1 Corinthians 8:7–13, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 8:7–13
Freedom Must Not Destroy a Vulnerable Conscience
A temple meal can cost a sibling Christ died for.
Not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some, accustomed to idols until now, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
If anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, might he be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes a brother stumble, Paul will never eat meat, lest he make his brother stumble. Protecting conscience is love for the vulnerable, not contempt for Jewish scruples or for anyone still healing from former worship. It also does not give controlling people a veto over everyone through manufactured offense.
How this should shape us
If your freedom requires someone else to betray a conscience Christ is still healing, pause the freedom. Building them up will look like a smaller menu sometimes. That is not losing to a manipulator. That is refusing to spend a sibling on your rights.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 8:7–13 in your own words. Include its place in 1 Corinthians, the unit's logic, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters differ over whether the endangered person faces temporal ruin, apostasy, or severe spiritual injury and whether the knowledgeable eater is inside a temple or another visible setting.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
1 Corinthians 8:7–13, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 8:7–13
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 8:7–13 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 8:7–13
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 8:7–13
Supports: Relation of idol-food instruction, Israel's Scriptures, worship, rights, and neighbor-directed freedom.
Evans, Idolatry and Proper Worship: Paul's Use of the Old Testament in 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, UC dissertation (2020), repository abstract and chapter description
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 8:7–13, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 8:7–13
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 8:7–13 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 8:7–13
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 8:7–13
Open source ↗modern open access doctoral dissertation
Emotional Rescue: Idolatry and Affective Conversion in 1 Corinthians 8-10
Marshall McKee Evans
University of California, Santa Barbara, 2020
Supports: Relation of idol-food instruction, Israel's Scriptures, worship, rights, and neighbor-directed freedom.
Exact location: Evans, Idolatry and Proper Worship: Paul's Use of the Old Testament in 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, UC dissertation (2020), repository abstract and chapter description
Open source ↗