1 Corinthians 2:1 BSB

1 Corinthians 2:1

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

KJV

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

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Commentary

2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

And I, brethren - Keeping up the tender and affectionate style of address. When I came unto you - When I came at first to preach the gospel at Corinth. Act 18:1 ff. Came not with excellency of speech - Came not with graceful and attractive eloquence. The apostle here evidently alludes to that nice ant studied choice of language; to those gracefully formed sentences, and to that skill of arrangement in discourse and argument which was so much an object of regard with the Greek rhetoricians.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Thus, as the three elements, Greek cultivation, Roman polity (Lu 2:1), and the divine law given to the Jews, combined just at Christ's time, to prepare the world for the Gospel, so the same three, by God's marvellous providence, met together in the apostle to the Gentiles [CONYBEARE and HOWSON]. testimony of God--"the testimony of Christ" (1Co 1:6); therefore Christ is God.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

18 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Κἀγὼ	Kagō	And I myself	G1473 →G2532 →
ἐλθὼν	elthōn	having come	G2064 →
πρὸς	pros	to	G4314 →
ὑμᾶς,	humas	you,	G4771 →
ἀδελφοί,	adelphoi	brothers,	G80 →
ἦλθον	ēlthon	came	G2064 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
καθ᾽	kath᾽	according to	G2596 →
ὑπεροχὴν	huperochēn	excellency	G5247 →
λόγου	logou	of speech	G3056 →
ἢ	ē	or	G2228 →
σοφίας	sophias	wisdom	G4678 →
καταγγέλλων	katangellōn	proclaiming	G2605 →
ὑμῖν	humin	to you	G4771 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
μυστήριον	mustērion	mystery	G3466 →
τοῦ	tou	<the>	G3588 →
θεοῦ.	theou	of God.	G2316 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Corinthians 2:4
My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 1:17
  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 4:20
  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:5
  because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.
- 2 Peter 1:16
  For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Romans 15:19
  by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Through
Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
leads to
- Colossians 2:4
  I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.
- Matthew 7:15
  Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Through
Exodus 4:10
“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
leads to
- Jeremiah 1:6
  “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”

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About 1 Corinthians

The Crucifixion — 'Christ crucified' (1 Cor 2:2) — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

1 Corinthians: the study guide →Read chapter 2 →The featured study →

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01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 1 Corinthians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 1 Corinthians