Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 8:11
So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church during a debate over eating food sacrificed to idols. He intervenes when the community's confident use of liberty threatens those with unformed consciences.
The words — ἀπόλλυται (apollutai) means "is destroyed," and γνώσει (gnōsei) translates as "knowledge." The text states that the weak brother is destroyed through your knowledge before drawing the moral conclusion.
The thread — The same dynamic appears in Romans 14:15, where distress over food counts as destroying a brother, and in Romans 15:1, which orders the strong to bear the weak. Paul restates it in 1 Corinthians 8:13 by pledging never to eat meat again to prevent a brother from stumbling.
Why it lands — The verse requires believers to prioritize spiritual preservation over informational rights. It asks readers to evaluate their conduct by its capacity to wound a brother's conscience rather than by the accuracy of their own understanding.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
Cross-references
- Romans 14:15 If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.
- Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
- 1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.
- Romans 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.
- 1 Corinthians 10:33 as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.