Reference: Abstinence
Fausets
Enjoined by God, from blood (Ge 9:4); and by the Jerusalem council, from blood and idol meats (Ac 15:29), not to offend Jewish brethren in things indifferent (1Co 9:20-22). The blood was considered as the seat of the life, and as typifying the one Blood that cleanseth from all sin therefore it was treated as a sacred thing. "The children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because the angel touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank" (Ge 32:32); modern Jews, therefore, abstain from the whole hind quarter.
The law defined whole classes of animals, by the not eating of which the Israelites were distinguished from other nations (Leviticus 11); to mark the separation of the church from the world. Also certain parts of lawful animals, to teach typically that even in lawful things moderation and self control are needed (1Co 6:12-13; Le 3:9-11). So the priests, from wine, during their ministration (See AARON) (Le 10:1-9); also the Nazarites during their separation (Nu 6:3-4); also the Rechabites, constantly, by voluntary vow (Jeremiah 35). All idol meats were forbidden, namely, such as after the first portion had been consecrated to the idol were then eaten as food among the Gentiles (Ex 34:15; Ps 106:28; 1Co 8:4-10; Ro 14:3).
Paul lays down the principle that Christians should act each according to his conscience in the matter, but not, even in the exercise of Christian liberty, so as to cast a stumbling-block before weaker brethren. This was the principle of the decree, Ac 15:29. In 1Ti 4:3-4, he foretells the rise of Gnostic heretics, the forerunners of the ascetics of the apostate Greek and Latin churches who should forbid marriage, and command to abstain from meats which God created to be received with thanksgiving. Holy Scripture does not enjoin, nor yet forbid, vows of abstinence from intoxicants. The sacrifice of one's lawful right for our neighbor's good accords with the law of love: "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." (Ro 14:21; Jeremiah 35.) (See RECHABITES.)
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But you shall not eat of flesh with the life in it, or the blood of it.
But you shall not eat of flesh with the life in it, or the blood of it.
Therefore the sons of Israel do not eat of the sinew of the thigh, which is on the hip-socket, until this day, because He touched Jacob's hip-socket, the sinew of the thigh.
Therefore the sons of Israel do not eat of the sinew of the thigh, which is on the hip-socket, until this day, because He touched Jacob's hip-socket, the sinew of the thigh.
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice to their gods, and call you, and you eat of his sacrifice;
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice to their gods, and call you, and you eat of his sacrifice;
And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering, a fire offering to Jehovah. He shall take away its fat, all its fat next to the backbone, and all the fat that covers the inward parts, and all the fat that is on the inward parts,
And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering, a fire offering to Jehovah. He shall take away its fat, all its fat next to the backbone, and all the fat that covers the inward parts, and all the fat that is on the inward parts, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe above the liver, beside the kidneys, he shall remove it.
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe above the liver, beside the kidneys, he shall remove it. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, bread of the fire offering to Jehovah.
And the priest shall burn it on the altar, bread of the fire offering to Jehovah.
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them. And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp. And they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.
And they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and lest He be angry on all the people. But let your brothers, the whole of Israel, mourn the burning which Jehovah has kindled.
And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and lest He be angry on all the people. But let your brothers, the whole of Israel, mourn the burning which Jehovah has kindled. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die. For the anointing oil of Jehovah is on you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die. For the anointing oil of Jehovah is on you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, saying,
And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die, a statute forever throughout your generations.
Do not drink wine nor strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die, a statute forever throughout your generations.
he shall separate from wine and strong drink and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink; neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes or dried.
he shall separate from wine and strong drink and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink; neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes or dried. All the days of his Nazariteship he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from grape seeds even to a stem.
All the days of his Nazariteship he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from grape seeds even to a stem.
And they joined themselves to Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead,
And they joined themselves to Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead,
that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
Do not let him who eats despise him who does not eat; and do not let him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
Do not let him who eats despise him who does not eat; and do not let him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.
All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.
Meats for the belly and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law.
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law. To those who are outside Law, I became as outside Law (not being outside law to God, but under the Law to Christ), so that I might gain those who are outside Law.
To those who are outside Law, I became as outside Law (not being outside law to God, but under the Law to Christ), so that I might gain those who are outside Law. To the weak I became as the weak, so that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.
To the weak I became as the weak, so that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.
forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.
For every creation of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.
Watsons
ABSTINENCE, forbearance of any thing. It is generally used with reference to forbearance from food under a religious motive. The Jewish law ordained that the priests should abstain from the use of wine during the whole time of their being employed in the service of the temple, Le 10:9. The same abstinence was enjoined upon the Nazarites, during the time of their Nazariteship, or separation, Nu 6:3. The Jews were commanded to abstain from several sorts of animals. See ANIMAL.
The fat of all sorts of animals that were sacrificed was forbidden to be eaten, Le 3:17; 7:23; and the blood of every animal, in general, was prohibited under pain of death. Indeed blood was forbidden by the Creator, from the time of the grant of the flesh of beasts to man for food; this prohibition was continued under the Jewish economy, and transmitted to the Christian church by Apostolic authority, Ac 15:28-29. (See Blood.) The Jews also abstained from the sinew which is upon the hollow of the thigh, Ge 32:25; because of the shrinking of the sinew of Jacob's thigh when touched by the angel, as though by that the part had been made sacred.
Among the primitive Christians, some denied themselves the use of such meats as were prohibited by the law; others treated this abstinence with contempt. St. Paul has given his decision on these questions in his epistles, 1Co 8:7-10; Ro 14:1-3. The council of Jerusalem, which was held by the Apostles, enjoined the Christian converts to abstain from meats strangled, from blood, from fornication, and from idolatry, Ac 15:20.
The spiritual monarchy of the western world introduced another sort of abstinence which may be termed ritual, and which consists in abstaining from particular meats at certain times and seasons, the rules of which are called rogations. The ancient Lent was observed only a few days before Easter. In the course of the third century, it extended at Rome to three weeks; and before the middle of the succeeding age, it was prolonged to six weeks, and began to be called quadragesima, or the forty days' fast.
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And when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh. And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with Him.
It shall be a statute forever for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that you eat neither fat nor blood.
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, You shall not eat any fat of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
Do not drink wine nor strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die, a statute forever throughout your generations.
he shall separate from wine and strong drink and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink; neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes or dried.
but that we write to them that they should abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
And receive him who is weak in the faith, but not to judgments of your thoughts. For indeed one believes to eat all things; but being weak, another eats vegetables. read more. Do not let him who eats despise him who does not eat; and do not let him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
But this knowledge is not in all. But some being aware of the idol eat as an idolatrous sacrifice until now, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food does not commend us to God. For neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. read more. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol temple, will not the weak one's conscience be lifted up so as to eat things sacrificed to idols?