1 Corinthians 2:9-16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 2:16

For who hath known the mind of the Lord ,.... The deep counsels of his heart, the scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ, as drawn in his eternal mind, the sense of the Spirit of God in the writings of the Old Testament, the things of the Spirit of God, or the doctrines of grace more clearly revealed under the Gospel dispensation; not any natural man, by the light of truth and strength of reason, has known any of these things. The apostle either cites or alludes to Isaiah 40:13 that he may... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written - The quotation is taken from Isaiah 64:4 . The sense is continued here from verse seven, and λαλουμεν , we speak, is understood - We do not speak or preach the wisdom of this world; but that mysterious wisdom of God, of which the prophet said: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but they certainly... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:10

But God hath revealed them unto us - A manifest proof that the apostle speaks here of the glories of the Gospel, and not of the glories of the future world. For the Spirit searcheth all things - This is the Spirit of God, which spoke by the prophets, and has now given to the apostles the fullness of that heavenly truth, of which He gave to the former only the outlines. Yea, the deep things of God - It is only the Spirit of God which can reveal the counsels of God: these are the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:11

For what man knoweth the things of a man - The word ανθρωπων in the first clause is omitted by the Codex Alexandrinus, and one other; and by Athanasius, Cyril, and Vigil of Tapsus. Bishop Pearce contends strongly against the authenticity of the word, and reads the passage thus: "For what is there that knoweth the things of a man, except the spirit of a man that is in him?" "I leave out," says the learned bishop, " ανθρωπων , with the Alexandrian MS., and read τις γαρ οιδεν τα του... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:12

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world - We, who are the genuine apostles of Christ, have received this Spirit of God, by which we know the deep things of God; and, through the teaching of that Spirit, we preach Christ crucified. We have not therefore received the spirit of the world - of the Jewish teachers, who are all looking for a worldly kingdom and a worldly Messiah, and interpret all the scriptures of the Old Testament which relate to Him in a carnal and worldly sense. ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:13

Which things also we speak - We dare no more use the language of the Jews and the Gentiles in speaking of those glorious things, than we can indulge their spirit. The Greek orators affected a high and florid language, full of tropes and figures, which dazzled more than it enlightened. The rabbins affected obscurity, and were studious to find out cabalistical meanings, which had no tendency to make the people wise unto salvation. The apostles could not follow any of these; they spoke the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man - Ψυχικος , The animal man - the man who is in a mere state of nature, and lives under the influence of his animal passions; for the word ψυχη , which we often translate soul, means the lower and sensitive part of man, in opposition to νους , the understanding or rational part. The Latins use anima to signify these lower passions; and animus to signify the higher. The person in question is not only one who either has had no spiritual teaching, or has not... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:15

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things - He who has the mind of Christ discerns and judges of all things spiritual: yet he himself is not discerned by the mere animal man. Some suppose that the word ανακρινεται should be understood thus: He examines, scrutinizes, convinces, reproves, which it appears to mean in 1 Corinthians 14:24 ; and they read the verse thus: The spiritual man - the well-taught Christian, convinces, i.e. can easily convict, all men, ( παντα , accusing), every... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:16

For 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 made from Isaiah 40:13 . But... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Verse 9 9.As it is written, “What eye hath not seen.” All are agreed that this passage is taken from Isaiah 64:4, and as the meaning is at first view plain and easy, interpreters do not give themselves much trouble in expounding it. On looking, however, more narrowly into it, two very great difficulties present themselves. The first is, that the words that are here quoted by Paul do not correspond with the words of the Prophet. The second is, that it seems as though Paul had perverted the... read more

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