1 Corinthians 8:4

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
concerning	Περὶ Peri	G4012	properly · preposition
therefore	οὖν oun	G3767	(adverbially) certainly · conjunction
eating	βρώσεως brōseōs	G1035	(abstractly) eating (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine
idols	εἰδωλοθύτων eidōlothutōn	G1494	an image-sacrifice · adjective — genitive plural neuter
know	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
idol	εἴδωλον eidōlon	G1497	an image (i.e. for worship) · noun — nominative singular neuter
nothing	οὐδὲν ouden	G3762	not even one (man · adjective — nominative singular neuter
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
world	κόσμῳ kosmō	G2889	orderly arrangement · noun — dative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
none	οὐδεὶς oudeis	G3762	not even one (man · adjective — nominative singular masculine
other	ἕτερος héteros	G2087	(an-
God	θεὸς theos	G2316	figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
but	εἰ ei	G1487	if · conditional particle
one	εἷς. heis	G1520	one · adjective — nominative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none…
Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
1 Corinthians 10:19-20 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
Isaiah 41:24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God…
Isaiah 44:8-9 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside m…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

In this passage he shows the vanity of idols: As to the eating of things that have been sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world; or, there is no idol in the world; or, an idol can do nothing in the world: for the form of expression in the original is elliptical. The meaning in the general is, that heathen idols have no divinity in them; and therefore the Old Testament they are commonly called lies and vanities, or lying vanities. They are merely imaginary gods, and many of them no better than imaginary beings; they have no power to pollute the creatures of God, and thereby render them unfit to be eaten by a child or servant of God. Every creature of God is good, if…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 8:4

As concerning, &c.--resuming the subject begun in Co1 8:1, "As touching," &c. idol is nothing--has no true being at all, the god it represents is not a living reality. This does not contradict Co1 10:20, which states that they who worship idols, worship devils; for here it is the GODS believed by the worshippers to be represented by the idols which are denied to have any existence, not the devils which really under the idols delude the worshippers. none other God--The oldest manuscripts omit the word "other"; which gives a clearer sense.

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 8:4

Things that are offered in sacrifice - See on the first verse, (Co1 8:1 (note)). An idol is nothing in the world - Dr. Lightfoot translates this, We know that there is no idol in the world; which he explains thus: Ειδωλον, idol, is ὁμοιωμα, εικων, σημειον, χαρακτηριον, σκιοειδες, a likeness, an image, a sign, a character, a shadow: now ουδεν ειδωλον signifies there is no idol, no representation of God, in the world. Images there are of stone, wood and metal; but none of these is any representation of the infinite Spirit. But I prefer the meaning given in the note on Co1 8:1; (Co1 8:1 (note)) as the expression, an idol is nothing in the world, was common in the Old Testament, and among the J…

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The Church Fathers

Paul now develops his argument in detail in order to show that knowledge without love is both useless and harmful.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

And concerning food, bear what thou art able; but against that which is sacrificed to idols be exceedingly on thy guard; for it is the service of dead gods.
— Didache, The Didache, Chapter 6

"An idol is nothing," says the apostle. One who makes an idol makes what is not. But what is that which is not? A form which the eye does not see but which the mind imagines for itself.
— Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EXODUS 8.3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Fraternity · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Idolatry · Objects of described as: Nothing — Objects of described as: Nothing
Unity Of God · Asserted by: Apostles — Asserted by: Apostles

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 8:4

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 8:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 8:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 8:4

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 8:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 8:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 8:4

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 8:1-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 8:4-6