1 Corinthians 10:23

THE MESSAGE

Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"All things are allowed," you say. But not all things are good. "All things are allowed." But some things don't help anyone.

Revised Standard Version
"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
All thynges are lawfull to me but all thinges edifye not.

Hebrew Names Version
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up.

International Standard Version
Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.1 Corinthians 6:12;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up.

New Century Version
"We are allowed to do all things," but not all things are good for us to do. "We are allowed to do all things," but not all things help others grow stronger.

Update Bible Version
All things are lawful; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful; but not all things edify.

Webster's Bible Translation
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

English Standard Version
"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

World English Bible
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
All things are lawful for me; but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me; but all things edify not.

Weymouth's New Testament
Everything is allowable, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable, but everything does not build others up.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but not alle thingis edifien.

English Revised Version
All things are lawful; but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful; but all things edify not.

Berean Standard Bible
"Everything is permissible," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible," but not everything is edifying.

Contemporary English Version
Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful.

Amplified Bible
All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].

American Standard Version
All things are lawful; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful; but not all things edify.

Bible in Basic English
We are free to do all things, but there are things which it is not wise to do. We are free to do all things, but not all things are for the common good.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Everything is permitted," you say? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. "Everything is permitted?" Maybe, but not everything is edifying.

Darby Translation
All things are lawful, but all are not profitable; all things are lawful, but all do not edify.

Etheridge Translation
Every thing is lawful for me, but every thing is not expedient; every thing is lawful, but every thing doth not edify.

Murdock Translation
Every thing is in my power; but every thing is not profitable. Every thing is in my power; but every thing doth not edify.

King James Version (1611)
All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expedient: All things are lawfull for mee, but all things edifie not.

New Living Translation
You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is beneficial.

New Life Bible
We are allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for us to do. We are allowed to do anything, but not all things help us grow strong as Christians.

New Revised Standard
"All things are lawful," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for me, but all things edifie not.

George Lamsa Translation
Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is expedient: everything is lawful for me, but everything does not edify.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All things are allowable - but, not all things, are profitable, - all things are allowable - but, not all things, upbuild.

Douay-Rheims Bible
All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All thynges are lawfull for me, but all thynges are not expedient: All thynges are lawfull for me, but all thynges edifie not.

Good News Translation
"We are allowed to do anything," so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. "We are allowed to do anything"—but not everything is helpful.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up.

King James Version
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Lexham English Bible
All things are permitted, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted, but not all things build up.

Literal Translation
All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful to me, but not all things build up.

Young's Literal Translation
All things to me are lawful, but all things are not profitable; all things to me are lawful, but all things do not build up;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I maye do all thinges, but all thinges edifye not.

Mace New Testament (1729)
are all things lawful for me? yet all things are not expedient: are all things lawful for me? yet all things do not edify.

New English Translation
"Everything is lawful," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful," but not everything builds others up.

New King James Version
All things are lawful for me, [fn] but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, [fn] but not all things edify.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Y'all keep saying, "I'm allowed to do whatever I want." But I'm telling you that just because you can doesn't mean you should. Some things don't help people, and that's our main mission.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

Legacy Standard Bible
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.

Contextual Overview

²³Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. ²⁵With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don't have to run an "idolatry test" on every item. "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." That "everything" certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping. ²⁹But, except for these special cases, I'm not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I'm going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thanked God for it and he blessed it! ³¹So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory. At the same time, don't be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren't as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone's feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

things are lawful: 1 Corinthians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14:15, Romans 14:20

edify: 1 Corinthians 8:1, 1 Corinthians 14:3-5, 1 Corinthians 14:12, 1 Corinthians 14:17, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Romans 14:19, Romans 15:1, Romans 15:2, 2 Corinthians 12:19, Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 1 Timothy 1:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 9:3 - even 2 Corinthians 6:3 - General 2 Corinthians 8:10 - expedient 1 Timothy 4:4 - and Titus 1:15 - the pure

Cross-References

Job 1:1
Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All things are lawful for me,.... All sorts of food are lawful to be eaten, every creature of God is good, there is nothing common or unclean in itself, polluted or polluting; and so things offered to idols may be lawfully eaten, but not as such, or in an idol's temple, or before a weak brother; to do which is contrary to the honour of God, and the edification of the saints: and therefore

all things are not expedient; to be done always, and in all places, and before all persons. The apostle suggests, that though they might be lawful to him, and he might make use of his liberty in eating them; yet they might not be expedient, or of service, but on the contrary hurtful to others; and which therefore ought to be judged a sufficient reason for the omission of them:

all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not; though things of an indifferent nature may be lawfully used, yet they do not always tend to the edification of others, which should be consulted; and when this is the case, they ought to be disused. This is observed in answer to an objection taken from the doctrine of Christian liberty, allowing the free use of all the creatures, and disengaging men from an observance of the distinction of meats and drinks which the apostle grants; and yet argues from his own example, and the edification of the saints, that this is not always to be closely pursued; but believers should forego what they have a right to use, when the peace and welfare of their fellow Christians require it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All things are lawful for me - See the note at 1 Corinthians 6:12. This is a repetition of what he had said before; and it is here applied to the subject of eating the meat that had been offered to idols. The sense is,” Though it may be admitted that it was strictly “lawful” to partake of that meat, yet there were strong reasons why it was inexpedient; and those reasons ought to have the binding force of law.”

All things edify not - All things do not tend to build up the church, and to advance the interests of religion; and when they do not have this effect, they are not expedient, and are improper. Paul acted for the welfare of the church. His object was to save souls. Anything that would promote that object was proper; anything which would hinder it, though in itself it might not be strictly unlawful, was in his view improper. This is a simple rule, and might be easily applied by all. If a man has his heart on the conversion of people and the salvation of the world, it will go far to regulate his conduct in reference to many things concerning which there may be no exact and positive law. It will do much to regulate his dress; his style of living; his expenses; his entertainments; his mode of contact with the world. He may not be able to fix his finger on any positive law, and to say that this or that article of dress is improper; that this or that piece of furniture is absolutely forbidden; or that this or that manner of life is contrary to any explicit law of Yahweh; but he may see that it will interfere with his great and main purpose, “to do good on the widest scale possible;” and therefore to him it will be inexpedient and improper. Such a grand leading purpose is a much better guide to direct a man’s life than would be exact positive statutes to regulate everything, even if such minute statutes were possible.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. All things are lawful for me — I may lawfully eat all kinds of food, but all are not expedient; ου παντα συμφερει. It would not be becoming in me to eat of all, because I should by this offend and grieve many weak minds. See the notes on 1 Corinthians 6:12, &c.