1 Corinthians 2:16

1 Corinthians 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Context of 1 Corinthians 2:16

14The 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. 15The 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.

1 Corinthians 2:16 word by word

τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.¶Read the interlinear

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whoτίςtis · which?G5101
• has knownγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
• mindνοῦςnous · mindG3563
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• to instructσυμβιβάζωsumbibazō · to join withG4822
• Himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• of ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 2:16

• Job 15:8Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?
• Job 22:2“Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
• Job 40:2“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”
• Isaiah 40:13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?
• Jeremiah 23:18But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?
• Romans 11:34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”
• John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
• John 16:13However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.
• John 17:6I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
• Genesis 1:12The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
• Ephesians 3:3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord - Who that is still an animal man can know the mind of God? so as to instruct him, viz. the spiritual man, the same that is spoken of, 1 Corinthians 2:15. But the words may be better understood thus: How can the animal man know the mind of the Lord? and how can any man communicate that knowledge which he has never acquired, and which is foolishness to him, because it is spiritual, and he is animal? This quotation is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16For who hath known … - This passage is quoted from Isaiah 40:13. The interrogative form is a strong mode of denying that anyone has ever known the mind of the Lord. The argument of Paul is this, “No one can understand God. No one can fully comprehend his plans, his feelings, his views, his designs. No one by nature, under the influence of sense and passion, is either disposed to investigate his truths, or loves them when they are revealed. But the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 God has revealed true wisdom to us by his Spirit. Here is a proof of the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures, 2Pe 1:21. In proof of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, observe, that he knows all things, and he searches all things, even the deep things of God. No one can know the things of God, but his Holy Spirit, who is one with the Father and the Son, and who makes known Divine mysteries to his church. This is most clear testimony, both to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16This quote from Isaiah 40:13 illustrates how divine wisdom goes beyond human understanding (see also Romans 11:34). But we have the mind of Christ: Connected to Christ, believers receive the Spirit of Christ, which reveals Christ’s thoughts to them.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. For--proof of 1Co 2:15, that the spiritual man "is judged of no man." In order to judge the spiritual man, the ordinary man must "know the mind of the Lord." But "who of ordinary men knows" that? that he may instruct him--that is, so as to be able to set Him right as His counsellor (quoted from Is 40:13, 14). So the Septuagint translates the Greek verb, which means to "prove," in Ac 9:22. Natural men who judge spiritual men, living according to the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 2:16

• God Continued...
• Quotations and Allusions
• Regeneration
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Apostle
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Judge
• Lord
• Mystery
• Spiritually
• Testimony
• Wisdom

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings