1 Corinthians 2

Not by superiority of word or wisdom — knowing nothing but Jesus Christ crucified. In weakness, fear and trembling; not persuasiveness but demonstration of Spirit and power. A wisdom spoken among the complete — hidden, foreordained before the ages, unknown to this age’s rulers. What eye has not seen nor ear heard, the Spirit reveals — the Spirit searches even the depths of God. A man’s things his own spirit knows; God’s things, God’s Spirit. The natural man cannot receive them; the spiritual one examines all things. We have the mind of Christ.

Κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, ἦλθον οὐ καθ’ ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας καταγγέλλων ὑμῖν τὸ ⸀μαρτύριον τοῦ θεοῦ.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come announcing to you the testimony of God according to superiority of word or of wisdom.

οὐ γὰρ ἔκρινά ⸂τι εἰδέναι⸃ ἐν ὑμῖν εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον·

For I judged not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

κἀγὼ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ πολλῷ ἐγενόμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς,

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

καὶ ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν ⸂πειθοῖ σοφίας⸃ ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως,

and my word and my proclamation were not in persuasiveness of wisdom but in demonstration of Spirit and power,

Why this rendering

1Cor.2.4 Observation

Syntactic observation

καὶ ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖ σοφίας ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως — my word and my proclamation were not in persuasiveness of wisdom but in demonstration of Spirit and power. The base text reads the short ⸂πειθοῖ σοφίας⸃; some manuscripts add λόγοις (words). πειθός occurs only here in the New Testament — the adjective of πείθω (persuade, Acts 17:4) — and ἀπόδειξις also only here, the noun of ἀποδείκνυμι (Acts 2:22, ‘demonstrated’): two words found in this verse alone, both standing on verbs this edition already has. ὑπεροχή in v.1 (superiority; 1 Tim 2:2) is the noun of ὑπερέχω (Rom 13:1, ‘be higher’). ἔκρινα in v.2 is ‘judge’ in the sense of deciding, the site of Acts 20:16. τρόμος in v.3 is the ‘trembling’ of the women fleeing the tomb in Mark 16:8.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“persuasiveness / demonstration” — two singletons on their verbs’ roots

Basis Follows πείθω ‘persuade’ and ἀποδείκνυμι ‘demonstrate’ as fixed.

“plausible words / display”

Basis Following the longer variant with ‘words’.

Rejected The base text does not read λόγοις; ‘display/manifestation’ belongs to the φανερόω family.

Lost in translation

πειθός ↔ πείθω — ‘persuasiveness’ keeps the root with ‘persuade’.

Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

ἵνα ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν μὴ ᾖ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ’ ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ.

so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, σοφίαν δὲ οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων·

Yet we speak wisdom among the complete — a wisdom not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are being abolished;

ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν ⸂θεοῦ σοφίαν⸃ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν·

but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the ages for our glory,

ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκεν, εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν·

which none of the rulers of this age has known; for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται· Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ⸀ὅσα ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.

But as it is written: ‘Things an eye has not seen and an ear has not heard and have not come up upon the heart of man — all that God has made ready for those who love him.’

Why this rendering

1Cor.2.9 Observation

Syntactic observation

Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ὅσα ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν — things an eye has not seen and an ear has not heard and have not come up upon the heart of man — all that God has made ready for those who love him. The quotation is closest to Isaiah 64:4 but matches no known text word for word; the base text reads ⸀ὅσα (‘all that’), some manuscripts ἅ. The sentence has relative clauses and no main verb — a list standing after ‘as it is written’, and it is left standing. ἀναβαίνω is ‘go up’ — ‘come up upon the heart’ is the Hebrew idiom (עלה על לב) taken over into Greek, and the picture is kept. ἑτοιμάζω is the verb of the kingdom ‘made ready’ in Matt 25:34.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“come up upon the heart” — ἀναβαίνω’s picture kept

Basis Greek kept the Hebrew idiom; the translation keeps it too.

“has not entered the mind of man”

Basis The familiar paraphrase.

Rejected ‘Mind’ is νοῦς’s word (v.16), and the ‘going up’ vanishes.

Lost in translation

The ⸀ὅσα mark — the choice between ‘all that’ and ‘the things’ does not reach the translation.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

ἡμῖν ⸀γὰρ ⸂ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς⸃ διὰ τοῦ ⸀πνεύματος, τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πάντα ἐραυνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

τίς γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ⸀ἔγνωκεν εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ.

For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? So also no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God.

ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν·

But we did not receive the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God;

ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ’ ἐν διδακτοῖς ⸀πνεύματος, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες.

which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit — comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Why this rendering

1Cor.2.13 Observation

Syntactic observation

οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ’ ἐν διδακτοῖς πνεύματος, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες — not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit — comparing spiritual things with spiritual. The last phrase opens three ways — if πνευματικοῖς is neuter, ‘matching spiritual things to spiritual words’; if masculine, ‘explaining spiritual things to spiritual people’; and συγκρίνω is ‘compare’ in 2 Cor 10:12. This edition chooses ‘comparing’ with the neuter, which leaves the readings open, and records the other two as rejected options. ψυχικός in v.14 is the adjective of ψυχή (life, as fixed in this edition) — ‘natural man’ loses the root that Korean keeps; the pair shows in 15:44, ‘a body of life ↔ a body of spirit’. ἀνακρίνω in vv.14-15 is the verb in which Pilate’s ‘examined’ (Luke 23:14) and the Beroeans’ ‘examining the scriptures’ (Acts 17:11) are one word.

Rendering options · 3

Adopted

“comparing spiritual things with spiritual” — neuter, συγκρίνω as compare

Basis The sense of 2 Cor 10:12, and it leaves the three readings open.

“interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people”

Basis Reading πνευματικοῖς as masculine, matching ‘the spiritual one’ of vv.14-15.

Rejected ‘Interpret’ cuts the link to συγκρίνω in 2 Cor 10:12 and closes the gender to one side.

“matching spiritual things to spiritual words”

Basis Carrying forward the ‘words’ (λόγοις) just before.

Rejected No second ‘words’ in the text; ‘comparing’ already contains that reading.

Lost in translation

ψυχικός ↔ ψυχή — ‘natural’ does not show the ‘life’ inside it.

Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (not this language)

The open gender of πνευματικοῖς — closed to the neuter.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

Ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ, μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστίν, καὶ οὐ δύναται γνῶναι, ὅτι πνευματικῶς ἀνακρίνεται·

But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot know them, because they are examined spiritually.

ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς ἀνακρίνει ⸀τὰ πάντα, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπ’ οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται.

But the spiritual one examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one.

τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, who will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.