1 Corinthians 3:20 BSB

1 Corinthians 3:20

And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.

KJV

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

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Commentary

3 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And again,.... Not in the same place, nor in the same book, but in the Psalms, in Psa 94:

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise - They are always full of schemes and plans for earthly good; and God knows that all this is vain, empty, and unsatisfactory; and will stand them in no stead when he comes to take away their souls. This is a quotation from Psa 94:11. What is here said of the vanity of human knowledge is true of every kind of wisdom that leads not immediately to God himself.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

There it is of men; here it is "of the wise." Paul by inspiration states the class of men whose "thoughts" (or rather, "reasonings," as suits the Greek and the sense of the context) the Spirit designated in the Psalm, "vanity," namely, the "proud" (Ps 94:2) and worldly-wise, whom God in Ps 94:8 calls "fools," though they "boast themselves" of their wisdom in pushing their interests (Ps 94:4).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

11 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
πάλιν·	palin	again;	G3825 →
κύριος	kurios	[The] Lord	G2962 →
γινώσκει	ginōskei	knows	G1097 →
τοὺς	tous	the	G3588 →
διαλογισμοὺς	dialogismous	thoughts	G1261 →
τῶν	tōn	of the	G3588 →
σοφῶν	sophōn	wise	G4680 →
ὅτι	hoti	that	G3754 →
εἰσὶν	eisin	they are	G1510 →
μάταιοι.¶	mataioi	futile.	G3152 →

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
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
leads to
- 1 Timothy 6:20
  O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”
- Ephesians 5:6
  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- Matthew 7:15
  Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Galatians 4:9
  But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them…
- 1 Corinthians 3:18–19
  Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
Through
Psalms 2:1
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
leads to
- Acts 4:25–26
  You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
- Revelation 17:14
  They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen…
Through
Romans 1:21
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
leads to
- Ephesians 4:17–18
  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

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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