1 Corinthians 1:17

1 Corinthians 1:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Context of 1 Corinthians 1:17

15so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect. 18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.

1 Corinthians 1:17 word by word

οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλέν με Χριστὸς βαπτίζειν ἀλλ᾽ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι· οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου, ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• sentἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• notοὐou · noG3756
• to baptizeβαπτίζωbaptizō · to baptizeG907
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• to preach the gospelεὐαγγελίζομαιeuaggelizō · to speak good newsG2097
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• wisdomσοφίαsophia · wisdomG4678
• of wordsλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• lestἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• the crossὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the crossσταυρόςstauros · crossG4716
• should be made of none effectκενόωkenoō · to emptyG2758

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 1:17

• John 4:2(though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were),
• Acts 10:48He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
• Acts 26:17I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
• 1 Corinthians 2:1When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.
• 2 Corinthians 4:2Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by an open display of the truth.
• 2 Corinthians 10:3For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh,
• 2 Peter 1:16For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
• 1 Corinthians 2:5so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17For Christ sent me not to baptize - Bp. Pearce translates thus: For Christ sent me, not so much to baptize as to preach the Gospel: and he supports his version thus - "The writers of the Old and New Testaments do, almost every where (agreeably to the Hebrew idiom) express a preference given to one thing beyond another by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negation of that which is contrary to it: and so it must be understood here, for if St…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17For Christ sent me not to baptize - That is, not to baptize as my main business. Baptism was not his principal employment, though be had a commission in common with others to administer the ordinance, and occasionally did it. The same thing was true of the Saviour, that he did not personally baptize, John 4:2. It is probable that the business of baptism was entrusted to the ministers of the church of inferior talents, or to those who were connected with…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-25Verses 17-25 Paul had been bred up in Jewish learning; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jesus, was more powerful than all the oratory and philosophy of the heathen world. This is the sum and substance of the gospel. Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. And by his death we live. The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God, if explained and faithfully applied…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17The important thing is not baptism, but sharing the good news about Jesus. Baptism shows how people respond to the message. not with words of wisdom: This refers to speaking well or appealing to human wisdom. lest the cross be emptied of its power: Focusing too much on eloquence and human reasoning can distract from the simple message that Christ died for people's sins so they could be forgiven (1 Corinthians 2:1–5; 15:1–3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Paul says this not to depreciate baptism; for he exalts it most highly (Ro 6:3). He baptized some first converts; and would have baptized more, but that his and the apostles' peculiar work was to preach the Gospel, to found by their autoptic testimony particular churches, and then to superintend the churches in general. sent me--literally, "as an apostle." not to baptize--even in Christ's name, much less in my own. not with wisdom of words--or speech…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 1:17

• Atonement
• Baptism
• Boasting
• Cross
• Jesus, the Christ
• Philosophy
• Preaching
• Suffering
• Wisdom
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Confirm
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Cross
• Disputer
• Foolishness
• Household
• Join
• Preach

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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