1 COR 2:13 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) We don’t speak about these things from our human wisdom, but rather, saying what God’s spirit teaches—teaching spiritual things from spiritual sources.

Key: khaki:verbs, 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 And we speak these things not in words taught by human wisdom but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual things with spiritual words.

UST These are the very things that we also talk about. We do not use words that humans wisely teach. Instead, we use words that the Spirit teaches, so that we explain spiritual truths with spiritual words.

BLB which also we speak, not in words taught of human wisdom, but in those taught of the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.

AICNT And we speak of these things not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the [[Holy]][fn] Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

2:13, Holy: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB And we speak of these gifts, not in language taught by human philosophy, but in language taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things in spiritual words.

WEBBE We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

LSV which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things,

FBV That's what we speak about—not using words taught by human wisdom, but what the Spirit teaches. We explain what is spiritual using spiritual terms.

TCNT We speak about this, not with words taught by human wisdom but with words taught by the [fn]Holy Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people.

2:13 Holy ¦ — CT

T4T Those are the things that I tell you about. As I do that, I do not tell you things that someone whom others thought was [IRO] wise taught me. Instead, I tell you truths that God’s Spirit taught me, and I explain those spiritual truths to people whose thinking is guided by God’s Spirit (OR, I teach spiritual truths to spiritual people).

LEB things which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.[fn]

2:13 Or “in spiritual words”

BBE And these are the things which we say, not in the language of man's wisdom, but in words given to us by the Spirit, judging the things of the spirit by the help of the Spirit.

Moff And this is what we discuss, using language taught by no human wisdom but by the Spirit. We interpret what is spiritual in spiritual language.

Wymth Of these we speak—not in language which man's wisdom teaches us, but in that which the Spirit teaches—adapting, as we do, spiritual words to spiritual truths.

ASV Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words.

DRA Which things also we speak, not in the learned words of human wisdom; but in the doctrine of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

YLT which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, with spiritual things spiritual things comparing,

Drby which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual [things] by spiritual [means].

RV Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
(Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth/teaches, but which the Spirit teacheth/teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. )

SLT Which also we speak, not in words taught of man’s wisdom, but in them taught of the Holy Spirit; examining spiritual things by spiritual.

Wbstr Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

KJB-1769 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
(Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth/teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth/teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. )

KJB-1611 Which things also we speake, not in the words which mans wisedome teacheth, but which the holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spirituall.
(Which things also we speak, not in the words which mans wisdom teacheth/teaches, but which the holy Ghost teacheth/teaches, comparing spiritual things with spirituall.)

Bshps Which thynges also we speake, not in the wordes which mans wisedome teacheth, but which ye holy ghost teacheth, comparyng spirituall thynges with spirituall thynges.
(Which things also we speak, not in the words which mans wisdom teacheth/teaches, but which ye/you_all holy ghost teacheth/teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.)

Gnva Which things also we speake, not in the woordes which mans wisedome teacheth, but which the holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spirituall things with spirituall things.
(Which things also we speak, not in the words which mans wisdom teacheth/teaches, but which the holy Ghost teacheth/teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. )

Cvdl which we also speake, not with connynge wordes of mas wyssdome, but with the conynge wordes of the holy goost, and iudge spirituall matters spiritually.
(which we also speak, not with cunning words of man’s wisdom, but with the coning words of the holy ghost, and judge spiritual matters spiritually.)

TNT which thinges also we speake not in the conynge wordes of manes wysdome but with the conynge wordes of the holy goost makynge spretuall comparesons of spretuall thinges.
(which things also we speak not in the coning words of manes wisdom but with the coning words of the holy ghost making spretuall comparisons of spretuall things. )

Wycl Whiche thingis we speken also, not in wise wordis of mannus wisdom, but in the doctryn of the spirit, and maken a liknesse of spiritual thingis to goostli men.
(Which things we speaking also, not in wise words of man’s wisdom, but in the doctrine of the spirit, and making a likeness of spiritual things to ghostli men.)

Luth Welches wir auch reden, nicht mit Worten, welche menschliche Weisheit lehren kann, sondern mit Worten, die der Heilige Geist lehret, und richten geistliche Sachen geistlich.
(Whichs we/us also talk, not with words, which humane wise_(people) teach can, rather with words, the the/of_the saints spirit teaches, and direct spirituale things spiritual.)

ClVg quæ et loquimur non in doctis humanæ sapientiæ verbis, sed in doctrina Spiritus, spiritualibus spiritualia comparantes.[fn]
(which and to_speakmur not/no in/into/on learneds human of_wisdom with_words, but in/into/on teaching/instruction Spirit, spiritual spiritual_(things) comparantes. )

2.13 Spiritualia. Quod Corinthii non estis; et ideo culpa vestra est, non nostra, quod majora non diximus.

2.13 By_Spiritalia. That Corinthii not/no you_are; and therefore/for_that_reason guilt your it_is, not/no our, that bigger not/no we_said.

UGNT ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ’ ἐν διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συνκρίνοντες.
(ha kai laloumen, ouk en didaktois anthrōpinaʸs sofias logois, all’ en didaktois Pneumatos, pneumatikois pneumatika sunkrinontes.)

SBL-GNT ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλʼ ἐν διδακτοῖς ⸀πνεύματος, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες.
(ha kai laloumen ouk en didaktois anthrōpinaʸs sofias logois, allʼ en didaktois ⸀pneumatos, pneumatikois pneumatika sugkrinontes.)

RP-GNT Ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν διδακτοῖς πνεύματος ἁγίου, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες.
(Ha kai laloumen, ouk en didaktois anthrōpinaʸs sofias logois, all' en didaktois pneumatos hagiou, pneumatikois pneumatika sugkrinontes.)

TC-GNT Ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος [fn]Ἁγίου, πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ [fn]συγκρίνοντες.
(Ha kai laloumen, ouk en didaktois anthrōpinaʸs sofias logois, all en didaktois Pneumatos Hagiou, pneumatikois pneumatika sugkrinontes. )

2:13 αγιου ¦ — CT

2:13 συγκρινοντες ¦ συνκρινοντες TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (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.

2:13a

And this is what we speak,

This is the message that we^(excl) tell others.
These things are exactly the things we^(excl) tell people about.

And this is what we speak: The Greek word that the BSB translates as this is literally “which things.” It refers to the things that God has freely given us mentioned in 12:12c. God has given us the blessings of the gospel.

we: This pronoun may refer to different groups of people in this context:

It refers to “we apostles” or “we who preach the gospel.”
It is an editorial we and means “I.”
It refers to “we who have the Spirit.”

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Paul was probably using the pronoun we in the same way he did in 2:6a. He probably refers to himself and other apostles/teachers who proclaimed the gospel. If you must choose between an exclusive and an inclusive pronoun, you should probably use an exclusive pronoun here.

2:13b

not in words taught us by human wisdom,

When we^(excl) tell this wonderful news, we do not use clever ways of talking that we^(excl) learned by our own human wisdom.
And when we^(excl) tell them these things, we do not use clever words such as people think up and teach people to use.

not in words taught us by human wisdom: The verb taught is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to translate it using an active verb. For example:

we do not use words that human wisdom has taught us

In some languages it may not be natural to speak of wisdom as teaching people. It may be necessary to say, “wise or clever people teach.” For example:

not in words that wise people have taught us

2:13c

but in words taught by the Spirit,

Instead, we^(excl) use the words which the Holy Spirit teaches us^(excl) to use.
No, instead we^(excl) tell things the way the Holy Spirit tells us^(excl) to tell them.

in words taught by the Spirit: The phrase in words taught by the Spirit here indicates that Paul and the other apostles/teachers spoke as the Holy Spirit guided them. God’s Spirit instructed them what to say, that is, helped them know what to say. If you must include an object indicating whom the Spirit taught, you should use “us^(excl).” For example:

in words that God’s Spirit taught us^(excl)

General Comment on 2:13b-c

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder 2:13b-c so that the positive statement comes first. For example:

^13cWe use words that the Spirit teaches us. ^13bWe do not use words taught by human wisdom.

2:13d

expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

We^(excl) explain to spiritual people the truths that the Spirit tells us.
In that way we^(excl) apostles/workers explain what the Holy Spirit tells us to those who have the Spirit.

expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words: There are two ways to interpret this phrase:

It means teaching spiritual truths to spiritual people. For example:
interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual (ESV) (RSV, GNT, CEV, REB, ESV, NET, GW, NCV)
It means teaching spiritual truths using spiritual words. For example:
fitting spiritual language to spiritual things (NJB) (BSB, NJB, NIV, NASB, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is how the majority of English versions have understood the phrase.

It is difficult to know what Paul means by “spiritual words/language.” In the immediate context he does speak about spiritual people (2:15). The ESV is therefore used in the source line of the display. Some other ways to translate this are:

We^(excl) explain these truths that the Spirit tells us^(excl) to people who have the Holy Spirit.

We explain spiritual things to those who have the Spirit. (GW)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

λαλοῦμεν

˱we˲_˓are˒_speaking

Here, we refers to Paul and others who proclaim the gospel with him. It does not include the Corinthians.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ’ ἐν διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος

not in taught ˱of˲_human wisdom words but in_‹those› taught ˱of˲_˓the˒_Spirit

If your language would not naturally put the negative statement before the positive statement, you could reverse them, putting words with the positive statement. Alternate translation: [in words taught by the Spirit, not in those taught by human wisdom]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις

taught ˱of˲_human wisdom words

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 words that are taught rather than focusing on the person doing the “teaching.” If you must state who does the action, Paul implies that “humans” or “people” do it. Alternate translation: [words that human wisdom teaches] or [words that humans teach as wisdom]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος

taught taught ˱of˲_˓the˒_Spirit

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 words that are taught rather than the Spirit, who does the “teaching.” Alternate translation: [those that the Spirit teaches]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συνκρίνοντες

˱by˲_spiritual_‹things› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἅ καί λαλοῦμεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐν διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος πνευματικοῖς πνευματικά συγκρίνοντες)

Here, the phrase combining spiritual things with spiritual words could mean: (1) that Paul and those with him interpret spiritual things and ideas with spiritual words. Alternate translation: [interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words] (2) that Paul and those with him explain spiritual things to spiritual people. Alternate translation: [explaining spiritual things to spiritual people]

Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-time-simultaneous

συνκρίνοντες

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἅ καί λαλοῦμεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐν διδακτοῖς Πνεύματος πνευματικοῖς πνευματικά συγκρίνοντες)

Here, combining introduces an action that takes place at the same time as when we speak. The idea is that combining spiritual things with spiritual words is the way that we speak these things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this connection by including a word or phrase that indicates that combining is the way in which we speak. Alternate translation: [by means of combining]

Note 7 topic: translate-unknown