1 Corinthians 1:26-31
New English Translation
26 Think about the circumstances of your call,[a] brothers and sisters.[b] Not many were wise by human standards,[c] not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.[d] 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[e] 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,[f] 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.”[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “Think about your calling.” “Calling” in Paul’s writings usually refers to God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. The following verses show that “calling” here stands by metonymy for their circumstances when they became Christians, leading to the translation “the circumstances of your call.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn The Greek word ευγενής (eugenēs) refers to the status of being born into nobility, wealth, or power with an emphasis on the privileges and benefits that come with that position.
- 1 Corinthians 1:28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 tn Grk “of him you are in Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:31 sn A quotation from Jer 9:24. The themes of Jer 9 have influenced Paul’s presentation in vv. 26-31. Jeremiah calls upon the wise, the strong, and the wealthy not to trust in their resources but in their knowledge of the true God—and so to boast in the Lord. Paul addresses the same three areas of human pride.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Common English Bible
26 Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. 27 But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. 28 And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. 29 So no human being can brag in God’s presence. 30 It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. This means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. 31 This is consistent with what was written: The one who brags should brag in the Lord![a]
Read full chapterFootnotes
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible