20
Do not,μὴfor the sake ofἕνεκενfood,βρώματοςtear downκατάλυεthe workτὸ ἔργονof God.τοῦ θεοῦAll thingsπάνταareindeedμὲνclean,καθαράbutἀλλὰit isevilκακὸνfor the personτῷ ἀνθρώπῳwhoτῷeatsἐσθίοντιwithδιὰstumbling.προσκόμματος
Romans 14:20
Study it in the app“Do not, for the sake of food, tear down the work of God. All things are indeed clean, but it is evil for the person who eats with stumbling.”
With the Greek beneath
Romans 14:20, word by word
- for the sake ofἕνεκενheneken
because of
On account of, for the sake of.
Where else “heneken” appears- foodβρώματοςbrōmatos
food
Food.
Where else “brōmatos” appears- tear downκατάλυεkatalye
overthrow
To undo what another has done.
Where else “katalye” appears- the workἔργονergon
task
The job given to someone.
Where else “ergon” appears- of Godθεοῦtheou
God
The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.
Where else “theou” appears- cleanκαθαράkathara
ritually clean
Clean under the law, fit to eat or touch.
Where else “kathara” appears- evilκακὸνkakon
evil
What goes against God's will and harms others.
Where else “kakon” appears- for the personἀνθρώπῳanthrōpōi
someone
Any person, without saying who, as in the parables.
Where else “anthrōpōi” appears- eatsἐσθίοντιesthionti
eat
Eat.
Where else “esthionti” appears- stumblingπροσκόμματοςproskommatos
stumbling, obstacle
Stumbling; an obstacle that makes someone stumble or fall into sin.
Where else “proskommatos” appears
Translation note
“With stumbling”: eating in a way that makes another stumble, or eating with an uneasy conscience.
The context
19So then, let us pursue the things of peace and the things of building up one another.
20 · This verse (above)
21It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine or to do anything by which your brother stumbles or falls away or is weak.
To study Romans 14 in a group
1. What it says
What differences are there among believers about eating and about days, and what does Paul ask of each side? (vv. 1-6)
2. What it means
Why does Paul say the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness, peace and joy? (v. 17)
3. How I live it
With whom do you differ on non-essential things? How can you pursue what leads to peace with that person? (v. 19)