G4348 — πρόσκομμα (próskomma)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4348
Original: πρόσκομμα
Transliteration: próskomma
Pronunciation: pros'-kom-mah
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: From προσκόπτω (G4350) — to strike against, dash the foot against
Occurrences: 6 unique verses (6 tokens) in 3 NT books
First Occurrence: Rom 9:32 — "they stumbled at that stumblingstone (τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Literally, a "stub" — an obstruction that causes the foot to strike and trip. Figuratively: an obstacle that causes moral or spiritual failure; an occasion of apostasy or sin. Unlike σκάνδαλον (the trap-bait), πρόσκομμα pictures the stationary obstacle one's foot encounters while walking.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 25.016 — Offend, Be Offended (Domain 25: Attitudes and Emotions)
Also classified under: 15.029 — Walk, Step (literal sense)
Other words in 25.016 (Offend, Be Offended): σκανδαλίζω (G4624), σκάνδαλον (G4625), προσκοπή (G4349), προσκόπτω (G4350), ἀπρόσκοπος (G0677), ἐγκόπτω (G1465)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
015	Linear Movement	`search_relationships.py` retains the literal strike/stumble imagery that stands behind the metaphorical uses of proskomma.
025	Attitudes and Emotions	The tool also groups proskomma with offence/stumbling language that describes relational or spiritual harm.
088	Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior	It also falls in the ethical domain where one person's conduct becomes a cause of another's fall.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
a stumblingblock	2	33.3%
a stumblingstone	1	16.7%
of stumbling	1	16.7%
offence	1	16.7%
stumblingstone	1	16.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Abbrev	Count	Book Vv	Per 100
1 Peter	1Pe	1	105	1.0
Romans	Rom	4	433	0.9
1 Corinthians	1Co	1	437	0.2

Exclusively Pauline + Petrine. Four of six uses in Romans (9:32, 33; 14:13, 20); one in 1 Cor 8:9; one in 1 Pet 2:8. Never in the Gospels, Acts, or General Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Stumbling-Stone of Israel's Unbelief (Rom 9 / 1 Pet 2)¶

Paul and Peter both cite Isa 8:14 using πρόσκομμα + σκάνδαλον / πέτρα to describe Christ as the stone over which unbelieving Israel trips.

Rom 9:32 — "they stumbled at that stumblingstone (λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)"
Rom 9:33 — "Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone (λίθον προσκόμματος) and rock of offence"
1 Pet 2:8 — "a stone of stumbling (λίθος προσκόμματος), and a rock of offence"

2. Meat/Liberty as Stumbling-Block to the Weak Brother¶

The Pauline ethical use: the strong believer's exercise of freedom can become a πρόσκομμα to the conscience-weak brother.

Rom 14:13 — "that no man put a stumblingblock (πρόσκομμα) or an occasion to fall in his brother's way"
Rom 14:20 — "it is evil for that man who eateth with offence (διὰ προσκόμματος)"
1 Cor 8:9 — "lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock (πρόσκομμα) to them that are weak"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-vv	Typical Pattern
λίθος (stone)	G3037	3x (50%)	"stumblingstone" (Isa 8:14 citation)
σκάνδαλον (scandal)	G4625	3x (50%)	paired with proskomma in both strands
τίθημι (put / lay)	G5087	3x (50%)	God lays the stone; man puts the stumblingblock
ἔργον (work)	G2041	2x (33%)	"works of the law" (Rom 9:32); "work of God" (Rom 14:20)
πέτρα (rock)	G4073	2x (33%)	"rock of offence" — Isa 8:14
προσκόπτω (stumble)	G4350	2x (33%)	cognate verb in same verse
ἀδελφός (brother)	G80	1x (17%)	Rom 14:13
ἀσθενέω (be weak)	G770	1x (17%)	1 Cor 8:9
βρῶμα (food)	G1033	1x (17%)	Rom 14:20
ἐσθίω (eat)	G2068	1x (17%)	Rom 14:20
ἐξουσία (liberty)	G1849	1x (17%)	1 Cor 8:9
καθαρός (pure / clean)	G2513	1x (17%)	Rom 14:20 "all things indeed are pure"

Word Family / Cognates¶

προσκόπτω (proskoptō) G4350 — verb: to strike against, stumble, dash the foot (8 vv)
προσκοπή (proskopē) G4349 — abstract noun: giving of offence, stumbling (1 v, 2 Cor 6:3)
ἀπρόσκοπος (aproskopos) G0677 — adjective: without offence, not causing to stumble (3 vv)

Synonyms¶

G4625 σκάνδαλον (skandalon) — near-synonym for a stumbling-block / occasion of offence; paired with proskomma in Rom 14:13

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4348.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
σκάνδαλον (skandalon)	G4625	"stumblingblock" (2v), "offence"	Synonymous in Paul's ethical usage (Rom 14:13 stacks both). Distinction, where drawn: proskomma = stationary obstacle the foot strikes; skandalon = baited trigger that springs. In LXX Isa 8:14 the two nouns render two different Hebrew words (אבן נגף = proskomma; צור מכשול = skandalon).
מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshôl)	H4383	"stumblingblock"	The Hebrew source-word sometimes rendered proskomma and sometimes skandalon in the LXX.
προσκόπτω (proskoptō)	G4350	"stumble" (verb vs. noun)	The action (verb) vs. the object (noun).
παράπτωμα (paraptōma)	G3900	"offence" (outcome)	The completed lapse, the fall itself; proskomma is the cause.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 15.029 — Walk, Step)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total vv	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G1684	ἐμβαίνω	7	entered	Step into (a boat)
G3961	πατέω	3	tread	Tread under foot
G3978	πεζεύω	1	go afoot	Travel on foot
G4043	περιπατέω	44	walk	Walk about — dominant "walking" verb
G4350	προσκόπτω	8	stumble, dash	Strike the foot against — the cognate verb

Hebrew Source (Greek ← Hebrew/Aramaic, LXX PMI)¶

Hebrew	Strong's	Word	Co-occ	PMI	Score
H4170	מוֹקֵשׁ (môqêsh)	snare, noose	3	8.98	12.44

The Isa 8:14 "stone of stumbling" uses אֶבֶן נֶגֶף (′eben negeph) in Hebrew, which LXX-Isa renders with πρόσκομμα — the NT citations in Rom 9:33 and 1 Pet 2:8 preserve this rendering verbatim. The cluster also draws on מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshôl), which alternates in the LXX with πρόσκομμα / σκάνδαλον depending on context.

Pauline Context — Rom 14:13, 20; 1 Cor 8:9 (paired with G4625 and G4624)¶

Three of the six NT uses cluster in Paul's weak-brother ethics. Rom 14:13 sets πρόσκομμα beside σκάνδαλον as a doublet; Rom 14:20 attaches "eating with πρόσκομμα" to the warning "destroy not the work of God"; 1 Cor 8:9 brands liberty itself as potentially a πρόσκομμα to the weak. In this context, πρόσκομμα names the effect a believer's action has on another — a stationary obstacle set in a brother's path.