1 COR 2:7 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 Instead, we speak the wisdom of God that has been hidden in a mystery that God predestined before the ages for our glory,

UST No, we speak wisely because we proclaim the things that God has revealed to us. God concealed these things until now, although he had already decided to do them before he created anything. He has done all of this so that he might honor us.

BSB No, we speak of [the] mysterious [and] hidden wisdom of God,[fn] which [He] destined for our glory before time [began].

MSB No, we speak of [the] mysterious [and] hidden wisdom of God,[fn] which [He] destined for our glory before time [began].

BLB But we speak in a mystery, the wisdom of God having been hidden, which God foreordained before the ages for our glory,

AICNT But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages for our glory,

OEB No, it is a divine philosophy that we teach, one concerned with the hidden purpose of God – that long hidden philosophy which God, before time began, destined for our glory.

WEBBE But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory.

LSV but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God foreordained before the ages to our glory,

FBV On the contrary we explain God's wisdom in terms of a revealed mystery[fn] that was previously hidden which God planned for our glory before the creation of the worlds.

2:7 When the word mystery is used in the New Testament it is normally referring to a revealed mystery—particularly in reference to God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ.

TCNT On the contrary, we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God foreordained for our glory before time began.

T4T Instead, I teach about what God planned wisely long ago. It is something that people did not know about previously because God did not reveal it previously. But God determined before he created the world that he would greatly benefit us by his wise plan.

LEB but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory,

BBE But we give the news of the secret wisdom of God, which he had kept in store before the world came into existence, for our glory;

Moff it is the mysterious Wisdom of God that we discuss, that hidden wisdom which God decreed from all eternity for our glory.

Wymth But in dealing with truths hitherto kept secret we speak of God's wisdom—that hidden wisdom which, before the world began, God pre-destined, so that it should result in glory to us;

ASV but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory:

DRA But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory:

YLT but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God foreordained before the ages to our glory,

Drby But we speak [fn]God's wisdom in [a] mystery, that hidden [wisdom] which [fn]God had predetermined before the ages for our glory:

2.7 Elohim

RV but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory:
(but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath/has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: )

SLT But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, hidden, which God determined beforehand, before the times to our glory:

Wbstr But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world to our glory:

KJB-1769 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

KJB-1611 But wee speake the wisedome of God in a mysterie, euen the hidden wisedome which God ordeined before the world, vnto our glory.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps But we speake the wisedome of God in a misterie euen the hyd wisedome which God ordeyned before the worlde, vnto our glorie.
(But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hid wisdom which God ordained before the world, unto our glory.)

Gnva But we speake the wisedome of God in a mysterie, euen the hid wisedom, which God had determined before the world, vnto our glory.
(But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hid wisdom, which God had determined before the world, unto our glory. )

Cvdl but we speake of the wyssdome of God, which is in secrete and lyeth hyd: which God ordeyned before the worlde vnto oure glorye:
(but we speak of the wisdom of God, which is in secret and lieth/lies hid: which God ordained before the world unto our glory:)

TNT but we speake the wysdome of God which is in secrete and lieth hyd which God ordeyned before the worlde vnto oure glory:
(but we speak the wisdom of God which is in secret and lieth/lies hid which God ordained before the world unto our glory: )

Wycl but we speken the wisdom of God in mysterie, `which wisdom is hid; which wisdom God bifor ordeynede bifor worldis in to oure glorie,
(but we speaking the wisdom of God in mystery, which wisdom is hid; which wisdom God before ordained before worlds in to our glory,)

Luth sondern wir reden von der heimlichen, verborgenen Weisheit Gottes, welche GOtt verordnet hat vor der Welt zu unserer Herrlichkeit,
(rather we/us talk from the/of_the secret, hiddenn wise_(people) God’s, which God prescribed has before/in_front_of the/of_the world to/for ours glory/splendour,)

ClVg sed loquimur Dei sapientiam in mysterio, quæ abscondita est, quam prædestinavit Deus ante sæcula in gloriam nostram,[fn]
(but to_speakmur of_God wisdom in/into/on mystery, which hidden it_is, how beforedestinavit God before forever in/into/on glory ours, )

2.7 In mysterio. Exponendo mysteria Veteris Testamenti in quibus Christus significatus est, ut in hostia Abel, vel Abrahæ. Quæ abscondita. Quia non verbis, sed in virtute: non humana ratione comprehensibilis, sed spiritus efficacia credibilis.

2.7 In mystery. Exponendo mysteries Veteris Testamenti in/into/on to_whom Christ/Messiah meansus it_is, as in/into/on sacrifice/victim Abel, or Abrahæ. Which hidden. Because not/no with_words, but in/into/on by_virtue: not/no human by_reason comprehensibilis, but spirit efficacia credibilis.

UGNT ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν;
(alla laloumen Theou sofian en mustaʸriōi taʸn apokekrummenaʸn, haʸn proōrisen ho Theos pro tōn aiōnōn, eis doxan haʸmōn;)

SBL-GNT ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν ⸂θεοῦ σοφίαν⸃ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν·
(alla laloumen ⸂theou sofian⸃ en mustaʸriōi, taʸn apokekrummenaʸn, haʸn proōrisen ho theos pro tōn aiōnōn eis doxan haʸmōn;)

RP-GNT ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν σοφίαν θεοῦ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν·
(alla laloumen sofian theou en mustaʸriōi, taʸn apokekrummenaʸn, haʸn proōrisen ho theos pro tōn aiōnōn eis doxan haʸmōn;)

TC-GNT ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν [fn]σοφίαν Θεοῦ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν·
(alla laloumen sofian Theou en mustaʸriōi, taʸn apokekrummenaʸn, haʸn proōrisen ho Theos pro tōn aiōnōn eis doxan haʸmōn; )

2:7 σοφιαν θεου ¦ θεου σοφιαν CT

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.

2:7a

No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God,

No, the wise message we^(excl) tell is God’s. It concerns his secret plan which he did not previously reveal to mankind/anyone.
Instead, we^(excl) talk about the wise plan that God formed/made. Until now no one knew about it because God did not make it known/reveal it to anyone.

No: The BSB uses the word No to translate a strong contrast word in the Greek text. Paul used the word to indicate the contrast between wisdom of this age and the wisdom of God. Other ways to translate this word are:

But (RSV, NRSV, KJV, ESV, NASB)

Instead (NET)

Several English versions do not explicitly translate this word. You should translate this word in a way that is natural in your language.

we speak: The pronoun we here probably refers to Paul and the other apostles and Christian teachers, as in 2:6a. Follow the same interpretation here that you did there.

the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God: The Greek text that the BSB translates as the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God is more literally “the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery.” The word God is emphatic. Paul was not speaking about the wisdom that is from the world, but about wisdom that is from God.

The word mysterious here refers to something that no one can know unless God reveals it to them. The mysterious…wisdom of God means “God’s secret plan that he wisely made/formed.” Another example is, “the plan that God made with his wisdom, and which no one fully knew about.” Paul was referring to God’s plan to send Christ to die on the cross to save his people. Other ways to translate this are:

God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, (NRSV)

a secret and hidden wisdom of God, (ESV)

hidden wisdom of God: This phrase says something more about God’s wise plan to help mankind. The way it was hidden is that God had not revealed or told it to people before this. In some languages it may not be possible to use the word hidden in this figurative sense. You may need to make this explicit. For example:

this wisdom was unknown to people

God had not revealed this wise plan to people

2:7b

which He destined for our glory before time began.

We^(excl) tell about God’s plan to give us^(incl) a glorious/wonderful life. Before God made the world he decided to do this for us.
It is what God long ago decided to do even before he started to make anything. And it includes all the surpassingly good things he intends to do for us^(incl).

which He destined: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as destined means “to decide something ahead of time.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:

God decided (CEV)

he had already chosen (GNT)

for our glory: The phrase for our glory explains God’s purpose or intention. God formed his wise plan in order to give glory to us, that is, to believers.

our: The Greek pronoun that the BSB translates as our refers here to Paul and his readers, and to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you must choose between an inclusive and an exclusive pronoun, you should use an inclusive pronoun here.

glory: Here glory refers to three things. It refers to the joy and honor of knowing God, to being made like Jesus Christ, and to being in his presence. For example:

for our joy and honor

It may not be natural for your language to use an abstract noun here. If that is true, you may need to translate glory as a verb or an adjective. For example:

so that we should be glorified

to make us glorious

before time began: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as before time began is literally “before the ages.” It indicates that God thought up his wise plan before he started to make this world. Another way to translate this is:

even before the world was made (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

λαλοῦμεν & ἡμῶν

˱we˲_˓are˒_speaking & ˱of˲_us

Here, we refers to Paul and anyone who preaches the gospel. It does not include the Corinthians. However, the word our does include the Corinthians along with Paul.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

Θεοῦ σοφίαν

˱of˲_God ˓the˒_wisdom

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe wisdom that God would consider to be true wisdom. This also means that the wisdom comes from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this form by clarifying that the wisdom comes from God. Alternate translation: [the wisdom from God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

σοφίαν

˓the˒_wisdom

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind wisdom, you can express the idea by using by using an adverb such as “wisely” or an adjective such as “wise.” Alternate translation: [the wise message]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

ἐν μυστηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην

in ˓a˒_mystery (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀλλά λαλοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τήν ἀποκεκρυμμένην ἥν προώρισεν ὁ Θεός πρό τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν)

Here Paul uses both has been hidden and in a mystery. Both of these phrases refer to something that is secret. If using both of these phrases is redundant in your language, you could use only one. Alternate translation: [that has been hidden] or [that is a mystery]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀλλά λαλοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τήν ἀποκεκρυμμένην ἥν προώρισεν ὁ Θεός πρό τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν)

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 wisdom that has been hidden rather than the person doing the “hiding.” If you must state who does the action, Paul implies that “God” does it. Alternate translation: [that God has hidden]

Note 6 topic: writing-pronouns

ἣν

Here, that refers to the wisdom, not a mystery. If it would be helpful in your language, you could repeat wisdom here. If you use the following alternate translation, you may need to add a comma before it. Alternate translation: [the wisdom that]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων

Paul uses the phrase translated before the ages to say that God predestined before he made anything. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning of this phrase with a comparable idiom or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [before the beginning of time]

Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν

for ˓the˒_glory ˱of˲_us

Here, the phrase translated for our glory introduces the purpose for which God predestined the wisdom. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express for our glory with a word or phrase that introduces a purpose. Alternate translation: [so that we might have glory]

Parallel 1 COR 2:7

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

2:7a

2:7b

Parallel 1 COR 2:7