Christian Standard Bible
1 Corinthians 1:27
27Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
- New International Version (NIV)But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
- New King James Version (NKJV)But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Context of 1 Corinthians 1:27
25because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 26Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world — what is viewed as nothing — to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29so that no one may boast in his presence.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 11 Corinthians 1:27 word by word
ἀλλὰ τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεὸς ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς, καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεὸς ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τὰ ἰσχυρά,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Butἀλλάalla · butG235
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hath chosenἐκλέγωeklegomai · to selectG1586
- the foolish thingsμωρόςmōros · foolishG3474
- of the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
- toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- confoundκαταισχύνωkataischunō · to dishonorG2617
- the wiseσοφόςsophos · wiseG4680
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the weak thingsἀσθενήςasthenēs · weakG772
- which are mightyἰσχυρόςischuros · strongG2478
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 1:27
- Psalms 8:2From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
- Isaiah 26:5For he has humbled those who live in lofty places — an inaccessible city. He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground; he throws it to the dust.
- Isaiah 29:14Therefore, I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise will vanish, and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden.
- Zephaniah 3:12I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 4:18As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen.
- Matthew 9:9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.
- Matthew 11:25At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.
- Matthew 21:16and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?”
- Luke 19:39Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
- Luke 21:15for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- Acts 4:11This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.
- Acts 6:9Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen.
- Acts 7:35“This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge? — this one God sent as a ruler and a deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
- Acts 17:18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities” — because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
- Acts 24:24Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27But God hath chosen the foolish things - God has chosen by means of men who are esteemed rude and illiterate to confound the greatest of the Greek philosophers, and overturn their systems; and, by means of men weak, without secular power or authority, to confound the scribes and Pharisees, and in spite of the exertions of the Jewish sanhedrin, to spread the doctrine of Christ crucified all over the land of Judea, and by such instruments as these to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27But God hath chosen - The fact of their being in the church at all was the result of his choice. It was owing entirely to his grace. The foolish things - The things esteemed foolish among people. The expression here refers to those who were destitute of learning, rank, wealth, and power, and who were esteemed as fools, and were despised by the rich and the great. To confound - To bring to shame; or that he might make them ashamed; that is, humble them by…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-31Verses 26-31 God did not choose philosophers, nor orators, nor statesmen, nor men of wealth, and power, and interest in the world, to publish the gospel of grace and peace. He best judges what men and what measures serve the purposes of his glory. Though not many noble are usually called by Divine grace, there have been some such in every age, who have not been ashamed of the gospel of Christ; and persons of every rank stand in need of pardoning grace…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-29God chose humble and overlooked people to show his judgment on human pride (see Romans 3:27; 4:2; 2 Corinthians 4:7–11; 12:8–10; Ephesians 2:9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. the foolish things--a general phrase for all persons and things foolish. Even things (and those, too, foolish things) are chosen by God to confound persons, (and those too persons who are wise). This seems to me the force of the change from neuter to masculine. to confound--The Greek is stronger, "that He might confound (or put to shame)." God confounds the wise by effecting through His instruments, without human wisdom, that the worldly wise, with…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 1:27
In the dictionaries
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
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