Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 10:30
For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
30. by grace ] Rather, with gratefulness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For if I by grace be a partaker – Or rather, If I partake by grace; if by the grace and mercy of God, I have a right to partake of this; yet why should I so conduct as to expose myself to the reproaches and evil surmises of others? Why should I lay myself open to be blamed on the subject of eating, when there are so many bounties of Providence for which I may be thankful, and which I may partake of without doing injury, or exposing myself in any manner to be blamed?
Why am I evil spoken of – Why should I pursue such a course as to expose myself to blame or censure?
For that for which I give thanks – For my food. The phrase for which I give thanks seems to be a periphrasis for food, or for that of which he partook to nourish life. It is implied that he always gave thanks for his food; and that this was with him such a universal custom, that the phrase for which I give thanks might be used as convenient and appropriate phraseology to denote his ordinary food. The idea in the verse, then, is this: By the favor of God, I have a right to partake of this food. But if I did, I should be evil spoken of, and do injury. And it is unnecessary. God has made ample provision elsewhere for my support, for which I may be thankful. I will not therefore expose myself to calumny and reproach, or be the occasion of injury to others by partaking of the food offered in sacrifice to idols.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 30. 1Co 10:29
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
If I by grace be a partaker; if I by the goodness of God, whose the earth is, and the fulness thereof; or by the grace of knowledge, by which God hath given me to understand that I may do that, as to which others less knowing stumble; can eat such meat (out of the idols temple) as part of it hath been offered to the idol, or with thanksgiving partake of such meat, (for so signifies, Luk 6:32; 17:9), why am I blasphemed, or evil spoken of, for that for which I can give God thanks? That is, I ought not to cause another to speak evil of me for using of meat, but rather than run that danger, to abstain from such meat which I could otherwise eat of, and give God thanks: for in so doing I should but abuse my liberty, and instead of giving God thanks, I should grievously offend God, not at all consulting his glory.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
30. ForThe oldest manuscriptsomit “For.”
by gracerather,”thankfully” [ALFORD].
I . . . be partakerIpartake of the food set before me.
evil spoken ofby himwho does not use his liberty, but will eat nothing withoutscrupulosity and questioning whence the meat comes.
give thankswhichconsecrates all the Christian’s acts (Rom 14:6;1Ti 4:3; 1Ti 4:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For if I by grace be a partaker,…. Either of Christian liberty, through the grace of God; or of the creatures God has given men to eat of through his goodness, and which are enjoyed by the saints with thankfulness:
why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? that is, why should I expose myself to evil tongues, the blasphemies and reproaches of men, by eating things of this kind, under this circumstance, when there are so many creatures I can use without offence, and be thankful for? or why should my liberty be reproached through an imprudent use of it, for which I have the utmost reason to be thankful? wherefore upon the whole it is best to deny one’s self in such a case, rather than risk one’s character, the glory of God, and the honour of religion.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Paul carries on the supposed objective to his principle of love. Why incur the risk of being evil spoken of () for the sake of maintaining one’s liberty? Is it worth it? See Ro 14:6 where Paul justifies the conscience of one who eats the meat and of one who does not. Saying grace over food that one should not eat seems inconsistent. We have this very word blaspheme in English.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
By grace [] . Better, as Rev., in margin, with thankfulness : with an unsullied conscience, so that I can sincerely give thanks for my food. Compare Rom 14:6; 1Ti 4:4, 5, Am I evil – spoken of [] . In the gospels this word, of which blaspheme is a transcript, has, as in the Septuagint, the special sense of treating the name of God with scorn. So Mt 9:3; Mt 26:65; Joh 10:36. In the epistles frequently as here, with the classical meaning of slandering or defaming.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For if I by grace be a partaker. (ei ego chariti metecho) “If I (saved by grace) partake or eat an idol sacrifice, after being told what it is.” -hypothetical usage for purpose of emphasis – Even though the eating would not hurt Paul, he still considers the welfare of others.
2) “Why am I evil spoken of.” (ti blasphemoumai) “Why am I evil spoken of, blasphemed, or denounced?” Men of heathen conscience, beholding Christians knowingly give thanks over food devoted to idols, regarded such actions a sacrilegious indulgence and denounced it as two-faced hypocrisy.
3) “For that for which I give thanks? “ (huper ou ego euchaeristo) “Because of what I give thanks for or over?” Why, Paul rhetorically asks, is there good sense in my praying over food already dedicated to idols, while claiming there is one God, and one Saviour? Such is revolting hypocrisy, deceit. One may be sincere and devout on his part yet do something that the world considers scandalous or grossly irreverent, such as playing ball on Sunday, or going to a religious, clean movie. If such be not wrong for the individual Christian, yet because it might be considered scandalous or irreverent to unbelievers, children of God would do well to forego such – See? 1Co 8:12-13; Rom 12:1-2.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
30. If therefore by grace. This argument is similar to the preceding one, or nearly so. “As it is owing to the kindness of God that all things are lawful for me, why should I act in such a manner, that it should be reckoned to my account as a vice?” We cannot, it is true, prevent the wicked from reviling us, nor even the weak from being sometimes displeased with us; but Paul here reproves the forwardness of those, who of their own accord give occasion of offense, and hurt weak consciences, when neither necessity or expediency calls for it. He would have us, then, make a good use of our benefits, (604) that the weak may not have occasion of reviling from our inconsiderate use of liberty.
(604) “ C’est a dire, de nestre liberte;” — “That is to say, of our liberty.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(30) For if I by grace be a partaker.Better, If I thankfully partake, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Such a question might be asked by some who object to the restriction on their liberty which the advice just given implies. To the querulous objector the Apostle gives no definitely limited reply. He lays down in the following verses the great principles which should guide all Christian life, and by which therefore every detail of it should be regulated.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. For In enforcement of this view of the rights of his own conscience.
By grace And, therefore, rightfully.
Give thanks In a devout and conscientious spirit.
Why evil spoken of For I act in accordance with my own moral and religious nature.
We have given what we think to be clearly the sense of 1Co 10:28-30. But there are several other interpretations, of which we need notice but two.
1. That maintained by Stanley and others, which makes the two verses to be the objection of others, perhaps contained in the Corinthian letter, to Paul’s doctrine of compliance with the weak brother’s scruples on the ground that it is consenting to be judged by another’s conscience. The view is plausible, but it is not easy to see that the following verse (1Co 10:31) aims to be any reply to such an objection. On the contrary, the therefore seems to imply a conclusion drawn in accordance with 1Co 10:29-30.
2. The view of Alford, after Meyer, which makes 1Co 10:29 mean: For why incur by my license a condemnation from my fellow-Christian’s conscience? It makes 1Co 10:30 also say that I must not induce my good procedure to be evil spoken of. Such an interpretation accords well with the train of thought. But it cannot easily be forced upon 1Co 10:30, for that verse is clearly the utterance of one who is sure he is right, and therein ought not to be maligned by another.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 10:30. For, if I, &c. For, if I eat or partake with thanksgiving.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
Ver. 30. For if I by grace ] Or, by thanksgiving. The same Greek word, , signifies both; to teach us, that a grateful man is a gracious man. The unthankful and the evil are set together as the same, Luk 6:35 . God is “kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
grace. App-184.
evil spoken of. Greek. blasphemeo. Same as “defamed” (1Co 4:13).
give thanks. Greek. eucharisteo. See Act 27:35.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Co 10:30. , I) This expression has reference to his legitimate power [See 1Co 10:23].- , why am I evil spoken of) by him, who does not use his liberty, i.e. no man can reprove me (but , to speak calumniously of, is even worse), as if I were acting contrary to my conscience.- , for which) i.e. why am I assailed with reproaches for my thanksgiving?-, I give thanks) Thanksgiving sanctifies all meat; it denies the authority of idols, and asserts the authority of God.-1Ti 4:3-4; Rom 14:6.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 10:30
1Co 10:30
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?-In this Paul seeks to induce the strong to respect the scruples of the weak. They might eat of sacrificial meat at private tables with freedom, so far as they themselves were concerned; but why, he asks, should they do it so as to give offense, and cause the weak to stumble and speak evil of them?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
grace: or, thanksgiving
for which: Rom 14:6, 1Ti 4:3, 1Ti 4:4
Reciprocal: 1Sa 9:13 – he doth bless Mar 8:6 – gave thanks Luk 9:16 – he blessed Act 2:46 – did Act 27:35 – and gave Rom 14:3 – judge Rom 14:16 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Co 10:30. This verse means the same as the preceding one.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 10:30. If I by grace partake, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? In short,
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Sacrificing To Save A Brother
Obviously, the strong could have been thankful for any meat and eaten. The apostle asked whether they should allow their freedom to cause another to fall and speak evil of them? He wanted the brethren to realize they should be willing to give up all rights so God’s purposes might be furthered. Nothing was to be done to cause others to either remain in, or fall back into sin. Paul’s main purpose was to save men. He was willing to sacrifice privileges to accomplish that purpose ( 1 Corinthians 10:3033 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Vv. 30. If I with thanksgiving be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
The asyndeton of itself proves that this verse reaffirms and explains the idea of the foregoing. It brings out still more forcibly the absurdity of the strong Christian’s conduct by the revolting contradiction which would arise between the thanksgiving with which he partakes of the food offered to him, and the wounding of the conscience testified by the blame of the weak. What! that for which a believer gives thanks, the other converts into a ground of defamation against him! This is what is expressed by the word . What sort of religion is that? the heathen would say, who were witnesses of both actions. The apostle concludes by stating generally the principle which, in such matters of Christian liberty, ought to be the supreme guide of the believer’s conduct:
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? [The conscience of another man does not make it wrong for me to do that which I am not only permitted to do by my own conscience, but which I even do in a spirit of prayerful thankfulness. Nor does my doing such a thing give him, or any other, a right to speak evil of me, for I do not have to change my conscience to suit the judgment of others. In theory Paul sided with the strong, but in sympathy he was one with the weak; yet he did not permit them to exercise a vexatious tyranny over him because of their scruples.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
10:30 For if I by {y} grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
(y) If I may through God’s grace eat this meat or that meat, why should I through my fault cause that benefit of God to turn to my blame?
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Paul brought his own conduct in similar situations into the picture. He had eaten non-kosher food with Gentiles, but in the argument preceding this verse he advocated abstaining from such food when eating with pagans. The key, of course, is that sacrificial meat was only off limits for Paul when it offended the moral consciousness of the pagans he was with, not all the time.
"The blessing offered at one’s meal, predicated on God’s prior ownership of all things, means that no fellow Christian may condemn another on this question." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 488.]
The Christian can give thanks to God for whatever he or she eats, but we should limit our own liberty out of consideration for what other people think is proper. We do not need to alter our convictions for the sake of others even though they speak evil of us, as the Corinthians did of Paul (cf. 1Co 9:19-23). Nevertheless we should be willing to change our behavior for the sake of unbelievers.