1 Corinthians 1:19
in 1 Corinthians 1For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought.
KJV
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
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This verse in 1 Corinthians 1
Commentary
15 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
For it is written - This passage is quoted from Isa 29:14. The Hebrew of the passage, as rendered in the English version is, “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” The version of the Septuagint is, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the prudent I will hide” κρύψω krupsō, corresponding substantially with the quotation by Paul. The sense in the Hebrew is not materially different.
This site's exposition
For it is written
Paul cites Isaiah 29:14, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Isaiah spoke it against the political cleverness of Judah, and Paul applies it to Corinth's love of polished speech.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
And of such it is said, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise: I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." The apostle accordingly adds, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?" setting in contradistinction to the scribes, the disputers of this world, the philosophers of the Gentiles. "Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" which is equivalent to, showed it to be foolish, and not true, as they thought.
For it is written in Isaiah: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject (Isaiah 29:14). He destroys the wisdom of the wise, while he does what they deny is possible; and he rejects the intelligence …
But how remote is our (Catholic) verity from the artifices of this heretic, when it dreads to arouse the anger of God, and firmly believes that He produced all things out of nothing, and promises to us a restoration from the grave of the same flesh (that died) and holds without a blush that Christ was born of the virgin's womb! At this, philosophers, and heretics, and the very heathen, laugh and jeer. For "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise" -that God, no doubt, who in reference to this very dispensation of His threatened long before that He would "destroy the wisdom of the wise." Thanks to this simplicity of truth, so opposed to the subtlety and vain deceit of philosophy, we cannot possibly have any relish for such perverse opinions.
A commentator
Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 170-71 · Written before 458.
proposed
Paul speaks about the wisdom of this world and not merely the eloquence, for God has given it also. It was God who divided the languages and gave each one its own character. It was he who gave the Greek language its splendor. But those …
"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent will I reject." Nothing from himself which might give offence, does he advance up to this point; but first he comes to the testimony of the Scripture, and then furnished with boldness from thence, adopts more vehement words.
8 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
Now, both the people (of Israel) by their transgression of His laws, and the whole race of mankind by their neglect of natural duty, had both sinned and rebelled against the Creator. Marcion's god, however, could not have been offended, both because he was unknown to everybody, and because he is incapable of being irritated. What grace, therefore, can be had of a god who has not been offended? What peace from one who has never experienced rebellion?
The Medieval Church3 voices
Having said that the unbelieving wise men perish, he confirms this with Scripture: for it says, "the wisdom of his wise men shall perish" (Isa. 29:14), namely, of the external ones, that is, in the wisdom of this world there is no understanding (this is …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject." That is the wisdom of which Jeremiah says: "They are wise to do evil, but to do good they know not." To scatter this wisdom Christ died, made …
Then when he says, For it is written, he states the reason for the above: first, he tells why the word of the cross is folly to men; secondly, why this folly is the power of God to them that are saved (v. 21). As …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
, All the valued learning of this world was confounded, baffled, and eclipsed, by the Christian revelation and the glorious triumphs of the cross. The heathen politicians and philosophers, the Jewish rabbis and doctors, the curious searchers into the secrets of nature, were all posed and put to a nonplus.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
As it is written,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
I will destroy--slightly altered from the Septuagint, Isa 29:14. The Hebrew is, "The wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." Paul by inspiration gives the sense of the Spirit, by making GOD the cause of their wisdom perishing, &c., "I will destroy," &c. understanding of the prudent--literally, "of the understanding ones."
For it is written - The place referred to is Isa 29:14. I will destroy the wisdom of the wise - Των σοφων, Of wise men - of the philosophers who in their investigations seek nothing less than God, and whose highest discoveries amount to nothing in comparison of the grand truths relative to God, the invisible world, and the true end of man, which the Gospel has brought to light. Let me add, that the very discoveries which are really useful have been made by men who feared God, and conscientiously credited Divine revelation: witness Newton, Boyle, Pascal, and many others. But all the skeptics and deists, by their schemes of natural religion and morality, have not been able to save one soul! No sinner has ever been converted from the error of his ways by their preaching or writings.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| γέγραπται | gegraptai | It has been written | G1125 → | 189 times |
| γάρ· | gar | for: | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἀπολῶ | apolo | I will destroy | G622 → | 90 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| σοφίαν | sophian | wisdom | G4678 → | 51 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| σοφῶν, | sophon | wise, | G4680 → | 19 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| σύνεσιν | sunesin | intelligence | G4907 → | |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| συνετῶν | suneton | intelligent | G4908 → | |
| ἀθετήσω. | atheteso | I will frustrate. | G114 → |
γέγραπταιIt has been written
gegraptaiG1125 →189 times
γάρ·for:
garG1063 →1039 times
ἀπολῶI will destroy
apoloG622 →90 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
σοφίανwisdom
sophianG4678 →51 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
σοφῶν,wise,
sophonG4680 →19 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
σύνεσινintelligence
sunesinG4907 →
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
συνετῶνintelligent
sunetonG4908 →
ἀθετήσω.I will frustrate.
athetesoG114 →
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 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
it leads to
- Job 5:13
He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
- Psalms 141:10
Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
- 1 Corinthians 1:19–20
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
- Romans 1:21–22
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.
- Isaiah 44:25
who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense,
- Job 5:13
Through
Isaiah 29:14Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:5
“Look at the nations and observe—be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you.
- 1 Corinthians 1:19–24
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
- Isaiah 28:21
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing…
- Habakkuk 1:5
Where this verse is studied
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About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 13 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 1 Corinthians; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9; Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 4; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, Against Marcion Book V; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 170-71; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.