1 Corinthians 2:1
in 1 Corinthians 2When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
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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This verse in 1 Corinthians 2
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
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.
This site's exposition
When I came to you, brothers
on 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
At Corinth Paul resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This was a chosen narrowing of the message, since elsewhere the same Paul reasons from Scripture and quotes Greek poets.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
What Paul calls the testimony here is God the Word incarnate, hidden from all ages with God. Heretics played fast and loose with these things. They preached their wicked doctrine with great eloquence, following the wisdom of the world. They emptied Christ's cross of its …
Nothing was ever more prepared for combat than the spirit of Paul; or rather, I should say, not his spirit, (for he was not himself the inventor of these things,) but, nothing was ever equal to the grace working within him, which overcometh all things. For sufficient indeed is what had been said before to cast down the pride of the boasters about wisdom; nay, even a part of it had been enough. But to enhance the splendor of the victory, he contends anew for the points which he had been affirming; trampling upon the prostrate foe. Look at it in this way: He had brought forward the prophecy which saith, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise." He had shewn the wisdom of God, in that by means of what seemed to be foolishness, He destroyed the philosophy of the Gentiles; he had shewn that the "foolishness of God is wiser than men;" he had shewn that not only did He teach by untaught persons, but also chose untaught persons to learn of Him. Now he sheweth that both the thing itself which was preached, and the manner of preaching it, were enough to stagger people; and yet did not stagger them. As thus: "not only," saith he, "are the disciples uneducated, but I myself also, who am the preacher." Therefore he saith, "And I, brethren," (again he useth the word "brethren," to smooth down the harshness of the utterance,) "came not with excellency of speech, declaring unto you the testimony of God." "What then? tell me, hadst thou chosen to come 'with excellency,' wouldest thou have been able?" "I, indeed, had I chosen, should not have been able; but Christ, if He had chosen, was able. […]
The Medieval Church2 voices
After indicating the suitable way to present Christian doctrine, the Apostle now shows that he observed it. In regard to this he does three things: first, he shows that he did not make use of worldly greatness with them; secondly, he shows in which cases …
Not only, he says, were the disciples of the Gospel chosen from among men who were not wise and not of noble birth, but the preacher of the Gospel himself came proclaiming to you "the testimony of God," that is, the death of Christ, without …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And I, brethren, when I came to you,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Ornaments of speech and philosophical skill and argument could add no weight to what came recommended by such authority. He was also among them in weakness and fear, and in much trembling; and yet his speech and preaching were in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
Shows them that he had communicated to them a treasure of the truest and highest wisdom, such as exceeded all the attainments of learned men, such as could never have entered into the heart of man if it had not been revealed, nor can be received and improved to salvation but by the light and influence of that Spirit who revealed it,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
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.
When I came to you - Acting suitably to my mission, which was to preach the Gospel, but not with human eloquence, 1Co 1:17. I declared to you the testimony, the Gospel, of God, not with excellency of speech, not with arts of rhetoric, used by your own philosophers, where the excellence of the speech recommends the matter, and compensates for the want of solidity and truth: on the contrary, the testimony concerning Christ and his salvation is so supremely excellent, as to dignify any kind of language by which it may be conveyed. See the Introduction, Section 2.
The words behind it
18 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Κἀγὼ | kago | And I myself | G1473 →G2532 → | 839 times |
| ἐλθὼν | elthon | having come | G2064 → | 628 times |
| πρὸς | pros | to | G4314 → | 700 times |
| ὑμᾶς, | humas | you, | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ἀδελφοί, | adelphoi | brothers, | G80 → | 343 times |
| ἦλθον | elthon | came | G2064 → | 628 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| καθ᾽ | kath᾽ | according to | G2596 → | 468 times |
| ὑπεροχὴν | huperochen | excellency | G5247 → | |
| λόγου | logou | of speech | G3056 → | 329 times |
| ἢ | e | or | G2228 → | 342 times |
| σοφίας | sophias | wisdom | G4678 → | 51 times |
| καταγγέλλων | katangellon | proclaiming | G2605 → | 17 times |
| ὑμῖν | humin | to you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μυστήριον | musterion | mystery | G3466 → | 27 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεοῦ. | theou | of God. | G2316 → | 1312 times |
ΚἀγὼAnd I myself
ἐλθὼνhaving come
elthonG2064 →628 times
πρὸςto
prosG4314 →700 times
ὑμᾶς,you,
humasG4771 →2973 times
ἀδελφοί,brothers,
adelphoiG80 →343 times
ἦλθονcame
elthonG2064 →628 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
καθ᾽according to
kath᾽G2596 →468 times
ὑπεροχὴνexcellency
huperochenG5247 →
λόγουof speech
logouG3056 →329 times
ἢor
eG2228 →342 times
σοφίαςwisdom
sophiasG4678 →51 times
καταγγέλλωνproclaiming
katangellonG2605 →17 times
ὑμῖνto you
huminG4771 →2973 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
μυστήριονmystery
musterionG3466 →27 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
θεοῦ.of God.
theouG2316 →1312 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 2:4My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
it 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 separate 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 separate 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.
- 1 Corinthians 1:17
Through
Romans 16:18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
it 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.
- Colossians 2:4
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.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:6
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
- Jeremiah 1:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 6; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.