μάκελλον (makellon)
makellon
meat market
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun makellon refers to a meat market or public food stall where butchered animals were sold. It appears only once in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 10:25, where Paul instructs believers to eat whatever is sold there without asking questions about its origin.
This word has Latin roots, deriving from macellum, which denoted a specific type of commercial building for selling food. Its presence in Greek literature highlights the Roman cultural influence on Corinthian commerce. The term points to a busy, secular marketplace rather than a private home or temple precinct.
Paul uses this concrete image to address issues of conscience and idolatry. By entering a makellon, Christians were not participating in pagan worship but engaging in ordinary daily life. The word underscores the practical nature of Paul’s advice: faithfulness is lived out in mundane economic transactions.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word makellon points to a busy meat market, a place where daily life and commerce intersected in the ancient world. Paul’s instruction to eat whatever is sold there without asking questions invites us to find freedom in ordinary moments. It reminds us that faithfulness does not require separation from the mundane; rather, it transforms how we engage with it.
When you face decisions about what to buy or eat, this passage offers a gentle path forward. You do not need to scrutinize every detail to maintain your integrity. Instead, trust that your conscience is guided by love and gratitude. This simple act of eating becomes an opportunity to live out your faith in the real world.
May you find peace in these everyday choices, knowing that your actions can reflect grace even in a bustling marketplace. Let your daily routines be spaces where kindness and honesty shine through, bringing light to those around you.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the meat market1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μακέλλῳ1×
Key Verses
-
I Corinthians 10:25
Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,
This verse uses makellon to show that believers can participate in secular commerce without compromising their faith, provided they act with a clear conscience.