Romans 14:20
◄  Romans 14:20  ►
New International Version (©2011)
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Do not tear down God's work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.

International Standard Version (©2012)
Do not destroy God's action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat.

NET Bible (©2006)
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
And let us not destroy a Servant of God because of food, for everything is pure, but it is evil to a man who eats with offense.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Don't ruin God's work because of what you eat. All food is acceptable, but it's wrong for a person to eat something if it causes someone else to have doubts.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
For food destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offense.

American King James Version
For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offense.

American Standard Version
Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Destroy not the work of God for meat. All things indeed are clean: but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Darby Bible Translation
For the sake of meat do not destroy the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil to that man who eats while stumbling in doing so.

English Revised Version
Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the sake of food, destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense.

Weymouth New Testament
Do not for food's sake be throwing down God's work. All food is pure; but a man is in the wrong if his food is a snare to others.

World English Bible
Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.

Young's Literal Translation
for the sake of victuals cast not down the work of God; all things, indeed, are pure, but evil is to the man who is eating through stumbling.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

14:19-23 Many wish for peace, and talk loudly for it, who do not follow the things that make for peace. Meekness, humility, self-denial, and love, make for peace. We cannot edify one another, while quarrelling and contending. Many, for meat and drink, destroy the work of God in themselves; nothing more destroys the soul than pampering and pleasing the flesh, and fulfilling the lusts of it; so others are hurt, by wilful offence given. Lawful things may be done unlawfully, by giving offence to brethren. This takes in all indifferent things, whereby a brother is drawn into sin or trouble; or has his graces, his comforts, or his resolutions weakened. Hast thou faith? It is meant of knowledge and clearness as to our Christian liberty. Enjoy the comfort of it, but do not trouble others by a wrong use of it. Nor may we act against a doubting conscience. How excellent are the blessings of Christ's kingdom, which consists not in outward rites and ceremonies, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost! How preferable is the service of God to all other services! and in serving him we are not called to live and die to ourselves, but unto Christ, whose we are, and whom we ought to serve.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For meat destroy not the work of God,.... The Syriac reads it, "the works of God"; referring either to righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, of which the kingdom of God consists; or to the weak brother, who both as a creature, and as a new creature, is the workmanship of God; and to the good work of grace, the work of faith upon his soul, which is the work of God; or rather to his peace, and the peace of the church of Christ, which is both the will and work of God; peace is what he calls his people to, and what he himself is the author of; and may be destroyed, and sometimes is, by trifling things; whereas a true believer, though ever so weak, cannot be destroyed, nor the good work of God upon his soul be lost, nor any part of it; not the work of faith, which Christ prays for that it fail not, and is both the author and finisher of; but the work of peace and edification in particular persons, and in a church, may be destroyed, but it is pity it should, by so small a matter, so trivial a thing as meat, or the use of anything that is indifferent:

all things indeed are pure. The Ethiopic version adds, "to the pure"; to them that have pure consciences, sprinkled by the blood of Christ, and have no doubt or scruple about eating things indifferent; but this addition seems to be taken out of Titus 1:15; though it may serve to explain the sense, which is, that all sorts of food, without any distinction, may be eaten; there is nothing common or unclean, every creature in itself is good, and every Christian may lawfully eat thereof, with moderation and thankfulness. This is a concession which stands thus corrected and restrained,

but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. The Arabic version adds, "of his neighbour"; which is a good interpretation of the passage; for the apostle means not with offence to a man's own conscience, though so to eat is an evil too, but with offence to a fellow Christian; it is not an evil in itself to eat, but when this circumstance of offending another thereby attends it; it is evil, though not in itself, yet in its consequences; it offends a weak brother, displeases Christ, who would not have one of his little ones offended, and brings a woe upon the person by whom the offence comes. The Ethiopic version reads, "who eats inordinately"; which to be sure is sinful, but is not the meaning here.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. For—"For the sake of"

meat destroy not the work of God—(See on [2260]Ro 14:15). The apostle sees in whatever tends to violate a brother's conscience the incipient destruction of God's work (for every converted man is such)—on the same principle as "he that hateth his brother is a murderer" (1Jo 3:15).

All things indeed are pure—"clean"; the ritual distinctions being at an end.

but it is evil to that man—there is criminality in the man

who eateth with offence—that is, so as to stumble a weak brother.

Romans 14:20 Parallel Commentaries

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Do Not Cause Your Brother to Stumble
…19Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things with which one may edify another. 20For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offense. 21It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. …

Acts 10:15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
Romans 14:2 One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
Romans 14:14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Romans 14:15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.
1 Corinthians 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
1 Corinthians 8:11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.