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1 Corinthians Chapter 8

1 Corinthians Chapter 8

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Food Sacrificed to Idols

(Parallel teachings: Romans 14:13-23; Acts 15:19-29)
(Thematic parallels: Mark 7:14–23; Acts 10:9–16)

  • 1 Now, about food sacrificed to idols.  We *know that we all have knowledge; knowledge puffs up, but ^love builds up.
  • 2 If anyone thinks that he has known anything, he didn’t yet know as it’s necessary to know.
  • 3 But if anyone ^loves God, he is *known by Him.
  • 4 Therefore, about food sacrificed to idols, we *know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there’s no God except One.fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 6:4 (also quoted/alluded to by Mark 12:29; Jas 2:19)
  • 5 For indeed, even if some are called gods,fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 82:6. (also quoted/alluded to by John 10:34) whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lordsfnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 10:17 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14, 19:16)),
  • 6 But for us, there’s one God – the Fatherfnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 6:4 and Malachi 2:10 (also quoted/alluded to by Mark 12:29; Jas 2:19; Eph 4:6) – from whom are all things, and we exist for Him, and one Lord – Jesus the Anointed – through whom all things exist, and we exist through Him.
  • 7 But this knowledge isn’t in all men.  And until now, some are accustomedfn“accustomed” many later manuscripts have “conscience” here. to eating food sacrificed to an idol as if the idol is real, and their conscience – being weak – is defiled.
  • 8 But food won’t bring us close to God, [for] we neither fall short if we don’t eat, nor excel if we do eat.
  • 9 But beware, lest your liberty in this somehow might become a stumbling block to the weak.
  • 10 For if someone sees you (the man having knowledge) reclining at the table in an idol’s temple, with his conscience being weak, won’t he be emboldenedfn“emboldened” this Greek word more literally means to “build up”. Here, it’s used in an ironic sense where the weaker brother is “built up” to do the wrong thing by defying his conscience. to eat the things sacrificed to idols?
  • 11 For then the weak man — the brother for whom the Anointed died — is ruined by your knowledge.
  • 12 And thus, by sinning against the brothers and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against the Anointed.
  • 13 Therefore, if food ensnares my brother, I definitely wouldn’t eat meat sacrificed to idols throughout the age, so that I wouldn’t ensnare my brother.

 

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