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1 Corinthians 8

1 Cor. 8:4 KJV (With Strong’s)

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4
As concerning
ho (Greek #3588)
the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)
KJV usage: the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.
Pronounce: ho
Origin: ἡ (hay), and the neuter τό (to) in all their inflections
peri (Greek #4012)
properly, through (all over), i.e. around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period)
KJV usage: (there-)about, above, against, at, on behalf of, X and his company, which concern, (as) concerning, for, X how it will go with, ((there-, where-)) of, on, over, pertaining (to), for sake, X (e-)state, (as) touching, (where-)by (in), with. In comparative, it retains substantially the same meaning of circuit (around), excess (beyond), or completeness (through).
Pronounce: per-ee'
Origin: from the base of 4008
therefore
oun (Greek #3767)
(adverbially) certainly, or (conjunctionally) accordingly
KJV usage: and (so, truly), but, now (then), so (likewise then), then, therefore, verily, wherefore.
Pronounce: oon
Origin: apparently a primary word
the eating
ho (Greek #3588)
the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)
KJV usage: the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.
Pronounce: ho
Origin: ἡ (hay), and the neuter τό (to) in all their inflections
brosis (Greek #1035)
(abstractly) eating (literally or figuratively); by extension (concretely) food (literally or figuratively)
KJV usage: eating, food, meat.
Pronounce: bro'-sis
Origin: from the base of 977
of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols
eidolothuton (Greek #1494)
an image-sacrifice, i.e. part of an idolatrous offering
KJV usage: (meat, thing that is) offered (in sacrifice, sacrificed) to (unto) idols.
Pronounce: i-do-loth'-oo-ton
Origin: neuter of a compound of 1497 and a presumed derivative of 2380
, we know
eido (Greek #1492)
used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent 3700 and 3708; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense only) to know
KJV usage: be aware, behold, X can (+ not tell), consider, (have) know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Compare 3700.
Pronounce: i'-do
Origin: a primary verb
that
hoti (Greek #3754)
demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because
KJV usage: as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.
Pronounce: hot'-ee
Origin: neuter of 3748 as conjunction
an idol
eidolon (Greek #1497)
an image (i.e. for worship); by implication, a heathen god, or (plural) the worship of such
KJV usage: idol.
Pronounce: i'-do-lon
Origin: from 1491
c is nothing
oudeis (Greek #3762)
not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing
KJV usage: any (man), aught, man, neither any (thing), never (man), no (man), none (+ of these things), not (any, at all, -thing), nought.
Pronounce: oo-dice'
Origin: οὐδεμία (oo-dem-ee'-ah), and neuter οὐδέν (oo-den') from 3761 and 1520
in
en (Greek #1722)
"in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.
KJV usage: about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.
Pronounce: en
Origin: a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537)
the world
kosmos (Greek #2889)
orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by implication, the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively (morally))
KJV usage: adorning, world.
Pronounce: kos'-mos
Origin: probably from the base of 2865
, and
kai (Greek #2532)
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
KJV usage: and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.
Pronounce: kahee
Origin: apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force
that
hoti (Greek #3754)
demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because
KJV usage: as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.
Pronounce: hot'-ee
Origin: neuter of 3748 as conjunction
there is none
oudeis (Greek #3762)
not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing
KJV usage: any (man), aught, man, neither any (thing), never (man), no (man), none (+ of these things), not (any, at all, -thing), nought.
Pronounce: oo-dice'
Origin: οὐδεμία (oo-dem-ee'-ah), and neuter οὐδέν (oo-den') from 3761 and 1520
other
heteros (Greek #2087)
(an-, the) other or different
KJV usage: altered, else, next (day), one, (an-)other, some, strange.
Pronounce: het'-er-os
Origin: of uncertain affinity
e God
theos (Greek #2316)
a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very
KJV usage: X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).
Pronounce: theh'-os
Origin: of uncertain affinity
but
ei (Greek #1487)
if, whether, that, etc.
KJV usage: forasmuch as, if, that, (al-)though, whether. Often used in connection or composition with other particles, especially as in 1489, 1490, 1499, 1508, 1509, 1512, 1513, 1536, 1537. See also 1437.
Pronounce: i
Origin: a primary particle of conditionality
one
me (Greek #3361)
(adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas 3756 expects an affirmative one)) whether
KJV usage: any but (that), X forbear, + God forbid, + lack, lest, neither, never, no (X wise in), none, nor, (can-)not, nothing, that not, un(-taken), without. Often used in compounds in substantially the same relations. See also 3362, 3363, 3364, 3372, 3373, 3375, 3378.
Pronounce: may
Origin: a primary particle of qualified negation (whereas 3756 expresses an absolute denial)
heis (Greek #1520)
a primary numeral; one
KJV usage: a(-n, -ny, certain), + abundantly, man, one (another), only, other, some. See also 1527, 3367, 3391, 3762.
Pronounce: hice
Origin: (including the neuter (etc.) ἕν)
.
c
Isa. 41:24• 24Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you. … (Isa. 41:24)
e
Deut. 4:39• 39Thou shalt know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that Jehovah, he is God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deut. 4:39)
;
Isa. 44:8,24• 8Fear not, neither be afraid. Have I not caused thee to hear from that time, and have declared it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a +God beside me? yea, there is no Rock: I know not any.
 24Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, the maker of all things; who alone stretched out the heavens, who did spread forth the earth by myself; (Isa. 44:8,24)

More on:

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God,
Idolatry,
Sacrifice,
The World

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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we know.
1 Cor. 10:19‑20• 19What then do I say? that what is sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
 20But that what the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Now I do not wish you to be in communion with demons. (1 Cor. 10:19‑20)
;
Psa. 115:4‑8• 4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands:
 5They have a mouth, and they speak not; eyes have they, and they see not;
 6They have ears, and they hear not; a nose have they, and they smell not;
 7They have hands, and they handle not; feet have they, and they walk not; they give no sound through their throat.
 8They that make them are like unto them,--every one that confideth in them. (Psa. 115:4‑8)
;
Isa. 41:24• 24Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you. … (Isa. 41:24)
;
Isa. 44:8‑9• 8Fear not, neither be afraid. Have I not caused thee to hear from that time, and have declared it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a +God beside me? yea, there is no Rock: I know not any.
 9They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable things are of no profit; and they are their own witnesses: they see not, nor know;--that they may be ashamed. (Isa. 44:8‑9)
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Jer. 10:14• 14Every man is become brutish, bereft of knowledge; every founder is put to shame by the graven image, for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (Jer. 10:14)
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Jer. 51:17‑18• 17Every man is become brutish, so as to have no knowledge; every founder is put to shame by the graven image, for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
 18They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. (Jer. 51:17‑18)
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Hab. 2:19‑20• 19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake! to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall it teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
 20But Jehovah is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him! (Hab. 2:19‑20)
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Acts 19:26• 26and ye see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great crowd, not only of Ephesus, but almost of all Asia, saying that they are no gods which are made with hands. (Acts 19:26)
there is.
1 Cor. 8:6• 6yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom all things, and *we* for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and *we* by him. (1 Cor. 8:6)
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Deut. 3:24• 24Lord Jehovah, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy powerful hand; for what *God is in the heavens or in the earth that can do like to thy works, and like to thy might? (Deut. 3:24)
;
Deut. 4:39• 39Thou shalt know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that Jehovah, he is God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deut. 4:39)
;
Deut. 6:4• 4Hear, Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah; (Deut. 6:4)
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Deut. 32:39• 39See now that I, I am HE, And there is no god with me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal, And there is none that delivereth out of my hand, (Deut. 32:39)
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Isa. 37:16,20• 16Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, who sittest between the cherubim, thou, the Same, thou alone art the God of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made the heavens and the earth.
 20And now, Jehovah our God, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, thou only. (Isa. 37:16,20)
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Isa. 44:6,8,24• 6Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God.
 8Fear not, neither be afraid. Have I not caused thee to hear from that time, and have declared it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a +God beside me? yea, there is no Rock: I know not any.
 24Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, the maker of all things; who alone stretched out the heavens, who did spread forth the earth by myself; (Isa. 44:6,8,24)
;
Isa. 45:5,14• 5I am Jehovah, and there is none else; there is no God beside me: I girded thee, and thou hast not known me;
 14Thus saith Jehovah: The wealth of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall walk after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall bow down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely *God is in thee; and there is none else, no other God. … (Isa. 45:5,14)
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Jer. 10:10• 10But Jehovah Elohim is truth; he is the living God, and the King of eternity. At his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations cannot abide his indignation. (Jer. 10:10)
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Mark 12:29• 29And Jesus answered him, The first commandment of all is, Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; (Mark 12:29)
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Eph. 4:6• 6one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all. (Eph. 4:6)
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1 Tim. 1:17• 17Now to the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only God, honour and glory to the ages of ages. Amen. (1 Tim. 1:17)
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1 Tim. 2:5• 5For God is one, and the mediator of God and men one, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Tim. 2:5)
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Jude 25• 25to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen. (Jude 25)
• There were no such beings as they associated with their idols. Later on he shows there were demons behind, as indeed the law intimated. (Deut. 32:17). (“Notes on 1 Corinthians 8” by W. Kelly)

J. N. Darby Translation

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4
—concerning then the eating of things sacrificed to idols, wea know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God save one.

JND Translation Notes

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a
Two Greek words are used for "to know" in the New Testament -- ginosko and oida. The former signifies objective knowledge, what a man has learned or acquired. The English expression "being acquainted with" perhaps conveys the meaning. Oida conveys the thought of what is inward, the inward consciousness in the mind, intuitive knowledge not immediately derived from what is external. The difference between the two words is illustrated in John 8.55, "ye know (ginosko) him not; but I know (oida) him"; in John 13.7, "What I do thou dost not know (oida) now, but thou shalt know (ginosko) hereafter"; and in Heb. 8.11, "they shall not teach ... saying, Know (ginosko) the Lord; because all shall know (oida) me." The word oida is used of Christ as knowing the Father, and as knowing the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, of Paul's knowledge of a "man in Christ," and of the Christian's knowledge that he has eternal life. "I know whom I have believed," 2 Tim. 1.12 -- I have the inward conscious knowledge of who the person is. see also 1 Cor. 16.15; 2 Tim. 3.14 and 15 -- all of these refer to inward conscious knowledge. The difference between the significance of the two words is often slight; and objective knowledge may pass into conscious knowledge, but not vice versa. The Greek for conscience is derived from oida. see ch. 4.4, "I am conscious of nothing in myself," that is, not conscious of any fault. In the present passage, "We know that an idol is nothing" is conscious knowledge. "we all have knowledge" and "knowledge puffs up" is objective knowledge. "If any one think he knows (conscious knowledge), he knows (objectively) nothing yet as he ought to know it (objectively)." "he is known (objectively) of him," so "knowledge," ver. 10.

W. Kelly Translation

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4
Concerning the eating, then, of the things sacrificed to idols, we know that [there isa] no idol in [the] world, and that [there is] no Godb save one.

WK Translation Notes

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a
It would seem also that the parallelism in the last clause of verse 4 favours the translating as "there is no idol," rather than, "an idol is nothing in the world," though in itself equally legitimate. It is quite true that the idols of the Gentiles are vanities and impotence; but here the apostle appears to affirm that they had no existence in the world. There were no such beings as they associated with their idols. Later on he shows there were demons behind, as indeed the law intimated.
b
"Other" is not in many MSS.