1 Corinthians 10:25

In the shambles (en makellwi). Only here in N.T. A transliterated Latin word macellum, possibly akin to maceria and the Hebrew word for enclosure, though occurring in Ionic and Laconian and more frequent in the Latin. It occurs in Dio Cassius and Plutarch and in the papyri and inscriptions for "the provision market." Deissmann (Light from the Ancient East, p. 276) says: "In the Macellum at Pompeii we can imagine to ourselves the poor Christians buying their modest pound of meat in the Corinthian Macellum ( 1 Corinthians 10:25 ), with the same life-like reality with which the Diocletian maximum tariff called up the picture of the Galilean woman purchasing her five sparrows." Asking no questions for conscience sake (mhden anakrinonte dia thn suneidhsin). As to whether a particular piece of meat had been offered to idols before put in the market. Only a part was consumed in the sacrifices to heathen gods. The rest was sold in the market. Do not be over-scrupulous. Paul here champions liberty in the matter as he had done in 1 Corinthians 8:4 .