---
title: "1 Corinthians 2 - Study King James Bible with barnes notes on the whole bible"
description: "Read 1 Corinthians 2 with barnes notes on the whole bible commentary. 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to"
image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/barnes-notes-on-the-whole-bible/1-corinthians/2"
---

[ Read](/kjv/1-corinthians/2)[ Commentary](/study/1-corinthians/2)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/1-corinthians/2) Audio

 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

 4 And my speech and my preaching *was* not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

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

 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known *it*, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 10 But God hath revealed *them* unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

 12 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.

 13 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.

 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know *them*, because they are spiritually discerned.

 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
 
[1 Corinthians 1](/study/1-corinthians/1) [1 Corinthians 3](/study/1-corinthians/3)

## Commentary

 To verse 1
 
**And I, brethren -**Keeping up the tender and affectionate style of address. 

**When I came unto you -**When I came at first to preach the gospel at Corinth. [Acts 18:1](/kjv/acts/18/1) ff. 

**Came not with excellency of speech -**Came not with graceful and attractive eloquence. The apostle here evidently alludes to that nice ant studied choice of language; to those gracefully formed sentences, and to that skill of arrangement in discourse and argument which was so much an object of regard with the Greek rhetoricians. It is probable that Paul was never much distinguished for these (compare [2 Corinthians 10:10](/kjv/2-corinthians/10/10)), and it is certain he never made them an object of intense study and solicitude. Compare [1Co 2:4](/kjv/1co/2/4), [1 Corinthians 2:13](/kjv/1-corinthians/2/13). 

**Or of wisdom -**Of the wisdom of this world; of that kind of wisdom which was sought and cultivated in Greece. 

**The testimony of God -**The testimony or the witnessing which God has borne to the gospel of Christ by miracles, and by attending it everywhere with his presence and blessing. In [1 Corinthians 2:6](/kjv/1-corinthians/2/6), the gospel is called “the testimony of Christ;” and here it may either mean the witness which the gospel bears to the true character and plans of God; or the witnessing which God had borne to the gospel by miracles, etc. The gospel contains the testimony of God in regard to his own character and plans; especially in regard to the great plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Several mss. instead of “testimony of God,” here read “the mystery of God.” This would accord well with the scope of the argument; but the present reading is probably the correct one. See Mill. The Syriac version has also “mystery.”

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