word that means “meat offered to idols.” He probably says this with some hyperbole, that is, Paul expressed this in extreme terms to make a strong point: I will not eat any meat at all ever again.

8:13c

so that I will not cause him to stumble.

I will do that so that I will not cause another believer to sin.
I do not want to lead another believer to sin by doing what he thinks is wrong.

so that I will not cause him to stumble: This is a negative purpose clause. Paul would gladly give up eating meat in order to avoid causing someone else to sin. The Greek verb that the BSB translates as cause…to stumble is the same as in 8:13a where the BSB translates it as “causes…to stumble.” You may be able to translate it here in the same way as you translated it there. Other ways to translate this include:

rather than cause my brother’s downfall (NJB)

for fear I might do him harm (JBP)

for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble (NLT)

him: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as him is literally “my brother,” as in the RSV. Here it refers to a fellow believer. You should translate it in a way that is natural in your language for referring to another believer.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου

food ˓is˒_stumbling (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τόν ἀδελφόν μού οὒ μή φάγω κρέα εἰς τόν αἰῶνα ἵνα μή τόν ἀδελφόν μού σκανδαλίσω)

Here, food is spoken of as though it were a person who could cause someone to stumble. Paul speaks in this way to emphasize that the food is the key issue that leads to “stumbling.” If this might be confusing for your readers, you could clarify that the person who eats the food causes someone to stumble. Alternate translation: [how I eat causes my brother to stumble]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

if food ˓is˒_stumbling (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τόν ἀδελφόν μού οὒ μή φάγω κρέα εἰς τόν αἰῶνα ἵνα μή τόν ἀδελφόν μού σκανδαλίσω)

Here Paul uses the first-person singular in order to use himself as an example for the Corinthians to follow. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express that this is why Paul uses the first person by clarifying that Paul is offering himself as an example. Alternate translation: [if food causes my brother to stumble, I, for one, will certainly not ever eat meat] or [take me as an example: if food causes my brother to stumble, I will certainly not ever eat meat]

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου

Paul is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it will happen at some point. If your language does not state something as a condition if it will happen, and if your readers might think that what Paul is saying might not happen, then you can introduce the clause by using a word such as “in cases where” or “since.” Alternate translation: [because food causes my brother to stumble]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

(Occurrence -1) τὸν ἀδελφόν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τόν ἀδελφόν μού οὒ μή φάγω κρέα εἰς τόν αἰῶνα ἵνα μή τόν ἀδελφόν μού σκανδαλίσω)

Although brother is masculine, Paul is using it to refer to anyone, whether man or woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express brother with a non gendered word or refer to both genders. Alternate translation: [brother or sister … brother or sister]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

(Occurrence -1) τὸν ἀδελφόν μου

Paul is speaking of “brothers” in general, not of one particular brother. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express my brother with a word or phrase that refers to “brothers” in general. Alternate translation: [any brother of mine … any brother of mine]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

οὐ μὴ

The words translated certainly not are two negative words. In Paul’s culture, two negative words made the statement even more negative. English speakers would think that the two negatives form a positive, so the ULT expresses the idea with one strong negative. If your language can use two negatives as Paul’s culture did, you could use a double negative here. If your language does not use two negatives in this way, you can translate with one strong negative, as the ULT does. Alternate translation: [by no means]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κρέα

meats

Throughout this section, the “things sacrificed to idols” refers primarily to meat, and eating this kind of meat was one of the only ways for most people to eat meat at all. Paul here is stating that he will give up meat in general, whether it is sacrificed to idols or not. He implies that he does this so that fellow believers, who do not know whether the meat has been sacrificed to idols or not, will not stumble. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the implications here to make them explicit. Alternate translation: [meat, even if it has not been sacrificed to idols]

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

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Therefore even
2. Therefore
3. 13550
4. S
5. dioper
6. C-·······
7. therefore_even
8. therefore_even
9. S
10. Y59
11. 116242
1. if
2. -
3. 14870
5. ei
6. C-·······
7. if
8. if
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116243
1. food
2. -
3. 10330
5. brōma
6. N-····NNS
7. food
8. food
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116244
1. is stumbling
2. -
3. 46240
5. skandalizō
6. V-IPA3··S
7. ˓is˒ stumbling
8. ˓is˒ stumbling
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116245
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116246
1. brother
2. -
3. 800
5. adelfos
6. N-····AMS
7. brother
8. brother
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116247
1. of me
2. -
3. 14730
5. egō
6. R-···1G·S
7. ˱of˲ me
8. ˱of˲ me
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116248
1. by no means
2. -
3. 37560
5. ou
6. D-·······
7. by_no_means
8. by_no_means
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116249
1. not
2. won't
3. 33610
5. mē
6. D-·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116250
1. I may eat
2. eat
3. 20680
5. esthiō
6. V-SAA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ eat
8. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ eat
9. -
10. Y59; R114224; Person=Paul
11. 116251
1. meats
2. -
3. 29070
5. kreas
6. N-····ANP
7. meats
8. meats
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116252
1. to
2. -
3. 15190
5. eis
6. P-·······
7. to
8. to
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116254
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116255
1. age
2. -
3. 1650
5. aiōn
6. N-····AMS
7. age
8. age
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116256
1. in order that
2. -
3. 24430
5. hina
6. C-·······
7. in_order_that
8. in_order_that
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116257
1. not
2. -
3. 33610
5. mē
6. D-·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116258
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116259
1. brother
2. -
3. 800
5. adelfos
6. N-····AMS
7. brother
8. brother
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116260
1. of me
2. -
3. 14730
5. egō
6. R-···1G·S
7. ˱of˲ me
8. ˱of˲ me
9. -
10. Y59
11. 116261
1. I may stumble
2. -
3. 46240
5. skandalizō
6. V-SAA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ stumble
8. ˱I˲ ˓may˒ stumble
9. -
10. Y59; R114224; Person=Paul
11. 116262

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 8:13

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 8:7–13

8:13

8:13a

8:13b

8:13c

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 8:13

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 8:7–13

8:13

8:13a

8:13b

8:13c

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 8:13