Romans 14:21 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

The apostle proceedeth to enlarge his doctrine touching this particular, beyond the controversy that occasioned this his discourse; for he showeth, that to avoid the scandal or offence of our brethren, we are to abstain, not only from things prohibited by the law, but also from things that are not prohibited thereby; as from flesh or wine, or any indifferent thing whatsoever. These words, any thing, are not in the original, but they are understood, and well supplied in our translation. Thus to do, he says, is good, as the contrary, in the foregoing verse, was said to be evil: it is good in regard of God, to whom it is acceptable and pleasing; and in regard of our brethren, to whom it is profitable and advantageous; the positive (it may be) is pnt for the comparative; it is good, for it is better: so Matthew 18:8,9. Whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak: some distinguish these three words, stumbleth, is offended, made weak, making the first to be the greater, and the last the lesser injury: others will have the first to be the lesser, and the last the greater injury. But there are those that think they all three do signify the same thing; and the Syriac interpreter renders them all by one word, viz. is offended: and the same thing may be expressed by divers words, to insinuate the great care we should take, that we do not put a stumblingblock (as it is Romans 14:13) or an occasion of falling into our brother's way. The apostle seems to practise what he here prescribeth, in 1 Corinthians 8:13.