Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, CALLED TO BE - [found in 'Aleph (') B G g 5: not in A Delta f, of the oldest manuscripts. Possibly inserted from ; but as likely to be genuine.] Translate, 'a called apostle.' Though vindicating his... [ Continue Reading ]
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: THE CHURCH OF GOD. He calls it so notwithstanding its many blots. Sectaries vainly anticip... [ Continue Reading ]
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. PEACE - peculiarly needed in the Corinthian church ().... [ Continue Reading ]
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; He puts foremost the causes for praise and hope among them, not to discourage them by the succeeding reproof, and in order to appeal to their better selves. MY GOD () - mine, as honouring me by having... [ Continue Reading ]
That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; UTTERANCE. Billroth translates, doctrine. Ye are rich in preaching of the Word, and in knowledge of it. The English version, as in , is better; for Paul, purposing presently to dwell on the abuse of two gifts on w... [ Continue Reading ]
Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: According as the testimony of (of and concerning) Christ (who is both the object and author of this testimony) (; ; ) was confirmed among you - i:e., by God, through my preaching, and through the miracles accompanying it (; ). Or better, as th... [ Continue Reading ]
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: YE COME BEHIND - are inferior to other Christians elsewhere. IN NO GIFT - not that all had all gifts, but different persons among them had different gifts, (1 Corinthians 12:4, etc.) WAITING FOR THE COMING OF... [ Continue Reading ]
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. WHO - God (), not Jesus Christ (), in which case it would be, 'in His day.' UNTO THE END - namely, 'the coming of Christ.' BLAMELESS IN THE DAY OF ... CHRIST (). After that day there is no... [ Continue Reading ]
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. FAITHFUL - to His promises (; ). CALLED - according to His purpose (). UNTO THE FELLOWSHIP OF ... JESUS - to be fellow-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), being like Him, sons of God (; ; ). Chrysostom... [ Continue Reading ]
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. NOW - Greek [ de (G1161)], But. Ye already have knowledge, utterance,... [ Continue Reading ]
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. (.) BY THEM ... OF THE HOUSE OF CHLOE - a matron resident at Corinth. The Corinthians "wrote" to the apostle (), consulting him concerning marriage, the eating of... [ Continue Reading ]
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. THIS I SAY - this is what I mean in saying "contentions." EVERY ONE OF YOU SAITH - ye say severally, 'glorying in men' (; 1 Corinthians 3:21), one, I am of Paul; another, I am of Apoll... [ Continue Reading ]
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? IS CHRIST DIVIDED? - into various parts, so that He hath sharers in His power, and so some of you call yourselves after Him; others after this and that leader? Surely not (Theodoret). But since the Greek part... [ Continue Reading ]
I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; I thank God's providence now, who so ordered it that I baptized none of you but Crispus (the former ruler of the synagogue, ), and Gaius (written by the Romans Caius-the host of Paul at Corinth, and of the church, ; a person, therefo... [ Continue Reading ]
Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. LEST ANY SHOULD SAY - `[I adduce this] lest any say,' etc. THAT I HAD BAPTIZED. So Delta G f g; but 'Aleph (') A B C v read, 'ye were baptized [ ebaptistheete (G907)] into my name.'... [ Continue Reading ]
And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. HOUSEHOLD OF STEPHANAS - "the first-fruits of Achaia;" i:e., among the first converted there (; ). It is likely that such 'households' included infants (). Infant baptism was the Church's usage from... [ Continue Reading ]
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Paul says this not to depreciate baptism, for he exalts it most highly (Romans 6:3). He baptized some, and would have baptized more, but that his and the... [ Continue Reading ]
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. PREACHING ... - literally, the word, as to the cross, in contrast to the 'wisdom of word,' so-called, 1 Corinthians 1:17. THEM THAT PERISH - rather, them that are perishing [ t... [ Continue Reading ]
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. I WILL DESTROY - slightly altered from the Septuagint, . The Hebrew is, 'The wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.' Paul, by i... [ Continue Reading ]
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? WHERE? ... - Nowhere; for God 'brings them to nought' (1 Corinthians 1:19). THE WISE - the Greek philosopher. THE SCRIBE - Jewish (cf. the Jew and Greek of this wo... [ Continue Reading ]
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. AFTER THAT - rather, whereas. IN THE WISDOM OF GOD. (1) 'In the sphere of God's wisdom' the world's wisdom has no place; for by it the world was not... [ Continue Reading ]
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: FOR - literally, Whereas. A B C Delta, Vulgate, add 'also,' taking up the "whereas" of , and additionally illustrating that 'the world knew not God.' A SIGN. 'Aleph (') A B C Delta G, Vulgate, read 'signs.' The singular was a corre... [ Continue Reading ]
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; WE - Paul and Apollos. CHRIST CRUCIFIED. The Greek expresses not the mere fact of His crucifixion, but the permanent character acquired by it, whereby He is now a Saviour (). A Messiah crucified wa... [ Continue Reading ]
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. CALLED (cf. ) - "us which are (being) saved" (): the elect called effectually (Romans 8:28). CHRIST. "Crucified" is not here added, because when the offence of the Cross is overcome, "Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD - i:e., God's plan of salvation, which men deem "foolishness" (). WEAKNESS OF GOD - Christ "crucified through weakness" (, the stumbling-block of the Jews), yet "living by the... [ Continue Reading ]
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: YE SEE - rather, from the prominence of the verb in the Greek, "see" (imperative) (Vulgate). YOUR CALLING - God's way in calling you; or your external condition (). NOT... [ Continue Reading ]
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; THE FOOLISH THINGS - a general phrase for all persons and things foolish. Even things (and those, too, accounted by "the world" fool... [ Continue Reading ]
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: YEA, AND THINGS WHICH ARE NOT. "Yea" is not in the Greek. A C Delta G f g omit "and." Thus, the clause, "things which are not" (are regarded as nought)... [ Continue Reading ]
That no flesh should glory in his presence. NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY. For they who glory (boast) because of human greatness and wisdom are "put to shame" (; ). IN HIS PRESENCE. So Vulgate, 'Aleph (') A B C Delta G f g, read 'in God's presence.' Glory not before Him, but in Him (Bengel). Here Paul... [ Continue Reading ]
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: BUT ... YE - in contrast to them that "glory" in worldly wisdom. OF HIM ARE - not of yourselves (Ephesians 2:8), but of Him (Romans 11:36), having become His children in... [ Continue Reading ]
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. GLORY IN THE LORD (Jeremiah 9:23) - not in the flesh, nor in the world (). In contrast to morbid slavish self-abasement, Paul joins with humility the elevating consciousness of our dignity in Christ. God strips us of... [ Continue Reading ]