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Romans 14:21

It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

KJV

καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει.

Greek NT

Bonum est non manducare carnem, et non bibere vinum, neque in quo frater tuus offenditur, aut scandalizatur, aut infirmatur.

Vulgate

It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth.

ASV

It is good not to eat flesh and not to drink wine: nor any thing whereby thy brother is offended or scandalized or made weak.

Douay-Rheims

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In the original Greek

13 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

καλός
kalos
adjective · 100×
κρέας
kreas
noun · 2×
μή
me
particle · 1033×
μηδέ
mede
conjunction · 54×
οἶνος
oinos
noun · 34×
πίνω
pino
verb · 73×
προσκόπτω
proskopto
verb · 8×
σύ
su
pronoun · 1071×
φάγω
phago
verb · 93×
ἀδελφός
adelphos
noun · 343×
ἐν
en
preposition · 2743×
o
article · 19778×
ὅς
os
relative_pronoun · 1404×

Textual variants

1 variant unit attested by manuscript witnesses and modern critical editions.

trivial
SBLGNT: ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖ | Treg/RP: ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖ
  • ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖSBLGNT
  • ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖTregelles, Robinson-Pierpont
source: sblgnt-apparatus

Historic Christian voices

6 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

§1789Some rules apply in every case: - One may never do evil so that good may result from it; - the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."56 - charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ."57 Therefore "it is right not …
Source. Translated by J. Walker, J. Sheppard and H. Browne, and revised by George B. Stevens. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210226.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Adven…
2. And let no one, says he, think that I speak only of the past: 1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked. Do you see that all the life of Christians must be such as this; and not merely a day or two? For though the wrestler who is victorious in a single contest only, be crowned, he is not crowned again if he suffer a fall. And hung…

Cross-references

  • 1Cor 8:13 — Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
  • 1Cor 8:13 — Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
  • 1Sam 25:31 — That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with
  • John 16:1 — These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
  • Luke 17:1 — Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
  • Mal 2:8 — But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
  • Matt 16:23 — But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
  • Matt 17:27 — Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: tha
  • Matt 18:6 — But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
  • Matt 18:7 — Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
  • Matt 18:10 — Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
  • Ps 73:15 — If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
  • Rev 2:14 — But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed u
  • Rom 14:1 — Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
  • Rom 14:3 — Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
  • Rom 14:13 — Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
  • Rom 14:20 — For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
  • Rom 15:1 — We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.