1 COR 2:12 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) No, we haven’t received the world’s spirit, but rather God’s spirit so that we can recognise everything that God has freely given to us.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God.

UST We did indeed receive the Spirit who comes from God. We did not receive a spirit that belongs to the current world. We received God’s Spirit in order that we might understand everything that God has done for us.

BLB Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, that we may know the things having been granted to us by God,

AICNT Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.

OEB And as for us, it is not the spirit of the world that we have received, but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we may realize the blessings given to us by him.

WEBBE But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.

LSV And we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that [is] of God, that we may know the things conferred by God on us,

FBV For we have received the Spirit from God, not the spirit of this world, so that we could understand what God so generously gave us.

TCNT Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we might understand what God has freely given us.

T4T It was not the ideas that unbelievers teach that we accepted. Instead, it was the Spirit who came from God that we received, in order that we might know the things that God has freely done for us.

LEB Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

BBE But we have not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes from God, so that we may have knowledge of the things which are freely given to us by God.

Moff Now we have received the Spirit--not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that comes from God, that we may understand what God bestows upon us.

Wymth But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes forth from God, that we may know the blessings that have been so freely given to us by God.

ASV But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God.

DRA Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; that we may know the things that are given us from God.

YLT And we the spirit of the world did not receive, but the Spirit that [is] of God, that we may know the things conferred by God on us,

Drby But we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which [is] of [fn]God, that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of [fn]God:

2.12 Elohim

RV But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.

SLT And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit from God; that we might know things bestowed upon us as a gift by God.

Wbstr Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.

KJB-1769 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

KJB-1611 Now wee haue receiued, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that wee might know the things that are freely giuen to vs of God.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And we haue receaued, not the spirite of the worlde, but the spirite which is of God, that we myght know the thinges that are geuen to vs of God.
(And we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are given to us of God.)

Gnva Nowe we haue receiued not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit, which is of God, that we might knowe the thinges that are giuen to vs of God.
(Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit, which is of God, that we might know the things that are given to us of God. )

Cvdl As for vs, we haue not receaued the sprete of this worlde, but the sprete which cometh of God, so that we ca knowe what is geue vs of God:
(As for us, we have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit which cometh/comes of God, so that we can know what is give us of God:)

TNT And we have not receaved the sprete of the worlde: but the sprete which cometh of god for to knowe the thinges that are geve to vs of god
(And we have not received the spirit of the world: but the spirit which cometh/comes of god for to know the things that are give to us of god )

Wycl And we han not resseiued the spirit of this world, but the spirit that is of God, that we wite what thingis ben youun to vs of God.
(And we have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit that is of God, that we wit/know what things been given to us of God.)

Luth Wir aber haben nicht empfangen den Geist der Welt, sondern den Geist aus GOtt, daß wir wissen können, was uns von GOtt gegeben ist.
(We but have not received the spirit the/of_the world, rather the spirit out_of God, that we/us realise can, what/which us/to_us/ourselves from God given is.)

ClVg Nos autem non spiritum hujus mundi accepimus, sed Spiritum qui ex Deo est, ut sciamus quæ a Deo donata sunt nobis:[fn]
(We however not/no spirit of_this world we_received, but Spirit who/which from to_God it_is, as let_us_know which from to_God donata are us: )

2.12 Sed Spiritum qui ex Deo est. Spiritus sanctus utique Patris et Filii est, necnon et noster. Quod enim datum est, etiam ad eum qui dedit refertur, et ad eos quibus dedit. Itaque Spiritus sanctus non tantum Patris et Filii qui dederunt, sed etiam noster est qui accepimus. Et non est iste spiritus noster in quo sumus: quia ipse spiritus noster in quo sumus ipse spiritus est hominis, qui in ipso est. Et ipsum tamen spiritum qui hominis est accepimus. Sed aliud est quod accipimus, ut essemus, aliud quod accepimus ut sancti essemus. Spiritus autem hominis in Scriptura accipitur, pro ipsa anima vel ipsius animæ potentia rationalis. Dedit enim nobis naturam ut essemus, animam ut viveremus, mentem, ut intelligeremus. Ut sciamus. Multi habent dona Dei, et nesciendo a quo habeant impia vanitate jactantur. Nemo donis Dei beatus, qui danti est ingratus, unde in Evangelio: Qui habet, dabitur ei. Plene habere est scire unde habeat. Qui ergo non habet, id est, qui nescit unde habeat, et quod habet, auferetur ab eo Luc. 8..

2.12 But Spirit who/which from to_God it_is. Spirit holy certainly Father's and Children it_is, necnon and our. That because given/present(n) it_is, also to him who/which he_gave it_is_reported, and to them to_whom he_gave. Itaque Spirit holy not/no only Father's and Children who/which they_gave, but also our it_is who/which we_received. And not/no it_is this spirit our in/into/on where we_are: because exactly_that/himself spirit our in/into/on where we_are exactly_that/himself spirit it_is of_man, who/which in/into/on himself it_is. And him nevertheless spirit who/which of_man it_is we_received. But something_else it_is that we_accept, as we_would_be, something_else that we_received as holy we_would_be. Spirit however of_man in/into/on Scriptura accepted, for herself the_soul or of_his/her_own soul power rationals. Dedit because us nature as we_would_be, the_soul as to_livemus, mind, as to_understandmus. As let_us_know. Multi they_have gifts of_God, and nesciendo from where let_them_have impious/ungodly vanitate they_boastur. Nobody gifts of_God happy/blessed, who/which danti it_is ingratus, from_where/who in/into/on Evangelio: Who has, will_be_given to_him. Plene to_have it_is to_know from_where/who have. Who therefore not/no has, that it_is, who/which doesn't_know from_where/who have, and that has, will_be_taken_away away by_him Luc. 8..

UGNT ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν;
(haʸmeis de ou to pneuma tou kosmou elabomen, alla to Pneuma to ek tou Theou, hina eidōmen ta hupo tou Theou ⱪaristhenta haʸmin;)

SBL-GNT ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν·
(haʸmeis de ou to pneuma tou kosmou elabomen alla to pneuma to ek tou theou, hina eidōmen ta hupo tou theou ⱪaristhenta haʸmin;)

RP-GNT Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν.
(Haʸmeis de ou to pneuma tou kosmou elabomen, alla to pneuma to ek tou theou, hina eidōmen ta hupo tou theou ⱪaristhenta haʸmin.)

TC-GNT Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν.
(Haʸmeis de ou to pneuma tou kosmou elabomen, alla to pneuma to ek tou Theou, hina eidōmen ta hupo tou Theou ⱪaristhenta haʸmin. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:10–2:16: Believers should not divide up into competing factions. They should be united by true wisdom, the message of the cross.

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.

Paragraph 2:6–13

In this paragraph Paul wrote about God’s wisdom, that is, his wise plan to send Christ to save people. Those who follow or depend on human thinking/wisdom do not want to hear or accept God’s message. It is only God’s Spirit who can cause people to know and accept God’s thoughts/plans as wise. The Spirit makes God’s thoughts known only to people/believers who are under the Spirit’s control. These believers try to obey the Spirit in following God’s ways.

2:12a

We have not received the spirit of the world,

We^(incl) have not received the same spirit/thoughts that the people in this world have received.
God did not give us^(incl) the same thoughts that this world’s people have.

In Greek, this verse part is connected to the previous verse part with a conjunction. Several English versions translate this conjunction as “Now.” For example:

Now we have received… (RSV)

Some other versions do not explicitly translate the conjunction. For example:

We have not received… (NIV, GNT)

Paul used this conjunction to introduce a further step in his argument. You should introduce this verse part in a way that is natural in your language, for introducing an additional part of an argument. Another way to translate this is:

And we have received… (NLT)

We have not received the spirit of the world: This clause indicates that Paul and others who have God’s Spirit do not think in the same way. Unbelievers can think only according to human wisdom. They have different attitudes and values.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

We have not received the same mind/thoughts that the other people of this world have received.

We have not received: The phrase We have not received can also be translated as “we have not been given.” In some languages it may be more natural to make God explicit here. For example:

God did not give us…

God did not cause us to have…

We: The Greek pronoun that the BSB translates as We could refer to two different groups of people.

It refers to Paul along with all other believers, as in 2:7b and (probably) 2:10a. This is inclusive.See Fee pp. 112–13, fn. 63, and Garland p. 99.
It refers to Paul and his fellow workers, as in 2:6a and 2:7a. This is exclusive.See W. Kaiser, quoted by Fee, p. 113 fn. 63.

Paul may have been thinking primarily of himself and the other apostles, but he was certainly not excluding other believers. So you should research which pronoun is most natural in your language. If you must choose, it is recommended that you follow option (1). What Paul was saying is true in principle of all believers.

the spirit of the world: The phrase the spirit of the world here refers to the way this world’s people think about things. It does not refer to an evil spirit or demon. Paul was indicating that unbelievers depend on their own ability to think about things. They have no way of knowing God’s way of thinking about things.

2:12b

but the Spirit who is from God,

Rather, we have received the Holy Spirit of God
Instead, God gave us^(incl) the Holy Spirit.

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between receiving the spirit of the world and receiving the Spirit of God. All believers receive the Spirit of God. The BSB indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.

Some other ways to translate this contrast are:

we didn’t receive the spirit that belongs to the world. Instead, we received the Spirit who comes from God (GNT)

we have received this Spirit from God, not the spirit of the world (GW)

the Spirit who is from God: Some words from the previous clause are implied but not repeated here. It may be more natural in your language to include some or all of the implied words. For example:

we received the Spirit who is from God

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this phrase as a separate sentence with God as the subject. For example:

God has given us his own Spirit.

General Comment on 2:12a-b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 2:12a-b. You may need to put the positive statement first. For example:

^12bBut God has given us his Spirit. ^12aThat’s why we don’t think the same way that the people of this world think. (CEV)

General Comment on 2:12a-b

In some languages it may not be possible to use the same word for the “spirit” that is from the world and the “Spirit” of God. The “spirit” of the world means to have a worldly mind or way of thinking. In contrast, the word “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit of God. It is not necessary to use the same word in your translation for these two different meanings of “spirit.” For example:

But God has given us his Spirit. That’s why we don’t think the same way that the people of this world think. (CEV)

2:12c

that we may understand what God has freely given us.

so that we^(incl) can know/understand everything that God has given to us^(incl) by his grace.
He gave us^(incl) his Holy Spirit in order that we^(incl) would be able to understand the good things that he has freely/graciously given to us.

that we may understand what God has freely given us: This is a purpose clause. It indicates God’s purpose in giving the Holy Spirit to believers.

we may understand: You should translate the pronoun we here in the same way that you did in 2:12a. Paul was probably thinking first of himself and the other apostles. However, he was not excluding the believers to whom he was writing.

what God has freely given us: In this phrase the pronoun us is clearly inclusive. God has generously given the Holy Spirit and all the blessings of the gospel to all believers.

freely given: The Greek word that the BSB translates as freely given is a verb that is related to the word “grace.” It means, “the things that God has graciously/kindly given” or “the things that God has given because of his grace.”

General Comment on 2:12a-c

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder this verse. You may want to put 2:12c before 2:12b, and 2:12b before 2:12a. For example:

^12cBut we can understand the things that God has freely given to us, ^12bbecause we have received the Spirit that is from God. ^12aWe do not think like the people in this world who do not know God.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡμεῖς Δέ οὒ τό πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλά τό Πνεῦμα τό ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τά ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν)

Here, But introduces the next part of Paul’s argument. If it would be helpful in your language, you could leave But untranslated or use a word or phrase that signifies that the argument is moving on. Alternate translation: [Now]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

ἡμεῖς & οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ

we & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡμεῖς Δέ οὒ τό πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλά τό Πνεῦμα τό ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τά ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν)

If your language would naturally state the negative before the positive, you could reverse the order of the not statement and the but statement. Alternate translation: [we received the Spirit who is from God, not the spirit of the world]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου

The phrase spirit of the world could refer to: (1) a spirit that does not actually exist. In other words, Paul is saying that the Spirit they received did not come from the world but rather came from God. Alternate translation: [a spirit that comes from the world] (2) human ways of thinking and understanding, which could be called a spirit. In other words, Paul is saying that they did not receive human ways of thinking but rather ways of thinking that God’s Spirit brings. Alternate translation: [human ways of thinking]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe a spirit that comes from or has its source in the world. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this form with a word or phrase that indicates that the world is the source or origin of this spirit. Alternate translation: [the spirit from the world] or [the spirit that comes from the world]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα

Here Paul omits some words that may be needed in your language to make a complete thought. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply some words from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: [but we received the Spirit]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ

If it would be more natural in your language, you could make God the subject of the who statement. Alternate translation: [the Spirit whom God sent]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive form here to focus on the things that are given rather than God, who does the “giving.” Alternate translation: [the things that God has freely given to us]

Parallel 1 COR 2:12

Section 1:10–2:16: Believers should not divide up into competing factions. They should be united by true wisdom, the message of the cross.

Paragraph 2:6–13

2:12a

2:12b

General Comment on 2:12a-b

General Comment on 2:12a-b

2:12c

General Comment on 2:12a-c

Parallel 1 COR 2:12