Greek word · G4348
πρόσκομμα
proskomma
stumbling block
From proskoptō, 'to strike against, stumble'. It means an obstacle you strike your foot on, and by extension an occasion of stumbling: something that makes a person fall morally or spiritually, or the act of stumbling itself.
Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
πρόσ-κομμα, -τος, τό
(προσκόπτω), [in LXX: Exodus 23:33 34:12 (מוֹקֵשׁ), Isaiah 8:14 (נֶגֶף), Judith 8:22, Sirach 17:25, al. ;]
(a) a stumble, stumbling: λίθος προσκόμματος (= נֶגֶף אֶבֶן, Isa, l.with), figuratively, Romans 9:32-33, 1 Peter 2:8" (LXX) ;
(b) = προσκοπή, an occasion of stumbling, a stumbling-block: metaphorically, Romans 14:13, 20, 1 Corinthians 8:9 (Plut.).†
SYN.: σκάνδαλον (cf. Cremer, 752 f.) (AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Romans 14:13
- Range of meaning
From proskoptō, 'to strike against, stumble'. It means an obstacle you strike your foot on, and by extension an occasion of stumbling: something that makes a person fall morally or spiritually, or the act of stumbling itself.
- Against the English
'Stumbling block' (KJV, BSB, ESV) is accurate. NASB's 'obstacle' is weaker, since an obstacle can merely slow you down, while a proskomma makes you fall.
- How it drifted
In modern speech 'a stumbling block' usually means a hindrance to progress ('the main stumbling block in the negotiations'). Paul's picture is of a person tripping and going down.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Greek Old Testament it is used at Isaiah 8:14, 'a stone of stumbling (lithos proskommatos)', and at Exodus 23:33 and 34:12 for foreign gods becoming a snare. Paul quotes Isaiah 8:14 in Romans 9:32–33 and uses the word again in Romans 14:20 ('the one who eats with offence', literally 'through stumbling') and in 1 Corinthians 8:9 ('lest this liberty of yours become a proskomma to the weak').
- Range of meaning
The act of striking against something, or the thing struck against. That is: an obstacle, a stumbling, and figuratively a cause of moral or spiritual failure.
- Against the English
"Stone of stumbling" (BSB, ESV, NASB) and "stumblingstone" (KJV) are accurate. Whether "stumbling" means a stumble you recover from or a fatal fall is decided by context, not by the word alone.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Septuagint Exodus 23:33 and Isaiah 8:14 (in the negated form). Paul uses it in Romans 14:13, 20 and 1 Corinthians 8:9. The related verb proskoptō appears in 9:32: "they struck against the stone."
From the study of 1 Corinthians 8:9
- Range of meaning
Literally, something one strikes against and stumbles over: an obstacle in the path. Figuratively, a cause of falling into sin or ruin. It belongs to a group of words (proskoptō, "to strike, stumble"; skandalon, "trap, snare") used in Jewish Greek for what makes someone fall away from God.
- Against the English
Nearly all versions have "stumbling block," which is accurate. The problem lies in how modern English hears the phrase: as something that bothers someone or puts them off. NLT turns it into a verb, "cause ... to stumble."
- How it drifted
In church talk, "stumbling block" and "offend the weaker brother" have come to mean upsetting someone's sensibilities or preferences. In Paul it means causing a fall: the other person actually does what they believe is wrong, and it ruins them.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), Isaiah 8:14 speaks of a "stone of stumbling" (lithos proskommatos). The Septuagint also uses proskomma for foreign gods as a snare to Israel (Exod 23:33, as usually read). Paul uses the same word in the parallel passage on food, Romans 14:13 and 14:20: "it is wrong for anyone to eat in a way that causes stumbling (dia proskommatos)." Behind the idea stands Leviticus 19:14: "do not put a stumbling block before the blind."
Similar words
Where it appears
Romans · 4
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Romans 9:32 προσκόμματος of stumbling
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
Here: The noun from the same root as 'they stumbled'. Literally 'they struck against the stone of striking'. The echo is deliberate and is taken from Isaiah 8:14.
-
Romans 9:33 προσκόμματος of stumbling
as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
Here: From proskoptō, "to strike your foot against". It picks up 9:32, "they struck against (prosekopsan) the stone". It describes the stone as something walkers hit.
-
Romans 14:13 πρόσκομμα [any] stumbling block
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.
Here: Literally something you strike your foot against: an obstacle that trips someone walking. Here it means anything that makes a fellow believer fall.
-
Romans 14:20 προσκόμματος a stumbling block
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.
Here: Something you strike your foot on and fall over. Here it is a picture for being led into sin against conscience and possibly away from faith. It picks up v. 13, 'not to put a stumbling block before a brother.'
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 8:9 πρόσκομμα an occasion of stumbling
Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
Here: Something a person strikes their foot on and falls over. Here it means a cause of real spiritual falling, as vv. 10–11 show: a fellow believer is led into idol-eating against his conscience and is "destroyed."
1 Peter · 1
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1 Peter 2:8 προσκόμματος of stumbling
and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.
Here: Literally 'a striking against': the stone a walker's foot hits so that they go down. It is the Greek for Hebrew negeph ('striking, blow') in Isaiah 8:14.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.