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In this section Paul wrote about a serious problem in the Corinthian church. The Corinthian believers were dividing up into competing groups. They were following whichever human leader they admired the most. Paul tried to solve this problem by reminding the Corinthians of the message of the cross. He wanted them to stop following human wisdom and to follow God’s wisdom.
In this paragraph Paul reminded the Corinthians that God did not choose them because they were wise or important. Instead, he deliberately chose people of no importance in this world. So the Corinthians had nothing to boast about, except what Christ had done for them.
so that no one may boast in His presence.
Therefore nobody can boast about himself to God
His purpose is/was that nobody can brag/boast in his presence that God chose them because of something they did. For they did nothing to deserve it.
so that no one may boast in His presence: There are two ways to understand this clause:
it indicates God’s final purpose in choosing the weak and lowly things and people. For example:
God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. (CEV) (BSB, KJV, RSV, ESV, CEV, NCV, NIV, NASB)
It indicates the result of God’s choice of weak and lowly things and people. For example:
As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence. (GW) (GW, REB, GNT, NET, NLT04)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It is supported by more commentaries. God chose the weak things of the world so that no one could boast about himself.
boast: This verb means “to brag/boast about something you yourself are or have done.” Paul said that no one should put confidence/trust in himself or be proud of himself and his own achievements. Everything is given to him by God. So, he should not be proud of himself. Even the union Christians have with Christ Jesus is given by God. For example:
So no place is left for any human pride in the presence of God. (REB)
God did this so that no one can be proud of himself in the presence of God.
God’s purpose in doing this was so that no one can boast in his presence.
in His presence: The phrase in His presence refers to God. For example: “before God,” “in God’s presence.” No one can truthfully say, with God listening and watching, that God has chosen him/her because of something he himself is or has done.
In some languages it is more natural to talk about boasting by using a direct quote. For example:
Therefore,…no one will be able to proudly say, with God looking on/listening, “God chose me because I am better than other people.”
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal
ὅπως
so_that
Here, so that introduces a final goal. In [1:28–29](../01/28.md), Paul uses “in order that” to introduce immediate goals, but here, so that is the overall goal. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express so that with a word or phrase that introduces a final or overall goal, making sure to distinguish it from the words you used in [1:28–29](../01/28.md), if possible. Alternate translation: [so that, in the end,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
μὴ & πᾶσα σὰρξ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅπως μή καυχήσηται πάσα σάρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ)
Paul uses the word flesh to refer to humans. Unlike in many other places in his letters, flesh does not indicate sinful and weak humanity. Instead, it simply refers to humans compared to their creator, God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express flesh with a word or phrase that commonly refers to people in general, especially if it includes the idea that people are created by God. Alternate translation: [no creature]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ
before ¬the God
Here Paul speaks of people not boasting before God, as if they were standing in front of God. With this way of talking, Paul means that people are acting as if they could see God and God could see them. This means that they recognize that God knows what they say and do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this figure of speech with a comparable phrase that indicates that someone recognizes that God knows what they are doing and thinking. Alternate translation: [when they know that God sees them] or [while God looks on]
1:18-31 Paul contrasts eloquence and human wisdom, which were highly valued by some of the Corinthians, with the foolish message of the cross—the expression of God’s wisdom. The followers of Apollos, in particular (see 1:12), were probably attracted by his rhetorical abilities and intellectual approach to ministry (see Acts 18:24-28). In contrast, Paul emphasizes that the real power lies in the simple message of the cross of Christ.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.