1 Corinthians 8:8

THE MESSAGE

But fortunately God doesn't grade us on our diet. We're neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can't stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
But food will not bring us closer to God. Refusing to eat does not make us less pleasing to God, and eating does not make us closer to him.

Revised Standard Version
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Meate maketh vs not acceptable to god. Nether yf we eate are we ye better. Nether yf we eate not are we the worsse.

Hebrew Names Version
But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don't eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

International Standard Version
However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.Romans 14:17;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
Now food will not bring us close to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.

New Century Version
But food will not bring us closer to God. Refusing to eat does not make us less pleasing to God, and eating does not make us better in God's sight.

Update Bible Version
But food will not commend us to God: neither, if we don't eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Webster's Bible Translation
But food commendeth us not to God: for neither if we eat, are we the better; neither if we eat not, are we the worse.

English Standard Version
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

World English Bible
But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don't eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But meat commendeth us not to God; for neither if we eat, are we the better, nor if we eat not, are we the worse.

Weymouth's New Testament
It is true that a particular kind of food will not bring us into God's presence; we are neither inferior to others if we abstain from it, nor superior to them if we eat it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Mete comendith vs not to God; for nether we schulen faile, if we eten not, nether if we eten, we schulen haue plente.

English Revised Version
But meat will not commend us to God: neither, if we eat not, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Berean Standard Bible
But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Contemporary English Version
But food doesn't bring us any closer to God. We are no worse off if we don't eat, and we are no better off if we do.

Amplified Bible
Now food will not commend us to God nor bring us close to Him; we are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better if we do eat.

American Standard Version
But food will not commend us to God: neither, if we eat not, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Bible in Basic English
But God's approval of us is not based on the food we take: if we do not take it we are no worse for it; and if we take it we are no better.

Complete Jewish Bible
Now food will not improve our relationship with God — we will be neither poorer if we abstain nor richer if we eat.

Darby Translation
But meat does not commend us to God; neither if we should not eat do we come short; nor if we should eat have we an advantage.

Etheridge Translation
But meat doth not bring us nigh to Aloha. For if we eat, we excel not; nor if we eat not, are we deficient.

Murdock Translation
But food doth not bring us near to God; for if we eat, we do not abound; and if we eat not, we are not in want.

King James Version (1611)
But meate commendeth vs not to God: for neither if we eate, are we the better: neither if wee eate not, are we the worse.

New Living Translation
It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do.

New Life Bible
Food will not bring us near to God. We are no worse if we do not eat it, or we are no better if we eat it.

New Revised Standard
"Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But meate maketh not vs acceptable to God, for neither if we eate, haue we the more: neither if we eate not, haue we the lesse.

George Lamsa Translation
But meat does not bring us closer to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither if we do not eat, are we the worse.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Food, indeed, will not commend us unto God, - neither, if we eat not, do we lack, nor, if we eat, do we abound.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But meat doth not commend us to God. For neither, if we eat, shall we have the more: nor, if we eat not, shall we have the less.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But meate maketh vs not acceptable to God: For neither if we eate, haue we the more, neither if we eate not, haue we the lesse.

Good News Translation
Food, however, will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat.

Christian Standard Bible®
Food will not bring us close to God. We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat.

King James Version
But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

Lexham English Bible
But food does not bring us close to God. For neither if we eat do we have more, nor if we do not eat do we lack.

Literal Translation
But food will not commend us to God. For neither if we eat do we excel, nor if we do not eat are we lacking.

Young's Literal Translation
But victuals do not commend us to God, for neither if we may eat are we in advance; nor if we may not eat, are we behind;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles meate furthureth not vs vnto God. Yf we eate, we shal not therfore be the better: yf we eate not, we shal not therfore be the lesse.

Mace New Testament (1729)
meat does not recommend us to God: if we eat, we are not the better men; if we don't eat, we are not the worse.

New English Translation
Now food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do.

New King James Version
But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Simplified Cowboy Version
But listen close, food doesn't have anything to do with faith. Eating something doesn't bring you closer to God or vice versa.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.

Legacy Standard Bible
But food will not commend us to God. We neither lack if we do not eat, nor abound if we do eat.

Contextual Overview

⁷ In strict logic, then, nothing happened to the meat when it was offered up to an idol. It's just like any other meat. I know that, and you know that. But knowing isn't everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn't that insensitive. We need to be sensitive to the fact that we're not all at the same level of understanding in this. Some of you have spent your entire lives eating "idol meat," and are sure that there's something bad in the meat that then becomes something bad inside of you. An imagination and conscience shaped under those conditions isn't going to change overnight. ⁸But fortunately God doesn't grade us on our diet. We're neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can't stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track. ¹⁰ For instance, say you flaunt your freedom by going to a banquet thrown in honor of idols, where the main course is meat sacrificed to idols. Isn't there great danger if someone still struggling over this issue, someone who looks up to you as knowledgeable and mature, sees you go into that banquet? The danger is that he will become terribly confused—maybe even to the point of getting mixed up himself in what his conscience tells him is wrong. ¹¹Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn't you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him—because, as you say, it doesn't really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin! When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn't worth it at the cost of even one of these "weak ones." So, never go to these idol-tainted meals if there's any chance it will trip up one of your brothers or sisters.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

meat: 1 Corinthians 6:13, Romans 14:17, Colossians 2:20-23, Hebrews 13:9

are we the better: or, have we the more

are we the worse: or, have we the less.

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:8 - they are unclean Leviticus 19:14 - not curse Song of Solomon 7:13 - I have Matthew 16:27 - and then Matthew 18:10 - heed Acts 5:4 - was it not thine Romans 14:20 - For 1 Corinthians 7:19 - Circumcision 1 Timothy 4:3 - to abstain 1 Timothy 4:8 - bodily

Cross-References

Genesis 8:10
He waited seven more days and sent out the dove again. It came back in the evening with a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak. Noah knew that the flood was about finished.

Genesis 8:12
He waited another seven days and sent the dove out a third time. This time it didn't come back.

Song of Solomon 1:15

The Man

Oh, my dear friend! You're so beautiful! And your eyes so beautiful—like doves!

Song of Solomon 2:14
class="poetry"> I'm just a wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon, a lotus blossom from the valley pools.

The Man

A lotus blossoming in a swamp of weeds— that's my dear friend among the girls in the village.

The Woman

As an apricot tree stands out in the forest, my lover stands above the young men in town. All I want is to sit in his shade, to taste and savor his delicious love. He took me home with him for a festive meal, but his eyes feasted on me! Oh! Give me something refreshing to eat—and quickly! Apricots, raisins—anything. I'm about to faint with love! His left hand cradles my head, and his right arm encircles my waist! Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you're ready. Look! Listen! There's my lover! Do you see him coming? Vaulting the mountains, leaping the hills. My lover is like a gazelle, graceful; like a young stag, virile. Look at him there, on tiptoe at the gate, all ears, all eyes—ready! My lover has arrived and he's speaking to me!

The Man

Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Look around you: Winter is over; the winter rains are over, gone! Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world's a choir—and singing! Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet arpeggios. Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed, and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms. Oh, get up, dear friend, my fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Come, my shy and modest dove— leave your seclusion, come out in the open. Let me see your face, let me hear your voice. For your voice is soothing and your face is ravishing.

Matthew 10:16
"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But meat commendeth us not to God,.... These words are said by the apostle, either as expressing the argument of such as had knowledge in favour of themselves, that what they did was a thing indifferent, by which they were made neither better nor worse; nor did they look upon it as meritorious, or expect any favour from God on account of it, and therefore were not to be blamed for using their liberty in the manner they did: or else they are spoken by him as his own sense: and the meaning is, that eating of meat, any sort of meat, and so that which is offered to idols, or abstinence from it, neither one nor the other recommends any to the love and favour of God; לא מקרבא, "does not bring near", or give access to God, as the Syriac version renders the phrase; does not ingratiate any into his affectionate regards, or make them acceptable unto him:

for neither if we eat are we the better; or "abound", not in earthly but spiritual things, in the graces of the Spirit, and particularly in the esteem and good will of God, upon which such an action can have no influence:

neither if we eat not are we the worse; or are deficient; meaning not in temporal things, but, as before, in spiritual; true grace and piety are not a whit the less; nor are such persons less in the love and favour of God, which is not to be known and judged of by any such action, or the omission of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But meat commendeth us not to God - This is to be regarded as the view presented by the Corinthian Christians, or by the advocates for partaking of the meat offered in sacrifice to idols. The sense is, “Religion is of a deeper and more spiritual nature than a mere regard to circumstances like these. God looks at the heart. He regards the motives, the thoughts, the moral actions of people. The mere circumstance of eating ‘meat,’ or abstaining from it, cannot make a man better or worse in the sight of a holy God. The acceptable worship of God is not placed in such things. It is more spiritual; more deep; more important. And therefore, the inference is, “it cannot be a matter of much importance whether a man eats the meat offered in sacrifice to idols, or abstains.” To this argument the apostle replies 1 Corinthians 8:9-13, that, although this might be true in itself, yet it might be the occasion of leading others into sin, and it would then become a matter of great importance in the sight of God, and should be in the sight of all true Christians. The word “commendeth” παράστησι parastēsi means properly to introduce to the favor of anyone, as a king or ruler; and here means to recommend to the favor of God. God does not regard this as a matter of importance. He does not make his favor depend on unimportant circumstances like this.

Neither if we eat - If we partake of the meat offered to idols.

Are we the better - Margin, “Have we the more.” Greek Do we abound περισσεύομεν perisseuomen; that is, in moral worth or excellence of character; see the note at Revelation 14:17.

Are we the worse - Margin, “Have we the less.” Greek, Do we lack or want (ὑστερούμεθα husteroumetha); that is, in moral worth or excellence.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 8:8. Meat commendeth us not to God — No such feasts as these can be a recommendation of our souls or persons to the Supreme Being. As to the thing, considered in itself, the eating gives us no spiritual advantage; and the eating not is no spiritual loss.