Romans / Chapter 14

Romans 14

23 verses • SBL Greek New Testament 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Romans 14 addresses disputes between the 'weak' and 'strong' within the Roman church over food restrictions and the observance of special days. Paul argues that both positions are legitimate expressions of faith and that neither group should despise or judge the other, since each person stands or falls before their own Lord. The chapter establishes key principles: the kingdom of God is not about food and drink but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; each person will give an account to God; and no one should put a stumbling block before a brother or sister for whom Christ died.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Paul's pastoral approach here is remarkable for its balance. He clearly agrees with the 'strong' that all foods are clean (v. 14, 'I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself'), yet he devotes the entire chapter to urging the strong not to use their correct theology as a weapon against the weak. The twice-repeated 'Christ died and lived again' formula (vv. 9, 15) grounds the ethics of tolerance in Christology. The quotation of Isaiah 45:23 (v. 11) — a monotheistic confession in Isaiah — is applied to Christ as the one before whom every knee will bow.

Translation Friction

The identity of the 'weak' and 'strong' is debated. The weak may be Jewish Christians maintaining Torah food laws, Gentile Christians influenced by ascetic philosophy, or a mixed group with various scruples. Paul does not fully identify them, and the labels 'weak' and 'strong' may reflect the groups' own self-designations or Paul's assessment. The statement 'nothing is unclean in itself' (v. 14) appears to set aside Levitical food laws entirely, which raises questions about the continuity of Torah for Jewish believers.

Connections

The 'weak and strong' discussion parallels 1 Corinthians 8-10 (food offered to idols). The phrase 'we do not live to ourselves' (v. 7) echoes Galatians 2:20. The Isaiah 45:23 quotation (v. 11) is also used in Philippians 2:10-11. The 'stumbling block' language (v. 13) connects to the stumbling stone of 9:32-33. The kingdom language (v. 17) echoes Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God. **Tradition comparisons:** The Latin Vulgate shaped Western theology here: Iustitia et pax et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto (righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit) became a defining triad for the kingdom of God in Western theology — spiritual realities rather than m... See the [Vulgate Romans](/vulgate/romans).

Romans 14:1

Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν.

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

KJV Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb proslambanesthe ('welcome, accept, receive into fellowship') is the same word used for God's acceptance of believers (v. 3, 15:7). The phrase diakriseis dialogismon ('quarrels over opinions, disputes about doubtful matters') indicates that the issues in question are matters of conscience, not core doctrine.
Romans 14:2

ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει.

One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

KJV For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'strong' believer's faith extends to all foods without restriction. The 'weak' believer restricts their diet to vegetables (lachana), likely to avoid any possibility of eating unclean meat or meat associated with idol sacrifice. The vegetarian practice appears to be a strategy of avoidance rather than a principled vegetarianism.
Romans 14:3

ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω, ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο.

Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul identifies the characteristic sins of each group: the strong tend to exoutheneito ('despise, look down on, treat with contempt') the weak as backward, while the weak tend to krineto ('judge, condemn') the strong as worldly. Both responses are forbidden because God has welcomed (proselabeto) both.
Romans 14:4

σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην; τῷ ἰδίῳ κυρίῳ στήκει ἢ πίπτει· σταθήσεται δέ, δυνατεῖ γὰρ ὁ κύριος στῆσαι αὐτόν.

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The metaphor is from household slavery: a servant (oiketen, 'household slave') answers to his own master, not to another household's slaves. The believer's 'master' (kyrio) is Christ. The promise 'he will be upheld' (stathesetai) expresses confidence that God sustains his servants even when they err on secondary matters.
Romans 14:5

ὃς μὲν γὰρ κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ' ἡμέραν, ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν· ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοῒ πληροφορείσθω.

One person considers one day more sacred than another, while another considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

KJV One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. A second issue emerges: the observance of special days, likely Sabbaths and Jewish festivals. Paul's approach is the same as with food — both positions are acceptable. The verb plerophoreitho ('be fully convinced, be fully assured') demands that each person act from genuine conviction, not from peer pressure or unexamined habit.
Romans 14:6

ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίῳ φρονεῖ· καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ· καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐσθίει καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ θεῷ.

The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's criterion is not the practice itself but the intention behind it: both the one who eats and the one who abstains do so kyrio ('to the Lord, for the Lord'). The act of thanksgiving (eucharistei to theo) is the evidence that both practices are oriented toward God. The SBLGNT omits the clause about the one who does not observe the day, found in some manuscripts.
Romans 14:7

οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ζῇ καὶ οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ἀποθνῄσκει·

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

KJV For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse universalizes the principle: the Christian life in its entirety — living and dying — belongs to the Lord, not to the individual. Self-autonomy is displaced by christological ownership.
Romans 14:8

ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, τῷ κυρίῳ ζῶμεν· ἐάν τε ἀποθνῄσκωμεν, τῷ κυρίῳ ἀποθνῄσκομεν. ἐάν τε οὖν ζῶμεν ἐάν τε ἀποθνῄσκωμεν, τοῦ κυρίου ἐσμέν.

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold repetition builds to the climactic declaration tou kyriou esmen ('we belong to the Lord'). This ownership by Christ is the basis for Christian freedom from human judgment — since we belong to the Lord, only his verdict matters. The structure is liturgical, almost creedal.
Romans 14:9

εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ.

For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

KJV For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The SBLGNT has the shorter reading: 'died and lived' (apethanen kai ezesen) rather than 'died, rose, and lived' in the Textus Receptus. The purpose of Christ's death and resurrection is lordship (kyrieuse) over all human existence, encompassing death and life. This lordship is the basis for his exclusive right to judge his servants.
Romans 14:10

σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ θεοῦ.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul addresses both groups in turn — the judging weak and the despising strong — using the second person singular for direct challenge. The phrase bemati tou theou ('judgment seat of God') refers to the eschatological tribunal. The SBLGNT reads 'God' rather than 'Christ' (found in some manuscripts), though both refer to the same judgment.
Romans 14:11

γέγραπται γάρ· Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ.

And every tongue will confess to god, for it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me.

KJV For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23, prefaced with the oath formula from Isaiah 49:18 ('As I live'). In Isaiah, YHWH declares that every knee will bow to him — the ultimate monotheistic claim. Paul applies this to the final judgment, where God (through Christ, as in Philippians 2:10-11) will be the universal judge.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 45:23. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 49:18. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Romans 14:12

ἄρα οὖν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον δώσει τῷ θεῷ.

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

KJV So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase logon dosei ('will give an account, will render a word') is judicial language — each person will explain their life directly to God. The emphasis on 'himself' (heautou) makes judging others irrelevant: focus on your own account, not your neighbor's.
Romans 14:13

μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο κρίνατε μᾶλλον, τὸ μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον.

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul plays on the word krinomen ('judge'): stop judging each other and instead make a judgment (krinate) about your own behavior. The terms proskomma ('stumbling block') and skandalon ('hindrance, trap, cause of falling') refer to actions that cause a weaker believer to violate their conscience.
Romans 14:14

οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ· εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν.

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul reveals his own position: he sides with the strong. The double attestation 'I know and am persuaded' (oida kai pepeismai) is emphatic. The word koinon ('common, unclean') is the technical term for ritually impure food (cf. Mark 7:2, Acts 10:14). Yet Paul immediately qualifies: if someone's conscience regards a food as unclean, for that person it is unclean. Conscience has real moral authority even when objectively mistaken.
Romans 14:15

εἰ γὰρ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς. μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν.

For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

KJV But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb lypeitai ('is grieved, is distressed') indicates real spiritual harm, not mere annoyance. The command 'do not destroy' (me apollye) uses a strong word — apollymi means to ruin or bring to utter loss. The climactic phrase 'for whom Christ died' (hyper hou Christos apethanen) is the ultimate argument: if Christ valued this person enough to die for them, how can you not sacrifice a food preference for them?
Romans 14:16

μὴ βλασφημείσθω οὖν ὑμῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν.

So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.

KJV Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'good' (to agathon) refers to the strong believer's legitimate freedom. The verb blasphemeistho ('be blasphemed, be spoken evil of') indicates that misusing freedom provokes others to slander the faith. Freedom exercised without love becomes a scandal.
Romans 14:17

οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ χαρὰ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ·

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

KJV For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is one of Paul's rare uses of 'the kingdom of God' (he basileia tou theou), a phrase more common in the Gospels. The triad of dikaiosyne ('righteousness'), eirene ('peace'), and chara ('joy') defines the kingdom's essence in relational rather than ritual terms. The phrase 'in the Holy Spirit' (en pneumati hagio) indicates that these qualities are Spirit-produced, not humanly achieved.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 384 CE)

"For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"

Iustitia et pax et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto (righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit) became a defining triad for the kingdom of God in Western theology — spiritual realities rather than material observances. The triad influenced Western spirituality's emphasis on interior states over external practices.

Romans 14:18

ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.

Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by others.

KJV For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Serving Christ 'in this' (en touto) — in righteousness, peace, and joy — gains both divine acceptance (euarestos to theo) and human approval (dokimos tois anthropois). The word dokimos ('approved, tested and found genuine') is a technical term for metals that have passed the assayer's test.
Romans 14:19

ἄρα οὖν τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης διώκωμεν καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους.

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

KJV Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb diokomen ('let us pursue') is the same word used for pursuing hospitality (12:13) — peace and mutual edification require active effort. The word oikodomes ('building up, edification') is an architectural metaphor: the community is a building under construction, and every member's actions either build it up or tear it down.
Romans 14:20

μὴ ἕνεκεν βρώματος κατάλυε τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ. πάντα μὲν καθαρά, ἀλλὰ κακὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίοντι.

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.

KJV For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase to ergon tou theou ('the work of God') refers to the believing community or the individual believer — both are God's workmanship. Paul again affirms the strong position: panta kathara ('all things are clean,' echoing Jesus' teaching in Mark 7:19). Yet clean food becomes a moral problem when it causes others to stumble.
Romans 14:21

καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει.

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul extends the principle beyond food to wine and 'anything' (the open-ended category) that might cause a brother to stumble. The word kalon ('good, noble, right') describes the moral quality of voluntary self-restriction for the sake of others. The SBLGNT has a shorter reading than the Textus Receptus.
Romans 14:22

σὺ πίστιν ἣν ἔχεις κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει·

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

KJV Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul addresses the strong: your freedom is real, but it is between you and God — do not flaunt it. The macarism ('blessed is') describes the person whose conscience is clear about their choices. The verb dokimazei ('approves, tests and approves') indicates thoughtful, examined freedom rather than careless license.
Romans 14:23

ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος ἐὰν φάγῃ κατακέκριται, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως· πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἁμαρτία ἐστίν.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

KJV And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb diakrinomenos ('doubting, hesitating, being divided in mind') describes an unsettled conscience. The principle is profound: acting against one's conscience, even if the action is objectively permissible, is sin because it does not proceed from faith. The closing maxim — 'whatever is not from faith is sin' — has broad application beyond food disputes: it establishes conscience informed by faith as the necessary basis for all Christian conduct.
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