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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 33:18 and 1 Corinthians 1:20

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses a rhetorical question from Isaiah that criticizes relying on human wisdom. In Isaiah, the disappearance of the scribe depicts the end of oppressive power and false security. Paul uses this to challenge intellectual pride.

Passages

Isaiah 33:18

Hebrew Bible
16 this is the person who will live in a secure place; he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; he will have food and a constant supply of water. 17 You will see a king in his splendor; you will see a wide land. 18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, and you will ask yourselves, “Where is the scribe? Where is the one who weighs the money? Where is the one who counts the towers?” 19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend, whose derisive speech you do not understand. 20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

1 Corinthians 1:20

New Testament
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,
55–57 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Corinthians

References

"... the presence of Scripture is more evident within this portion of Paul’s writing than has hitherto been realised. Isaiah 29:14 in 1 Corinthians 1:19, Jeremiah 9:23 [24] in 1:31, Job 5:13 in 3:19, and Psalm 94:11 [93:11] in 3:20 should all be considered citations. It affirms that Isaiah 40:13 is a citation in 2:16 when an author’s perspective is considered, but it indicates that it may be perceived differently from a Corinthian reader’s perspective. The thesis also asserts that Isaiah 64:3 [64:4] is what is most likely cited within 2:9. The study proposes the presence of two allusions: Jeremiah 9:22 [23] in 1:26–29 and Isaiah 65:17 in 2:9. Finally, it contends that six Scriptural echoes play a role in Paul’s argument in this passage: Isaiah 33:18 in 1:20, Isaiah 28:16 in 1:21–24, Zechariah 4:6 in 2:3–5, Daniel 2:19–23 in 2:6–8, 10–11, Isaiah 5:1–7 in 3:6–9, Isaiah 3:3 in 3:10, and Malachi 3:2–3 in 3:12–15. As a result, this work contends that Paul used Scripture consciously or unconsciously to communicate a significant portion of his argument ..."
H. H. Drake Williams III, “The Wisdom of the Wise: The Presence and Function of Scripture in 1 Cor. 1:18–3:23,” TynBul 52.2 (2001): 315–317.

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 33:18 and 1 Corinthians 1:20

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