1 Corinthians 1:25-31
25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, ▼▼ Grk “than men.”
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. ▼▼ Grk “than men.”
26 Think about the circumstances of your call, ▼
▼ 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.”
brothers and sisters. ▼ Not many were wise by human standards, ▼▼ Grk “according to the flesh.”
not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. ▼▼ 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.
27But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 28God chose ▼▼ Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29so that no one can boast in his presence. 30He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, ▼▼ Grk “of him you are in Christ Jesus.”
who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” ▼▼ 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.
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