King James Version
Romans 14
23 verses with commentary
Do Not Pass Judgment
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. not: or, not to judge his doubtful thoughts
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<strong>Him that is weak in the faith receive ye</strong>—<em>Ton de asthenounta tē pistei proslambanesthe</em> (τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε). <em>Asthenounta</em> (ἀσθενέω, being weak) is present participle—ongoing condition, not momentary lapse. The 'weak' are those with scrupulous consciences about disputable matters (food, holy days). <em>Proslambanō</em> (προσλαμβάνω, receive/w...
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(1) **Weak in the faith . . .**—The presence of a single strong master-motive is apt to silence petty scruples. Where the “eye is single”—where all the powers and faculties of the man are concentrated upon one object, and that object the highest that can engage human thought or affection—there will naturally be a certain largeness of view. The opposite of this is to be “weak in the faith.” There m...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. He--**rather, "He surely." (It is a pity to lose the emphatic particle of the original).
**that spared not--**"withheld not," "kept not back." This expressive phrase, as well as the whole thought, is suggested by Ge 22:12, where Jehovah's touching commendation of Abraham's conduct regarding his son Isaac seems designed to furnish something like a glimpse into the spirit of His own act in s...
Read full commentary →For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
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<strong>For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs</strong>—<em>Hos men pisteuei phagein panta, ho de asthenōn lachana esthiei</em> (ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει). <em>Pisteuei</em> (believes/is persuaded) indicates conscience conviction, not mere opinion. The 'strong' believer is persuaded (<em>pisteuei phagein panta</em>, believes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Believeth that he may . . .**—Rather, perhaps, *hath confidence to eat all things.* His faith is strong enough to prevent his conscience from becoming uneasy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33-34. Who shall lay anything to the charge of--**or, "bring any charge against."
**God's elect?--**the first place in this Epistle where believers are styled "the elect." In what sense this is meant will appear in next chapter.
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.
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<strong>Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth</strong>—<em>Ho esthiōn ton mē esthionta mē exoutheneō, ho de mē esthiōn ton esthionta mē krinetō</em> (ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενετω, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω). Two equal and opposite errors: <em>exoutheneō</em> (ἐξουθενέω, despise/look down on) and <em>krinō<...
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(3) **Let not him that eateth.**—The two classes of men are exposed to two opposite faults. The strong *despise* the weak; the weak *judge* the strong. In the one case there is contempt for what is thought to be narrowness and pedantry. In the other case censorious judgments are passed on what is regarded as levity and irreligion. Human nature alters very little.
**God hath received him.**—Strictl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33-34. Who shall lay anything to the charge of--**or, "bring any charge against."
**God's elect?--**the first place in this Epistle where believers are styled "the elect." In what sense this is meant will appear in next chapter.
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
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<strong>Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?</strong>—<em>Sy tis ei ho krinōn allotrion oiketēn?</em> (σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην;). The rhetorical question rebukes presumption. <em>Allotrion oiketēn</em> (another's household servant) emphasizes you're judging someone else's employee, not your own. <em>Oiketēs</em> (οἰκέτης, household servant) belonged to the master, answerab...
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(4) **Who art thou?**—This is addressed to the weak. The Apostle indignantly challenges his right to judge. That right belongs to another tribunal, before which the conduct of the stronger Christian will not be condemned but approved and upheld.
**He standeth or falleth.**—It seems most in accordance with what precedes to take this of judicial condemnation or approval from the Master whom he serve...
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**35-36. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?--**This does not mean "our love to Christ," as if, Who shall hinder us from loving Christ? but "Christ's love to us," as is clear from the closing words of the chapter, which refer to the same subject. Nor would the other sense harmonize with the scope of the chapter, which is to exhibit the ample ground of the believer's confidence in Christ...
Read full commentary →One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. fully persuaded: or, fully assured
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<strong>One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike</strong>—<em>Hos men gar krinei hēmeran par' hēmeran, hos de krinei pasan hēmeran</em> (ὃς μὲν γὰρ κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ' ἡμέραν, ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν). <em>Krinei</em> (regards/considers) here means personal judgment, not condemnation. <em>Hēmeran par' hēmeran</em> (one day above another) refers to Sabbath observa...
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(5) **One man esteemeth.**—For the observance of days and seasons, compare Galatians 4:10; Colossians 2:16. From these passages, taken together, it is clear that the observance of special days has no absolute sanction, but is purely a question of religious expediency. That, however, is sufficient ground on which to rest it, and experience seems in favour of some such system as that adopted by our ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-36. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?--**This does not mean "our love to Christ," as if, Who shall hinder us from loving Christ? but "Christ's love to us," as is clear from the closing words of the chapter, which refer to the same subject. Nor would the other sense harmonize with the scope of the chapter, which is to exhibit the ample ground of the believer's confidence in Christ...
Read full commentary →He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. regardeth: or, observeth
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<strong>He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it</strong>—<em>Ho phronōn tēn hēmeran kyriō phronei, kai ho esthiōn kyriō esthiei, eucharistei gar tō theō</em> (ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίῳ φρονεῖ, καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ). <em>Phronei kyriō</em> (regards unto the Lord) indicates God-directed mo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Regardeth.**—Much as we might say, “he who minds the day,” or directs his thoughts and feelings to it.
**He that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.**—This clause is omitted by the best MSS. and editors.
**For he giveth God thanks.**—By the saying of grace at meat, the meal, whatever it may be, is consecrated to God, and he who partakes of it shows that he does so in no...
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**37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us--**not, "We are so far from being conquered by them, that they do us much good" [Hodge]; for though this be true, the word means simply, "We are pre-eminently conquerors." See on Ro 5:20. And so far are they from "separating us from Christ's love," that it is just "through Him that loved us" that we are victoriou...
Read full commentary →For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
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<strong>For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself</strong>—The Greek οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ζῇ (oudeis gar hēmōn heautō zē) emphasizes complete corporate solidarity in Christ. Paul uses the strong double negative to obliterate radical individualism: believers exist in mutual interdependence. The parallel construction (living/dying) spans all of existence—every moment belongs to ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7-9) The larger principle holds good, and therefore much more the smaller. It is not only his food that the Christian consecrates to God (or rather, immediately, to Christ, and through Christ to God), but his whole life, to its very last moments.
(7) **Dieth to himself**.—Even in the act of death the Christian is conscious of his relation to Christ; he dies “in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-39. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers--**whether good or bad. But as the bad are not called "angels," or "principalities," or "powers," save with some addition to show that such are meant (Mt 25:41; Col 2:15; Ep 6:12; 2Pe 2:4--except perhaps 1Co 6:3), probably the good are meant here, but merely as the same apostle supposes an angel f...
Read full commentary →For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
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<strong>For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's</strong>—<em>Ean te gar zōmen, tō kyriō zōmen, ean te apothnēskōmen, tō kyriō apothnēskōmen. ean te oun zōmen ean te apothnēskōmen, tou kyriou esmen</em> (ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, τῷ κυρίῳ ζῶμεν, ἐάν τε ἀποθνῄσκωμεν, τῷ κυρίῳ ἀποθνῄσκομεν. ἐάν τε οὖν ζῶμεν ἐάν...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-39. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers--**whether good or bad. But as the bad are not called "angels," or "principalities," or "powers," save with some addition to show that such are meant (Mt 25:41; Col 2:15; Ep 6:12; 2Pe 2:4--except perhaps 1Co 6:3), probably the good are meant here, but merely as the same apostle supposes an angel f...
Read full commentary →For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
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<strong>For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living</strong>—<em>Eis touto gar Christos apethanen kai ezēsen, hina kai nekrōn kai zōntōn kyrieuē</em> (εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ). <em>Eis touto</em> (for this purpose) states Christ's redemptive goal: establishing universal Lordship. <e...
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(9) **And rose, and revived.**—For these words the best MSS. substitute simply “and lived.” The Received text is a gloss upon this. It was through the resurrection that Christ was finally enthroned at His Father’s right hand, and that universal dominion was given to Him.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
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<strong>But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?</strong>—<em>Sy de ti krineis ton adelphon sou? ē kai sy ti exoutheneis ton adelphon sou?</em> (σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου;). The emphatic <em>sy</em> (you) confronts both groups: 'weak' judge (<em>krineis</em>) the strong as licentious; 'strong' despise (<em>exout...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10-12) Such being our relations to Christ, and such the judgment to which we look forward, there is no room for any human judgment. Censoriousness is thus condemned.
(10) **Judgment seat of Christ.**—The true reading is, *of God.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 9 Ro 9:1-33. The Bearing of the Foregoing Truths upon the Condition and Destiny of the Chosen People--Election--The Calling of the Gentiles.
Too well aware that he was regarded as a traitor to the dearest interests of his people (Ac 21:33; 22:22; 25:24), the apostle opens this division of his subject by giving vent to his real feelings with extraordinary vehemence of protestation.
**1-...
Read full commentary →For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
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<strong>For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God</strong>—<em>Gegraptai gar, Zō egō, legei kyrios, hoti emoi kampsei pan gony, kai pasa glōssa exomologēsetai tō theō</em> (γέγραπται γάρ, Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ). Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23, where Yahweh swears by Himse...
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(11) **As I live.**—The original has, “I have sworn by Myself,” for which St. Paul, quoting from memory, substitutes another common Hebrew formula—“As I live,” or, “by my life.”
**Shall confess . . .**—The Greek word is capable of two renderings—“confess” and “praise:” Most commentators prefer the latter, but it is not quite clear that the English version is wrong. That the word can bear this mean...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 9 Ro 9:1-33. The Bearing of the Foregoing Truths upon the Condition and Destiny of the Chosen People--Election--The Calling of the Gentiles.
Too well aware that he was regarded as a traitor to the dearest interests of his people (Ac 21:33; 22:22; 25:24), the apostle opens this division of his subject by giving vent to his real feelings with extraordinary vehemence of protestation.
**1-...
Read full commentary →So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
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<strong>So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God</strong>—The emphatic ἕκαστος ἡμῶν (hekastos hēmōn, 'each one of us') shifts from corporate solidarity (v. 7-8) to individual responsibility. The future verb ἀποδώσει (apodōsei, 'shall give') indicates eschatological certainty—this is not hypothetical but guaranteed. The phrase περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον (peri heautou logon, 'account conc...
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**3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for--**"in behalf of"
**my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh--**In proportion as he felt himself severed from his nation, he seems to have realized all the more vividly their natural relationship. To explain away the wish here expressed, as too strong for any Christian to utter or conceive, some have rendered the opening words...
Read full commentary →Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
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.
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<strong>Let us not therefore judge one another any more</strong>—<em>Mēketi oun allēlous krinōmen</em> (μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν). <em>Mēketi</em> (no longer) signals decisive break. <em>Allēlous</em> (one another) emphasizes mutuality—both 'strong' and 'weak' must cease judgment. The hortatory subjunctive <em>krinōmen</em> (let us judge) includes Paul—this isn't condescending lecture but past...
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(13) **Judge this rather.**—The word “judge” forms the connecting-link between what follows and what has gone before. If any judgment is to be formed at all, let it be rather as a principle to guide our own action, and not in the shape of a criticism upon others. This principle, in the case of those who are themselves liberal and large-minded, should be not to put temptation in the way of their we...
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**4. Who are Israelites--**See Ro 11:1; 2Co 11:22; Php 3:5.
**to whom pertaineth--**"whose is"
**the adoption--**It is true that, compared with the new economy, the old was a state of minority and pupilage, and so far that of a bond-servant (Ga 4:1-3); yet, compared with the state of the surrounding heathen, the choice of Abraham and his seed was a real separation of them to be a Family of God...
Read full commentary →I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. unclean: Gr. common
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<strong>I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself</strong>—<em>Oida kai pepeismai en kyriō Iēsou hoti ouden koinon di' heautou</em> (οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ). <em>Oida kai pepeismai</em> (I know and am persuaded) is emphatic—Paul's conviction is certain. <em>En kyriō Iēsou</em> (in the Lord Jesus) grounds this in Chris...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **I know, and am persuaded.**—The Apostle clearly identifies himself with the less scrupulous party. For one of his intense penetration and grasp on the realities of things, any other position was impossible. But while these essential features in the Apostle’s character find the noblest expression, we cannot but note his attitude of gentle forbearance towards those whose faith is less deep an...
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**5. Whose are the fathers--**here, probably, the three great fathers of the covenant--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--by whom God condescended to name Himself (Ex 8:6, 13; Lu 20:37).
**and--**most exalted privilege of all, and as such, reserved to the last.
**of whom as concerning the flesh--**(See on Ro 1:3).
**Christ came--**or, "is Christ"
**who is over all, God--**rather, "God over all."
...
Read full commentary →But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably . Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. charitably: Gr. according to charity
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<strong>But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably</strong>—<em>Ei gar dia brōma ho adelphos sou lypeītai, ouketi kata agapēn peripateis</em> (εἰ γὰρ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς). <em>Lypeītai</em> (λυπέω, is grieved/wounded) is stronger than annoyance—spiritual harm, conscience violation. <em>Kata agapēn peripateis</em> (κατὰ ἀ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **But.**—The true reading is undoubtedly *For,* the connection of which is somewhat difficult to trace. It appears to leap over Romans 14:14, and go back to Romans 14:13. We may suppose that the substance of this verse recurs to the Apostle’s mind after the parenthetical statement just inserted, and though he does not repeat it in words, he connects on to it the sequence of his thought. “The ...
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**6. Not as though the word of God had taken none effect--**"hath fallen to the ground," that is, failed: compare Lu 16:17, Greek.
**for they are not all Israel which are of Israel--**better, "for not all they which are of Israel are Israel." Here the apostle enters upon the profound subject of Election, the treatment of which extends to the end of the eleventh chapter--"Think not that I mourn o...
Read full commentary →Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
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<strong>Let not then your good be evil spoken of</strong>—The imperative μὴ βλασφημείσθω (mē blasphēmeisthō, 'let not be blasphemed') is passive voice, indicating that the 'strong' believers' exercise of freedom (τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὑμῶν, 'your good thing') can become an occasion for slander by others. The term βλασφημέω (blasphēmeō) is strong—used elsewhere for blaspheming God (Romans 2:24)—suggesting that...
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(16) **Your good.**—That blessing of Christian liberty which you enjoy. This is not to be used so as to give rise to reproaches and recriminations which will make a bad impression on the outside world.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-9. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children--**"Not in the line of mere fleshly descent from Abraham does the election run; else Ishmael, Hagar's child, and even Keturah's children, would be included, which they were not."
**but--**the true election are such of Abraham's seed as God unconditionally chooses, as exemplified in that promise.
**in Isaac shall thy se...
Read full commentary →For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
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<strong>For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost</strong>—<em>Ou gar estin hē basileia tou theou brōsis kai posis, alla dikaiosynē kai eirēnē kai chara en pneumati hagiō</em> (οὐ γὰρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις, ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ χαρὰ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ). <em>Hē basileia tou theou</em> (the kingdom of God) is Go...
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(17) **Meat and drink.**—Strictly, *eating and drinking.*
**Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.**—By “righteousness and peace” is not here meant imputed righteousness, or justification and reconciliation with God, but rather the moral condition of righteousness in the Christian himself, and concord with his fellow-men. These are crowned in the confirmed Christian by that feeling o...
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**7-9. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children--**"Not in the line of mere fleshly descent from Abraham does the election run; else Ishmael, Hagar's child, and even Keturah's children, would be included, which they were not."
**but--**the true election are such of Abraham's seed as God unconditionally chooses, as exemplified in that promise.
**in Isaac shall thy se...
Read full commentary →For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
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<strong>For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men</strong>—<em>Ho gar en toutō douleuōn tō Christō euarestos tō theō kai dokimos tois anthrōpois</em> (ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις). <em>En toutō</em> (in these things) refers back to righteousness, peace, joy (v. 17)—kingdom realities. <em>Douleuōn tō Christ...
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(18) **In these things.**—The more correct reading is, *in this *(*way*)*.* The meaning, however, is the same.
**Serveth Christ.**—Here the principle of unity which holds together different sides and manifestations of the Christian character is indicated.
**Approved of men.**—So that He will not be “evil spoken of,” as the uncompromising legalist or anti-legalist is apt to be.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-9. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children--**"Not in the line of mere fleshly descent from Abraham does the election run; else Ishmael, Hagar's child, and even Keturah's children, would be included, which they were not."
**but--**the true election are such of Abraham's seed as God unconditionally chooses, as exemplified in that promise.
**in Isaac shall thy se...
Read full commentary →Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
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<strong>Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another</strong>—<em>Ara oun ta tēs eirēnēs diōkōmen kai ta tēs oikodomēs tēs eis allēlous</em> (ἄρα οὖν τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης διώκωμεν καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους). <em>Diōkōmen</em> (διώκω, pursue/follow after) is vigorous—actively chase, not passively wait. <em>Ta tēs eirēnēs</em> (the t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Let us therefore follow.**—The best MSS. have the indicative mood, “so then we follow.” There is, however, some good support for the Received text, especially in the patristic quotations and versions; and mistakes of this kind were peculiarly liable to be made.
**Edify.**—The word has unfortunately lost its freshness of meaning, but we have no other single equivalent for it in English. It i...
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**10-13. And not only this; but when Rebecca, &c.--**It might be thought that there was a natural reason for preferring the child of Sarah, as being Abraham's true and first wife, both to the child of Hagar, Sarah's maid, and to the children of Keturah, his second wife. But there could be no such reason in the case of Rebecca, Isaac's only wife; for the choice of her son Jacob was the choice o...
Read full commentary →For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For meat destroy not the work of God</strong>—<em>Mē heneken brōmatos katalye to ergon tou theou</em> (μὴ ἕνεκεν βρώματος κατάλυε τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ). <em>Katalyō</em> (καταλύω, destroy/tear down) is violent—demolish, dismantle. <em>To ergon tou theou</em> (the work of God) is the believer God has regenerated, the church God is building. Paul's rhetorical question shocks: will you demolish ...
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(20) **Destroy not.**—A different word from that employed in Romans 14:15. It is the correlative and opposite of “edify,” and means to “unbuild” or “pull down.”
**The work of God.**—The fabric which the grace of God has begun, and which the edification of Christians by each other may help to raise in the soul; the gradual formation of a truly Christian character, both spiritual and moral.
**For th...
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**10-13. And not only this; but when Rebecca, &c.--**It might be thought that there was a natural reason for preferring the child of Sarah, as being Abraham's true and first wife, both to the child of Hagar, Sarah's maid, and to the children of Keturah, his second wife. But there could be no such reason in the case of Rebecca, Isaac's only wife; for the choice of her son Jacob was the choice o...
Read full commentary →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.
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<strong>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</strong>—<em>Kalon to mē phagein krea mēde piein oinon mēde en hō ho adelphos sou proskoptei</em> (καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει). <em>Kalon</em> (καλός, good/noble) elevates voluntary abstinence to virtue—not legalis...
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(21) **It is good neither to eat flesh.**—These direct, clear, incisive sentences are as characteristic of the style of the Apostle (when he is dealing with moral questions of present urgency, and not with the abstract problems of theology) as the generous impulse which prompts them is of his heart.
**Any thing**—*i.e.,* *to do anything;* all three words have to be supplied.
**Or is offended, or i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-13. And not only this; but when Rebecca, &c.--**It might be thought that there was a natural reason for preferring the child of Sarah, as being Abraham's true and first wife, both to the child of Hagar, Sarah's maid, and to the children of Keturah, his second wife. But there could be no such reason in the case of Rebecca, Isaac's only wife; for the choice of her son Jacob was the choice o...
Read full commentary →Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
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<strong>Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God</strong>—<em>Sy pistin ēn echeis kata seauton eche enōpion tou theou</em> (σὺ πίστιν ἣν ἔχεις κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ). <em>Pistin</em> (πίστις, faith/conviction) here means personal persuasion about disputable matters (v. 5, 'fully persuaded in his own mind'). <em>Kata seauton eche</em> (have it to yourself) doesn't mean hide your c...
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(22) **Hast thou faith?**—It is with some reluctance that in deference to the union of the four best MSS. we give up the Received text here, and substitute (by the insertion of the relative) “The faith which thou hast, have to thyself before God,” *i.e.,* reserve the exhibition of it to the privacy of your own direct communion with God, and do not display it ostentatiously in public where it may d...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-13. And not only this; but when Rebecca, &c.--**It might be thought that there was a natural reason for preferring the child of Sarah, as being Abraham's true and first wife, both to the child of Hagar, Sarah's maid, and to the children of Keturah, his second wife. But there could be no such reason in the case of Rebecca, Isaac's only wife; for the choice of her son Jacob was the choice o...
Read full commentary →And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. doubteth: or, discerneth and putteth a difference between meats damned: or, condemned, or liable to punishment
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith</strong>—<em>Ho de diakrinomenos ean phagē katakekritai, hoti ouk ek pisteōs</em> (ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος ἐὰν φάγῃ κατακέκριται, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως). <em>Diakrinomenos</em> (διακρίνω, doubting/being divided) means internal conflict, hesitation, uncertainty. <em>Katakritai</em> (κατακρίνω, is condemned) likely means self-c...
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(23) **And he that doubteth.**—The one thing which justifies a man in neglecting such nice and punctilious distinctions is a faith so strong that it can afford to make light of them. Where faith is not strong enough for this, and where the conscience deliberately approves one course, and the other course is chosen, this alone stamps the act as wrong. “He who hesitates as to what he ought to do is ...
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**14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid--**This is the first of two objections to the foregoing doctrine, that God chooses one and rejects another, not on account of their works, but purely in the exercise of His own good pleasure: "This doctrine is inconsistent with the justice of God." The answer to this objection extends to Ro 9:19, where we have the second o...
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