1 Corinthians 2

Introduction

In chapter 2, Paul continues his argument about wisdom and the cross by turning to his own example. When he first came to Corinth, he deliberately set aside the rhetorical skill and philosophical sophistication that the city prized. He came "in weakness and fear and much trembling," preaching nothing but Christ crucified. This was not a failure of nerve or ability — it was a strategic theological decision. Paul wanted the Corinthians' faith to rest on God's power, not on human eloquence.

But Paul is not anti-intellectual. In the second half of the chapter, he reveals that there is a profound wisdom — God's hidden wisdom, decreed before the ages, revealed by the Spirit to those who are mature. This is not the wisdom of rhetorical skill or philosophical reasoning; it is a wisdom that comes only through divine revelation. The chapter culminates in the astonishing claim that believers possess "the mind of Christ" — not through their own insight, but because God's Spirit has given them access to the deep things of God. The distinction Paul draws between the "natural person" (psychikos) and the "spiritual person" (pneumatikos) will become foundational for the rest of the letter's discussion of maturity, gifts, and life in the Spirit.

Paul's Weakness in Corinth (vv. 1–5)

BSB

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith would not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Translation

And I, when I came to you, brothers and sisters, did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony of God. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ — and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling, and my speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Notes

• ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας (hyperochēn logou ē sophias, "superiority of speech or wisdom") — The word hyperochē means "superiority, preeminence, excess." Paul did not arrive wielding logos (rhetoric) or sophia (philosophical wisdom) as tools of superiority. In Corinth — a city of competitive public speakers — this was a countercultural choice. I chose "superiority of speech or wisdom" over the BSB's "eloquence or wisdom" to bring out the competitive dimension: Paul refused to play the status game.

• ἔκρινα (ekrina, "I decided/judged/resolved") — This aorist verb indicates a deliberate, considered decision. Paul's simplicity was not ignorance — he was a trained Pharisee capable of sophisticated argument (as his later letters demonstrate). His refusal to deploy rhetorical fireworks in Corinth was a purposeful choice aligned with his theology of the cross.

• Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον (Iēsoun Christon kai touton estaurōmenon, "Jesus Christ and this one crucified") — The demonstrative pronoun touton ("this one") is emphatic, and the perfect participle estaurōmenon ("having been crucified") again stresses that Christ remains identified with His crucifixion. The "and" (kai) here is likely epexegetical (explanatory): "Jesus Christ — that is, the crucified one." Paul's whole message can be compressed into this phrase.

• ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ πολλῷ (en astheneia kai en phobō kai en tromō pollō, "in weakness and in fear and in much trembling") — Paul's triple description of his emotional state is remarkably honest. He may be recalling the difficulty of his initial visit to Corinth (Acts 18:9-10, where the Lord had to encourage him in a vision: "Do not be afraid"). The triad — weakness, fear, trembling — mirrors the state of the crucified Christ and embodies the theology Paul preaches: God's power is displayed through human weakness (cf. 2 Cor 12:9-10).

• ἀπόδειξις (apodeixis, "demonstration/proof") — This word was a technical term in Greek rhetoric for a compelling proof or logical demonstration. Paul co-opts the term: the real apodeixis is not rhetorical brilliance but the Spirit's manifest power. What convinced the Corinthians was not Paul's arguments but the Spirit's work through signs, transformed lives, and the power of the gospel itself.

• δυνάμει Θεοῦ (dynamei Theou, "power of God") — Paul sets up a stark contrast: human wisdom (sophia anthrōpōn) versus God's power (dynamis Theou). The Corinthians' faith must be anchored in the latter. If it rests on human eloquence, it can be undone by a more eloquent speaker. If it rests on God's power, it is unshakable.

God's Hidden Wisdom (vv. 6–9)

BSB

Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom — but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Rather, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him."

Translation

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom — though not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing. Rather, we speak God's wisdom in a mystery — the hidden wisdom that God predetermined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this wisdom, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and what has not entered the human heart — all that God has prepared for those who love Him."

Notes

• τελείοις (teleiois, "the mature/the complete") — From teleios ("complete, perfect, mature"). Paul does speak wisdom — but to those who are spiritually mature. This is not esoteric knowledge for an inner circle (as the later Gnostics would claim) but the deep understanding of God's plan available to any believer who is growing in the Spirit. Ironically, the Corinthians who pride themselves on wisdom are later told they are not among the mature (3:1-3).

• ἐν μυστηρίῳ (en mystēriō, "in a mystery") — The word mystērion in Paul's usage does not mean something mysterious or puzzling in the modern sense. It refers to a secret that was once hidden but has now been revealed by God. God's plan of salvation through the cross was hidden throughout the ages but has now been disclosed. Paul uses this word 21 times in his letters — it is central to his understanding of the gospel.

• τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην (tēn apokekrymmenēn, "the hidden [wisdom]") — A perfect passive participle: this wisdom "has been hidden" — by God, deliberately, until the right time. The passive voice (a "divine passive") implies God as the agent. God's wisdom was not absent from the world; it was concealed, waiting for the appointed moment of revelation in Christ.

• πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων (pro tōn aiōnōn, "before the ages") — God's plan is not a reaction to human failure but was established before time itself. The word aiōn ("age") refers to long periods or the entire sweep of time. God's wisdom precedes all of created history.

• τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου (tōn archontōn tou aiōnos toutou, "the rulers of this age") — This phrase could refer to human political and religious authorities (Pilate, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin) who orchestrated the crucifixion, or to demonic powers standing behind them (cf. Eph 6:12, Col 2:15), or both. The irony is devastating: those who wielded the greatest worldly power committed the greatest blunder. By crucifying "the Lord of glory" — a stunning title combining Kyrios (the divine name) with doxa (glory) — they unwittingly accomplished God's plan.

• τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης (ton Kyrion tēs doxēs, "the Lord of glory") — This is one of the most exalted Christological titles in the New Testament. To crucify "the Lord of glory" is the ultimate oxymoron — glory and crucifixion are complete opposites in the ancient world. The phrase reveals the cosmic irony at the heart of the gospel.

• The quotation in verse 9 is loosely drawn from Isaiah 64:4 (with possible echoes of Isaiah 65:17 and Jeremiah 3:16). Paul adapts the wording to emphasize the unimaginable nature of God's plan — it exceeds the capacity of human sight, hearing, and imagination. What God has prepared is beyond anything the human mind could conceive on its own.

Revelation by the Spirit (vv. 10–13)

BSB

But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Translation

But God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who among human beings knows the thoughts of a person except that person's own spirit within? In the same way, no one has come to know the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God. And these things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual realities with spiritual words.

Notes

• τὸ Πνεῦμα πάντα ἐραυνᾷ (to Pneuma panta erauna, "the Spirit searches all things") — The verb eraunaō means "to search, investigate, examine thoroughly." The Spirit's searching is not a quest born of ignorance but a penetrating exploration born of omniscience. He plumbs "even the depths (bathē) of God" — the word bathos ("depth") suggests unfathomable profundity, as in the depths of the ocean.

• τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ (ta bathē tou Theou, "the depths of God") — Paul implies that God has infinite depth — His purposes, character, and plans are inexhaustible. Only the Spirit can plumb these depths, and it is this Spirit whom believers have received. This is a remarkable statement about the Spirit's divine nature: only God can fully know God.

• Paul's analogy in verse 11 is powerful in its simplicity: just as only your own spirit (inner self-awareness) truly knows your inner thoughts, so only God's Spirit truly knows God's inner reality. The analogy implies that the Spirit is not external to God but is God's own self-knowledge — a point with significant Trinitarian implications.

• τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου (to pneuma tou kosmou, "the spirit of the world") — Contrasted with "the Spirit who is from God." The "spirit of the world" represents the mindset, values, and assumptions of human culture apart from God — the very sophia that the Corinthians have been chasing.

• χαρισθέντα (charisthenta, "freely given/graced") — From charizomai, related to charis ("grace"). The things God has given us are not earned but graced. Paul continues to reinforce that everything believers have — calling, gifts, wisdom, spiritual understanding — is a gift.

• πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συνκρίνοντες (pneumatikois pneumatika synkrinontes, "interpreting spiritual things with spiritual [words/means]") — This phrase is notoriously difficult to translate because synkrinō can mean "to combine, compare, interpret, or explain," and the dative pneumatikois could be masculine ("to spiritual people") or neuter ("with spiritual words/means"). The main options are: (a) "interpreting spiritual truths in spiritual words" (BSB, NIV), (b) "interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual people" (ESV), or (c) "combining spiritual things with spiritual things." I chose option (a) because the context is about the medium of communication (Spirit-taught words versus human-wisdom-taught words), though option (b) is also defensible and leads naturally into verse 14.

The Natural and the Spiritual Person (vv. 14–16)

BSB

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone's judgment. "For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Translation

But the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. The spiritual person, on the other hand, discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Notes

• ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος (psychikos anthrōpos, "the natural/soulish person") — This is one of the most important anthropological terms in Paul. Psychikos comes from psychē ("soul/life"), and it describes a person operating purely at the level of natural human capacities — reason, emotion, instinct — without the illumination of the Holy Spirit. It does not mean "sinful" per se but "merely human, unspiritual." The KJV translated it as "the natural man"; the ESV has "the natural person." Some scholars prefer "the person without the Spirit" (cf. NIV footnote). The word appears in contrast with pneumatikos ("spiritual") in 1 Cor 15:44-46 as well, where Paul contrasts the "natural body" (sōma psychikon) with the "spiritual body" (sōma pneumatikon).

• οὐ δέχεται (ou dechetai, "does not receive/accept/welcome") — The verb dechomai means "to welcome, receive, accept." It implies an active refusal, not merely a passive inability. The natural person does not merely fail to understand spiritual things — he refuses to welcome them. They strike him as mōria (foolishness), the same word from 1:18.

• ἀνακρίνεται (anakrinetai, "is discerned/examined/judged") — The verb anakrinō means "to examine, investigate, judge, discern." It was used as a legal term for the preliminary examination of a case. Paul uses it three times in these verses: spiritual things are "discerned" (anakrinetai) spiritually (v. 14); the spiritual person "discerns" (anakrinei) all things (v. 15); yet the spiritual person is "discerned" (anakrinetai) by no one (v. 15). The repetition creates a powerful chain: without the Spirit, you cannot evaluate spiritual reality; with the Spirit, you can evaluate everything; but no one without the Spirit can evaluate you.

• πνευματικός (pneumatikos, "the spiritual person") — The person who has received and is led by the Holy Spirit (Pneuma). This is not a super-Christian or spiritual elite — it is any believer who is living in step with the Spirit. Paul will immediately qualify this in 3:1 by telling the Corinthians that they are not yet operating as pneumatikoi despite having the Spirit.

• νοῦν Κυρίου (noun Kyriou, "the mind of the Lord") — Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 (LXX), where the rhetorical question demands the answer: "No one has known the mind of the LORD." But Paul adds a stunning twist: "But we have the mind of Christ." The Greek nous ("mind") refers to the faculty of understanding, judgment, and purposeful thought. Through the Spirit, believers have access to Christ's own perspective on reality. This is not a claim to omniscience but to a fundamentally reoriented way of seeing — seeing through the lens of the cross rather than the lens of worldly wisdom.

• The identification of "the Lord" in the Isaiah quotation with "Christ" in Paul's application is significant Christologically. Paul reads the Old Testament's Kyrios (LORD = Yahweh) and applies it directly to Christ, affirming Christ's divine identity.