What does πρόσκομμα (próskomma) mean in the Bible?
Πρόσκομμα is something that causes stumbling, a hindrance placed in another person's path. Paul uses it when addressing disputed practices among believers whose consciences differ.
Greek · G4348
πρόσκομμα
Stumbling block
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πρόσκομμα G4348
Pronunciation próskomma
What does πρόσκομμα (próskomma) mean in the Bible?
Πρόσκομμα is something that causes stumbling, a hindrance placed in another person's path. Paul uses it when addressing disputed practices among believers whose consciences differ.
Reader summary
Full entry for πρόσκομμα (G4348) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4348?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a stumbling block (2), of stumbling (2), [any] stumbling block (1), stumbling (1).
Where does πρόσκομμα (próskomma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Romans 9:32. Its strongest book concentrations include Romans (4), 1 Corinthians (1), 1 Peter (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Πρόσκομμα is something that causes stumbling, a hindrance placed in another person's path. Paul uses it when addressing disputed practices among believers whose consciences differ. In 1 Corinthians 8, knowledge about idols must be governed by love so that a believer's freedom does not embolden a weaker brother to act against conscience and be spiritually harmed.
Romans 14 commands Christians to stop judging one another and decide never to place a stumbling block before a brother. The same chapter warns against destroying God's work for the sake of food. The noun does not mean that every offense, disagreement, or discomfort gives another person control over Christian obedience. The harm in view is being drawn toward sin, violated conscience, or ruin through another believer's careless use of freedom.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses πρόσκομμα for a hindrance that contributes to another believer's sinful fall. Love limits liberty so that knowledge and food do not destroy a brother for whom Christ died.
- 1Cor.8.9
Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
Freedom becomes a stumbling block when it encourages a weaker believer to participate against conscience and so wounds the brother Christ died for.
- Rom.14.13
Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
Paul replaces mutual judgment with a settled decision not to put a cause of stumbling in a brother's path.
- Rom.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.
Food is not worth destroying God's work; liberty is exercised rightly when it serves peace and mutual edification.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It a stumbling block 2× Romans 14:20, 1 Corinthians 8:9
of stumbling 2× Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:8
[any] stumbling block 1× Romans 14:13
stumbling 1× Romans 9:32
Show sample aligned rows
Romans 9:32 προσκόμματος to stumbling Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular Romans 9:33 προσκόμματος to of stumbling Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular Romans 14:13 πρόσκομμα to [any] stumbling block Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Romans 14:20 προσκόμματος to a stumbling block Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 1 Corinthians 8:9 πρόσκομμα to a stumbling block Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 1 Peter 2:8 προσκόμματος to of stumbling Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Romans 9:32
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 3
Romans 4 1 Corinthians 1 1 Peter 1
Source forms
προσκόμματος 4x proskommatos Romans 9:32, Romans 9:33, Romans 14:20, 1 Peter 2:8
πρόσκομμα 2x proskomma Romans 14:13, 1 Corinthians 8:9
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 4x Romans 9:32, Romans 9:33, Romans 14:20, 1 Peter 2:8
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Romans 14:13
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 8:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Ask whether the action actually pressures someone toward sin or conscience violation, rather than treating discomfort alone as stumbling.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not call every offense, disagreement, or unwanted example a πρόσκομμα; Paul's concern is spiritual inducement toward falling.
- Do not use concern for weaker consciences to create permanent legalism or avoid patiently teaching believers toward mature freedom.
Evidence Summary
Messiah
Greek word. An obstacle causing spiritual stumbling, particularly through offense or violation of conscience in others.
Strong's G4348
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Greek text appearances 6 times Word forms 3 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Romans 14:13-23 Source Gloss
stumbling block
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Romans 9:32 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
προσκόμματος, proskommatov
a stumbling-block
Read verse Romans 9:33 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
προσκόμματος proskommatov
a stumbling-block
Read verse Romans 14:13 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
πρόσκομμα proskomma
a stumbling-block
Read verse Romans 14:20 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
προσκόμματος proskommatov
a stumbling-block
Read verse 1 Corinthians 8:9 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
πρόσκομμα proskomma
a stumbling-block
Read verse 1 Peter 2:8 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
προσκόμματος proskommatov
a stumbling-block
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 6 Case pattern Genitive (4) Number pattern Singular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Cor 8:9 1×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Rom 9:32 · Rom 9:33 · Rom 14:20 · 1 Pet 2:8 4×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Rom 14:13 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Stumbling block, obstacle.
Stumbling block.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
πρόσκομμα is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Warns against causing spiritual harm to a fellow believer. Romans 14:13-23
Identifies Christ as the decisive point of acceptance or rejection. Romans 9:30-10:4
Canonical Themes
Messiah
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Christian freedom is accountable to the Lord and therefore attentive to the spiritual good of others. In 1 Corinthians 8, the issue is not that someone dislikes another person's meal. A weaker believer may be emboldened to join an act associated with idolatry against conscience, and the knowledgeable Christian can thereby wound a brother for whom Christ died.
Romans 14 broadens the pastoral pattern: believers with differing convictions must stop despising and judging, welcome one another under Christ's lordship, and pursue what builds peace. This does not make the most restrictive conscience the permanent law of the church, nor does it justify calling every disagreement a stumbling block. Πρόσκομμα names real inducement toward sinful falling.
Teachers should defend liberty from legalism while training believers to surrender its display when love requires restraint, patient instruction, and concern for another's conscience.
Anchor passage
1Cor.8.9
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, knowledge, love, conscience, and a brother for whom Christ died
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, liberty ordered toward another's good and God's glory
- Romans 14:1-23, welcome, conscience, peace, and mutual edification
- Leviticus 19:14, not placing a stumbling block before the vulnerable
- Isaiah 8:13-15, the Lord as sanctuary and stone of stumbling
- Matthew 18:5-9, the seriousness of causing little ones to stumble
Πρόσκομμα comes from the idea of striking against something. The noun can name an obstacle or the occasion of stumbling. Paul's ethical contexts focus on conduct that becomes an inducement toward spiritual harm, not merely an action that another person finds unpleasant.
From Old to New Testament
The law forbids placing a literal obstacle before the vulnerable, while prophets use stumbling imagery for judgment and unbelief. Jesus warns against causing others to fall. Paul applies the concern to church fellowship, where Christ's death and lordship govern the use of freedom.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain