The relation between these sentences and the context is uncertain. The simplest solution is that of Revised Standard Version and Barclay, which is to put these sentences in parentheses, thus allowing verse 29b to follow on naturally from verse 27. The difficulty is that Paul returns to the theme of verses 28-29a in verses 31-32. Other modern translations begin a new paragraph at verse 29b. The main theme in this passage is Christian freedom, which Paul discusses more thoroughly in chapter 9. In verses 28-29a, though, Paul is willing to allow a certain limitation in the use of Christian freedom.

Commentators discuss whether some one and the man who informed you refer to the same individual as the person designated by his conscience in 29a. Most probably they do, but some one is quite general and should not be made specific in translation.

Some manuscripts have the Greek word meaning “offered to idols” (Good News Bible), which Paul more commonly used and which has a bad meaning. However, the UBS Greek text has a neutral or positive word that means “offered to sacred beings” (see introduction to 8.1-13), and which major modern translations render “offered in sacrifice.” Paul uses the word that a pagan would naturally choose. If the context is not sufficiently clear, it may be necessary in some languages to be explicit and say “offered to idols as a sacrifice.”

The man who informed you and for conscience’ sake are closely connected in the Greek. It is possible without loss of meaning to translate “do not eat it, not because of your conscience, but because of the conscience of the other person who told you about the meat.” The word translated offered in sacrifice must refer to the killing of animals for sacrifice.

I mean his conscience, not yours may also be expanded to “I am speaking about his conscience, not yours.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente restructures 28b and 29a as follows: “then for motive of conscience do not eat it because of the one who informed you; naturally I am speaking of his conscience, not yours.”

Note that do not eat it occurs at the beginning of verse 28b in the Greek, as in Good News Bible. It should be positioned wherever good style demands in the translator’s language.

For suggests a logical connection with something that proceeds, probably Paul’s main line of thought expressed in verse 27. However, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Revised English Bible, and Translator’s New Testament agree with Good News Bible that Paul is here quoting an objector. The weakness of this argument, though, is that Paul does not reply directly to the objection; nor does this interpretation make sense of the introductory For in the Greek. For this reason many translations, including Revised Standard Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New American Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible, understand Paul to be speaking in his own name. This makes better sense, but translators must connect verse 29b with 27, not 29a. Revised Standard Version has done this.

Héring gives a good translation of 29b, although he connects it with verse 29a: “What is the use of my freedom being judged by someone else’s conscience?” One could also say “Why should someone else’s conscience limit my freedom to do something?”

Liberty: see 9.1, 19.

The end of this sentence is literally “by another conscience.” But in many languages, as in English, it is unnatural to speak of the conscience as if it were independent of the person to whom it belongs. So it is better to say something like Good News Bible‘s “by another person’s conscience” or “by what another person feels is right or wrong.”

As elsewhere, a rhetorical question is often equivalent to a strong statement, in this case a negative one. One may say “For my liberty should not be determined by another person’s conscience.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .