1 Corinthians 1:23

1 Corinthians 1:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
• New International Version (NIV)but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
• English Standard Version (ESV)but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
• New King James Version (NKJV)but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Context of 1 Corinthians 1:23

21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

1 Corinthians 1:23 word by word

ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύσσομεν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον ἔθνεσιν δὲ μωρίανRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• preachκηρύσσωkērussō · to preachG2784
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• crucifiedσταυρόωstauroō · to crucifyG4717
• unto the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
• a stumblingblockσκάνδαλονskandalon · stumbling blockG4625
• unto the GreeksἝλλην=ἝλληνHellēn · Greek, GentileG1672
• foolishnessμωρίαmōria · foolishnessG3472

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 1:23

• 1 Corinthians 1:18The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
• 1 Corinthians 2:2For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.
• Luke 24:46And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.
• Acts 7:32‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.
• Acts 10:39“And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,
• 2 Corinthians 4:5You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.
• Galatians 3:1Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.
• Galatians 6:14As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.
• Ephesians 3:8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
• Isaiah 8:14He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.
• Matthew 11:6And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
• Matthew 13:57And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”
• Luke 2:34Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.
• John 6:53So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.
• Romans 9:32Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.
• Galatians 5:11Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23But we - Apostles, differing widely from these Gentile philosophers: - Preach Christ crucified - Call on men, both Jews and Gentiles, to believe in Christ, as having purchased their salvation by shedding his blood for them. Unto the Jews a stumbling block - Because Jesus came meek, lowly, and impoverished; not seeking worldly glory, nor affecting worldly pomp; whereas they expected the Messiah to come as a mighty prince and conqueror; because Christ did…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23But we - We who are Christian preachers make Christ crucified the grand subject of our instructions and our aims in contradistinction from the Jew and the Greek. They seek, the one miracles, the other wisdom, we glory only in the cross. Christ crucified - The word Christ, the anointed, is the same as the Hebrew name Messiah. The emphasis in this expression is on the word “crucified.” The Jews would make the Messiah whom they expected no less an object of…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. 23Paul insisted on sharing only the simple message of the cross, despite what unbelieving Jews and Gentiles wanted. Many Jews found the idea of a crucified Messiah contradictory. They believed crucifixion showed God's curse, not His power and blessing (see Galatians 3:13; compare Deuteronomy 21:23).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. we--Paul and Apollos. Christ crucified--The Greek expresses not the mere fact of His crucifixion, but the permanent character acquired by the transaction, whereby He is now a Saviour (Ga 3:1) crucified was the stone on which the Jews stumbled (Mt 21:44). The opposition of Jew and Gentile alike shows that a religion so seemingly contemptible in its origin could not have succeeded if it had not been divine. unto the Greeks--the oldest manuscripts read…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 1:23

• Atonement
• Boasting
• Cross
• Greece
• Greek
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Minister, Christian
• Preaching
• Reasoning
• Salvation
• Stumbling
• Suffering
• Unbelief
• Wisdom
• Word of God
• 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