Stumbling Block

Biblical Occurrences

A stumbling block is a stone or obstacle that catches the foot of a traveler and causes a fall. In the Bible, it serves as a metaphor for anything that causes a person to fall into sin or unbelief. The principal passages are as follows:

• Leviticus 19:14: A regulation forbidding anyone to "put a stumblingblock before the blind."
• Isaiah 8:14: God is said to be a sanctuary and at the same time "a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel." The two houses are the northern kingdom of Israel and Judah.
• Romans 9:32–33 and 1 Peter 2:6–8: These passages cite Isaiah 8:14 together with Isaiah 28:16 (the cornerstone laid in Zion) and Psalm 118:22 (the stone the builders rejected). They portray Jesus Christ as a stone against which those who do not believe strike and fall.
• 1 Corinthians 1:22–25: Christ crucified is said to be "unto the Jews a stumblingblock." Galatians 5:11 calls this "the offence of the cross."
• Romans 14:13 and 1 Corinthians 8:9: Believers are urged not to put a stumbling block before a brother who is weak in faith.
• Matthew 16:23: Jesus tells Peter, who tries to block the path to his suffering, "thou art an offence unto me."

Original Languages and Background

In Hebrew, the word most commonly used is mikshol, derived from a verb meaning "to stagger" or "to stumble." In New Testament Greek, the terms are skandalon and proskomma. Skandalon is generally understood to have been associated originally with a trap or snare, and it is the root of the English word scandal. Proskomma refers to striking the foot against something. The New Korean Revised Version renders words from this family variously according to context, as geollimdol ("stumbling block"), georikkineun geot ("that which offends"), siljokhage haneun geot ("that which causes to stumble"), and olmu ("snare"). Siljok (失足) literally means "to lose one's footing."

Meaning Across Scripture

The usage falls into two broad categories. In the first, God or Christ is the stumbling block. What Isaiah says of God, the New Testament applies to Christ. The same stone is the cornerstone and foundation of salvation for those who believe, and a stone of stumbling for those who do not. In the second, one person becomes a stumbling block to another. The regulation in Leviticus carries over into New Testament ethics. Jesus sternly warned against causing little ones to stumble (Matthew 18:6–7). Paul taught that Christian liberty should be limited by love for one's neighbor (1 Corinthians 10:23–24). Revelation 2:14 says that Balaam cast a stumbling block before Israel.

Interpretation and Debate

• Interpretations differ on the phrase in 1 Peter 2:8, "whereunto also they were appointed." The Calvinist tradition tends to read this verse in connection with God's decree. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions read it to mean that stumbling was the appointed consequence for the disobedient, not that an individual's unbelief was predetermined. For further discussion, see Predestination and Free Will.
• The principle of not placing a stumbling block before a weak brother is frequently cited in discussions of alcohol and tobacco. Those who advocate abstinence from drinking and smoking appeal to these passages. Those who regard the matter as one of liberty of conscience hold that the passages do not prohibit the practices themselves but make the other person's faith the deciding criterion.
• The expression "turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones," common in preaching, is a moral maxim, not a biblical verse.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the terms siljokhada ("to stumble") and siljoksikida ("to cause to stumble") are widely used in the vocabulary of church life. For example, when a church member loses faith or leaves the church because of hurt or conflict, people say that the person has "stumbled." The exhortation "Let us not become a stumbling block to others" is also frequently heard in sermons and small groups.