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About this book

1 Corinthians

About this book
Chapter 1

1 From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother, 2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,⁠ their Lord and ours. 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! 4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge— 6 just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you— 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁠ 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose. 11 For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,”⁠ or “I am with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name! 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless. 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age?⁠ Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish?⁠ 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.⁠ 22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, 23 but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. 27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 3:2 and 1 Corinthians 1:20 and Jonathan Isaiah 3:2

Hebrew Bible · New Testament · Targum

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Summary

Isaiah describes the loss of Jerusalem’s leaders as a sign of judgment. The Aramaic Targum changes “prophet” to “scribe,” focusing on the loss of intellectual leaders. Paul uses similar language in 1 Corinthians, where God judges the wise and the scribe.

Passages

Isaiah 3:2

Hebrew Bible
1 Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all the food and water, 2 the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, 3 captains of groups of 50, the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

1 Corinthians 1:20

New Testament
19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.
55–57 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Corinthians

Jonathan Isaiah 3:2

Targum
1 For the Lord of the world, the LORD of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah support and aid, all support of food and all help of drink; 2 the mighty man and warrior, the judge and scribe, the diviner and elder; 3 the captain of fifty, the man of rank, the counselor, the skilled craftsman, the wise man, and the expert in counsel.
200–300 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jonathan Isaiah

References

"... Against the background of what will be, the situation which now prevails is all the more pathetic. God removes such basic leadership as that of the 'scribe' (verse 2 of the Targum, instead of 'prophet', as in the Masoretic text) and the 'scholar' (verse 3). (Notably, the wise man, the scribe and the debater are described as set aside by God in 1 Corinthians 1:20), after a citation of Isaiah 29:14. Instead, weak 'guardians' prevail, supported by official extortion from community representatives who are themselves impoverished and unsuitable ..."
Bruce D. Chilton, The Isaiah Targum: Introduction, Translation, Apparatus and Notes, ArBib 11 (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987), 9.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Isaiah 3:2 and 1 Corinthians 1:20 and Jonathan Isaiah 3:2

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