1 Corinthians 8

Concerning things sacrificed to idols — we all have knowledge; knowledge puffs up, love builds. Whoever loves God is known by him. An idol is nothing in the world and God is one — though there are many so-called gods, for us one God the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ. But not everyone has that knowledge — a weak conscience is soiled. Food does not present us to God. Let your authority not become a striking for the weak — the brother for whom Christ died perishes. If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat.

Περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν. ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ.

Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds.

Why this rendering

1Cor.8.1 Observation

Syntactic observation

ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ … εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι· εἰ δέ τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν θεόν, οὗτος ἔγνωσται ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ — knowledge puffs up, but love builds … if anyone supposes he has known something, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by him. Verse 1 sets two pictures in two verbs — φυσιόω is the bellows verb (4:6 ‘puffed up’), οἰκοδομέω the house-building verb (3:10 ‘builds upon it’). This edition keeps ‘puff up / build’ as fixed and does not paraphrase into ‘pride / edification’. Verses 2-3 turn γινώσκω four times — perfect infinitive (ἐγνωκέναι, to have known), aorist (ἔγνω, has known), aorist infinitive (γνῶναι, to know) and a perfect passive (ἔγνωσται, is known). The fourth reverses the direction: the answer is not the one who knows but the one who is known. English know / be known carries the reversal in voice. οἴδαμεν (we know) in v.1 and γνῶσις (knowledge) are two different words (οἶδα · γινώσκω); English know / knowledge follows the second only.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“puffs up / builds” — both pictures kept

Basis As fixed in 4:6 and 3:10; two verbs, two pictures.

“makes proud / edifies”

Basis The familiar renderings.

Rejected Bellows and house both vanish, and the building picture of 3:9-17 breaks off before 8:1 and 8:10.

Lost in translation

οἶδα (v.1, we know) ↔ γινώσκω/γνῶσις (know, knowledge) — English ‘know’ covers both, so the two words look like one.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

ἔγνωσται (v.3, perfect passive) — ‘is known’ reverses the direction of the one who knows.

Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

⸀εἴ τις δοκεῖ ⸀ἐγνωκέναι τι, ⸀οὔπω ⸀ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι·

If anyone supposes he has known something, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

εἰ δέ τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν θεόν, οὗτος ἔγνωσται ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ.

but if anyone loves God, he is known by him.

Περὶ τῆς βρώσεως οὖν τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ⸀θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς.

So then, concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols: we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.

καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοὶ εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς, ὥσπερ εἰσὶν θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί,

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth — as indeed there are many gods and many lords —

ἀλλ’ ἡμῖν εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι’ αὐτοῦ.

yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we for him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through him.

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

Why this rendering

1Cor.8.6 Observation

Syntactic observation

ἀλλ’ ἡμῖν εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι’ αὐτοῦ — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we for him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through him. The base text has no verb at all — a confession standing on nouns and prepositions alone (ἐξ from · εἰς for · διά through ×2). English has to supply ‘there is’ and ‘are’. ‘No God but one’ in v.4 (οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς) and εἷς θεός · εἷς κύριος in v.6 call up the Shema of Mark 12:29 (κύριος εἷς ἐστιν, ‘the Lord is one’) — here ‘God’ and ‘Lord’ are distributed to the Father and to Jesus Christ. θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί in v.5, ‘many gods and many lords’, is the plural of θεός and follows Acts 14:11 (‘gods’) — one word θεός splits into ‘God / gods’ (a recorded loss). The base text marks ⸀θεός in v.4 as a variant (some manuscripts add ‘other’).

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“there is … are” — verbs supplied, all four prepositions kept

Basis Both languages require a copula; in return ἐξ · εἰς · διά · διά are each kept as ‘from · for · through · through’.

“one God … one Lord” with ‘alone’

Basis The familiar honorific shape.

Rejected εἷς is the number one, not an honorific; the count against ‘many gods’ in v.5 must stay audible.

Lost in translation

A verbless confession — the text stands on ἐξ · εἰς · διά alone; English must write ‘there is’ and ‘are’.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

One word θεός — ‘God’ in vv.4·6 and ‘gods’ in v.5 differ in English by capital and number only.

Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

Ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡ γνῶσις· τινὲς δὲ τῇ ⸀συνηθείᾳ ⸂ἕως ἄρτι τοῦ εἰδώλου⸃ ὡς εἰδωλόθυτον ἐσθίουσιν, καὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται.

But the knowledge is not in all. Some, by the custom of the idol until now, eat it as a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is soiled.

βρῶμα δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐ ⸀παραστήσει τῷ θεῷ· οὔτε ⸂γὰρ ἐὰν φάγωμεν, περισσεύομεν, οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν, ὑστερούμεθα⸃.

Food will not present us to God; we neither abound if we eat, nor fall short if we do not eat.

βλέπετε δὲ μή πως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ⸀ἀσθενέσιν.

But watch out that this authority of yours does not become a striking for the weak.

ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σὲ τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν;

For if anyone sees you, who have knowledge, reclining in an idol’s house, will not his conscience, being weak, be built up to eat the things sacrificed to idols?

⸂ἀπόλλυται γὰρ⸃ ὁ ἀσθενῶν ⸀ἐν τῇ σῇ γνώσει, ⸂ὁ ἀδελφὸς⸃ δι’ ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν.

For the one who is weak perishes by your knowledge — the brother for whom Christ died.

οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε.

And so, sinning against the brothers and striking their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Why this rendering

1Cor.8.12 Observation

Syntactic observation

βλέπετε δὲ μή πως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν … ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται … τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν … εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα — watch out that this authority of yours does not become a striking for the weak … their conscience, being weak, is soiled … striking their weak conscience … if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat to the age. ‘Weak conscience’ comes three times (v.7 ἀσθενὴς οὖσα · v.10 ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος · v.12 ἀσθενοῦσαν), and all three verbs attached to it are bodily verbs: μολύνω (soil — the word for staining garments), οἰκοδομέω (be built up — the irony of v.10), τύπτω (strike — the verb of Acts 23:2). πρόσκομμα in v.9 (striking) and σκανδαλίζω in v.13 (make stumble) are the two words Rom 14:13 sets side by side as ‘a striking or a stumbling block’. ἐξουσία here is a person’s authority (the Acts 9:14 site); English keeps ‘authority’ rather than ‘right’. οὐ μὴ … εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα in v.13 is the idiom of John 8:51 — ‘never … to the age’. In v.11 the base text places ⸂ὁ ἀδελφός⸃ at the end of the sentence so that ‘the brother’ falls last — this edition keeps that place with a dash.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“is soiled” — μολύνω as the garment word

Basis Kept apart from μιαίνω (John 18:28, ‘be defiled’) and κοινόω (Mark 7:15, ‘make common’); Rev 3:4 ‘have not soiled their garments’ is this verb.

“is defiled”

Basis The familiar rendering.

Rejected It takes the place of μιαίνω and merges two words.

Lost in translation

πρόσκομμα (v.9) ↔ σκανδαλίζω (v.13) — ‘striking / make stumble’ keeps the two words of Rom 14:13 apart.

Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

The word order of v.11 — ὁ ἀδελφός falls at the end; English keeps it after a dash.

Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω.

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat to the age, so that I may not make my brother stumble.