4349. proskopé

Lexical Summary

proskopé: Stumbling block, offense, occasion for stumbling

Original Word: προσκοπή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: proskopé
Pronunciation: pros-kop-AY
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-kop-ay')
KJV: offence
NASB: cause for offense
Word Origin: [from G4350 (προσκόπτω - strike)]

1. a stumbling
2. (figuratively and concretely) occasion of sin

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

offense.

From proskopto; a stumbling, i.e. (figuratively and concretely) occasion of sin -- offence.

see GREEK proskopto

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from proskoptó
Definition
an occasion of stumbling
NASB Translation
cause for offense (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4349: προσκοπή

προσκοπή, προσκοπης, ἡ (προσκόπτω), an occasion of stumbling (so R. V. (but A. V. offence)): διδόναι προσκοπήν (namely, ἄλλοις), to do something which causes others to stumble, i. e. leads them into error or sin, 2 Corinthians 6:3 (cf. Winers Grammar, 484 (451)). (Polybius; (for כִּשָּׁלון, fall, Proverbs 16:18, Graecus Venetus).)

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 4349 designates a single New Testament noun describing an occasion that causes another to trip spiritually or morally. Though rare in form, the idea permeates Scripture wherever believers are warned not to hinder faith or conscience.

Biblical Setting: 2 Corinthians 6:3

Paul writes, “We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that our ministry will not be discredited” (2 Corinthians 6:3). The apostle has just urged the Corinthians to receive God’s grace “now” (6:1-2). He immediately testifies that his team refuses to place any stumbling occasion before others. The term therefore functions as a deliberate ministry policy: remove every potential hindrance so the gospel shines without reproach.

Relationship to the Broader Pauline Vocabulary

1. Proskopē (4349) belongs to a family of words built on the idea of striking against. The cognate verb proskoptō (4350) describes literal stumbling (John 11:9-10) and metaphorical offense (Romans 9:32-33).
2. Paul’s more common noun skandalon (4625) also denotes a cause for stumbling (Romans 14:13, 1 Corinthians 1:23). Whereas skandalon often highlights the point of offense itself—the cross, questionable foods, or divisive teaching—proskopē in 2 Corinthians 6:3 emphasizes the minister’s responsibility to eliminate such points wherever possible.
3. The vocabulary underscores two duties operating in tandem: believers must avoid laying traps (proskopē, skandalon) and must endure unavoidable offenses (Galatians 5:11).

Old Testament Foundations

Leviticus 19:14 warns, “You shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.” Isaiah expands the image to spiritual blindness: “He will become a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling… to both houses of Israel” (Isaiah 8:14). Paul rereads Isaiah in Romans 9:33, locating the ultimate “stone” in Christ Himself. Thus Old and New Testaments share a unified moral principle: God condemns the act of making others fall, yet ordains Christ as the decisive test that exposes unbelief. Proskopē in 2 Corinthians 6:3 stresses the human side of that equation—ministers must never add their own barriers to God’s necessary stumbling stone.

Historical Background

In Greco-Roman social life credibility hinged on reputation (δοκίμη). Traveling philosophers were frequently accused of profiteering. Paul’s detractors in Corinth levied similar charges, claiming his hardships discredited his message. By asserting he gives “no occasion for stumbling,” Paul turns the critique on its head: genuine hardships authenticate, not mar, true gospel service (6:4-10). Proskopē functions as a rhetorical shield, distancing Paul from itinerant charlatans.

Ministry Implications

1. Ethical Integrity: Every personal lapse—financial impropriety, sexual sin, harsh speech—becomes a proskopē that can “discredit” the work (2 Corinthians 6:3).
2. Cultural Sensitivity: Paul elsewhere surrenders lawful liberties—forgoing pay (1 Corinthians 9:12), eating restrictions (Romans 14:21)—when such freedoms risk creating an offense. The principle of 4349 authorizes thoughtful self-denial for the gospel’s sake.
3. Transparency in Suffering: Far from hiding weaknesses, Paul lists them (2 Corinthians 6:4-10) to demonstrate that the only obstacle removed is moral, not circumstantial. Authentic endurance builds confidence in God rather than in the messenger.

Pastoral Applications

• Church leadership training should highlight 2 Corinthians 6 as a blueprint for avoiding ministry scandals.
• Congregations are called to evaluate programs, finances, and speech patterns through the lens of potential proskopē—asking not merely, “Is it permissible?” but, “Will it aid or impede faith?”
• Mission teams entering new cultures can draw from Paul’s model to eliminate needless Western markers that might confuse the gospel.

Related New Testament Passages

Romans 14:13—“Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”

1 Corinthians 10:32—“Do not become a stumbling block to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God.”

Philippians 1:10—“…so that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ.”

These texts echo the heart of proskopē: pursuing a life that clears the path for others to see Christ.

Conclusion

Though appearing only once, Strong’s 4349 encapsulates a fundamental gospel ethic: God’s servants must relentlessly remove every avoidable impediment to saving faith. The term calls believers to vigilant self-examination, sacrificial love, and transparent endurance, ensuring that the only unavoidable stumbling stone anyone encounters is the crucified and risen Lord Himself.

Forms and Transliterations

προσκοπην προσκοπήν proskopen proskopēn proskopḗn

Englishman's Concordance

2 Corinthians 6:3 N-AFS
GRK: μηδενὶ διδόντες προσκοπήν ἵνα μὴ
NAS: no cause for offense in anything,
KJV: Giving no offence in any thing,
INT: no one giving obstacle that not

Strong's Greek 4349
1 Occurrence

προσκοπήν — 1 Occ.