1 Corinthians 1:20 kjv

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 Corinthians 1:20 nkjv

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 Corinthians 1:20 niv

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1:20 esv

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1:20 nlt

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.

1 Corinthians 1 verses

1 Corinthians 1 20 Meaning

First Corinthians 1:20 rhetorically asserts that God has rendered ineffective and absurd all forms of human intellectual prowess – whether philosophical wisdom, legalistic knowledge, or sophisticated argumentation – in grasping His saving truth. Through the "foolishness" of the Cross, God demonstrated that His divine plan and power are utterly independent of, and indeed nullify, the highest achievements of human reasoning and worldly intellect.

1 Corinthians 1 20 Context

First Corinthians chapter 1 opens with Paul addressing the internal divisions within the Corinthian church, specifically concerning factions that had formed around various leaders and preferred rhetorical styles. Paul's immediate counter to this worldly approach is to present Christ crucified as the central and unifying message. Verse 20 functions as a powerful rhetorical question, building on the assertion in verse 19 (which quotes Isaiah 29:14) that God will nullify the wisdom of the wise. It starkly contrasts the perceived "wisdom" and intellectual accomplishments of the world with God's unique and surprising method of salvation through the seemingly "foolish" message of the cross. The historical context for this challenge includes both the Hellenistic culture of Corinth, which valued philosophical debate and oratorical skill, and the Jewish background, which highly regarded the knowledge of the Mosaic Law through scribal interpretations.

1 Corinthians 1 20 Word analysis

• Where is the wise? (Ποῦ σοφός; Pou sophos?)

  • Sophos: Refers to the Greek philosopher or intellectual, priding himself on human reason, philosophical debate, and eloquent speech.
  • Significance: Paul directly challenges the Hellenistic intellectual tradition, questioning its ultimate validity in divine matters.

• where is the scribe? (ποῦ γραμματεύς; pou grammateus?)

  • Grammateus: Denotes a Jewish legal scholar, an expert interpreter of the Torah and Jewish tradition. These were learned individuals respected for their profound knowledge of the Law.
  • Significance: Paul confronts Jewish reliance on legalistic scholarship and intellectual mastery of the Law for understanding God's will or achieving righteousness.

• where is the disputer of this world? (ποῦ συζητητὴς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου; pou syzētētēs tou aiōnos toutou?)

  • Syzētētēs: A debater, disputant, or a sophist—someone skilled in argumentative discourse and persuasive rhetoric. This term broadens the critique to include anyone who employs human cleverness in arguments, aiming for intellectual victory rather than divine truth.
  • Tou aiōnos toutou: "of this age" or "of this world." It signifies the present, fallen world system, dominated by human principles and alienated from God. This highlights that the disputer's wisdom is transient and operates within a system that cannot access divine reality.
  • Significance: This phrase is a sweeping dismissal of all human-centered polemics and intellectual contests that disregard God's revelation.

• hath not God made foolish (οὐχὶ ἐμώρανεν ὁ Θεός; ouchi emōranen ho Theos?)

  • Ouchi: A strong rhetorical interrogative, anticipating an affirmative answer ("Has God not...?", implying, "Yes, God has!").
  • Emōranen: From the verb morainō, meaning "to make foolish," "to render absurd," "to demonstrate as senseless or insipid." It carries the connotation of an active, deliberate act by God to expose the bankruptcy and nullify the perceived brilliance of human wisdom. It’s the same root as “moron,” emphasizing a state of absurdity.
  • Significance: It's not just that human wisdom is inadequate; God has taken a decisive action, through the cross, to actively demonstrate its utter lack of capacity for understanding true salvation.

• the wisdom of this world? (τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; tēn sophian tou kosmou toutou?)

  • Sophia: Refers to human wisdom, intellect, philosophical insight, or rhetorical skill, distinct from the wisdom that comes from God.
  • Tou kosmou toutou: "of this world." Reinforces that this wisdom originates from and pertains to the fallen, earthly realm, and is devoid of divine insight or spiritual understanding.
  • Significance: A comprehensive rejection of any human intellectual framework or achievement that purports to understand or achieve spiritual truth independent of God’s self-revelation in Christ.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Where is... where is... where is...?": This triadic rhetorical questioning, or anaphora, rapidly dismisses various prominent types of worldly intellectual figures. It powerfully conveys their irrelevance and impotence when confronted with the truth of God’s plan, emphasizing that they possess no answer to ultimate spiritual questions.
• "the wise... the scribe... the disputer of this world": This phrase encapsulates the major intellectual classes of Paul's day that prided themselves on their own wisdom. "The wise" targets Greek philosophers and rhetoricians. "The scribe" points to Jewish scholars and legal interpreters. "The disputer of this world" broadens the scope to all human debaters and intellectual combatants, representing a common human tendency to rely on intellect rather than faith. Together, they represent the entirety of human-derived knowledge and intellectual pursuits apart from God.
• "hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?": This culminating rhetorical question serves as the theological thesis of the verse. It declares God's decisive and active role in rendering all human wisdom, whether Gentile philosophy or Jewish legalism, as nonsensical and inadequate for achieving salvation or understanding ultimate spiritual realities. It signifies that God's plan through Christ, appearing as foolishness, actually exposes the true folly of human self-reliance.

1 Corinthians 1 20 Bonus section

• This verse lies at the heart of Paul's theological counter-narrative against intellectual pride. It emphasizes that salvation and true knowledge of God are not attainments through human ingenuity but gifts of divine revelation and grace.
• The "world" (kosmos or aiōn) referenced here is not the physical creation, but the system of values, principles, and assumptions of fallen humanity that exists apart from God's redemptive truth. Its "wisdom" operates according to self-serving or worldly criteria.
• Paul is not advocating for ignorance, but rather reorienting the source of ultimate wisdom. It is a call to intellectual humility, acknowledging that human reason, without divine enlightenment, is insufficient for knowing God in His salvific plan.
• The rhetorical structure highlights the dramatic shift in perspective: what the world prizes (sophistication, knowledge) is revealed by God as worthless for salvation; what the world despises (a crucified Christ) is God's profoundest wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1 20 Commentary

1 Corinthians 1:20 is a powerful theological declaration challenging the prevailing values of both the Hellenistic and Jewish worlds. Paul's rhetorical questions underscore the fundamental contrast between human intellectual pride and divine revelation. The "wise" (philosophers), "scribes" (legal scholars), and "disputers" (debaters/rhetoricians) represent the apex of worldly wisdom—each system in its own way attempting to understand reality or achieve righteousness through human effort and intellect. However, God, through the seemingly "foolish" message of a crucified Messiah, has "made foolish" (or demonstrated the absurdity of) all such human wisdom. This means God has exposed its inability to grasp spiritual truth or provide salvation. The message of Christ crucified, though a "stumbling block" to Jews and "foolishness" to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23), is revealed as the very power and wisdom of God, precisely because it overturns human assumptions about power and knowledge. True wisdom is found not in human reasoning, but in humbling oneself to receive God's revealed truth in Christ. This verse reminds believers that seeking validation in intellectual prestige or complex arguments often hinders, rather than aids, the pursuit of genuine spiritual understanding and submission to Christ's simple truth.