1 Corinthians 2:11

For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian believers to clarify how divine wisdom is accessed, contrasting human limitation with spiritual revelation. He addresses this during his explanation of spiritual truth and the Holy Spirit’s role in communicating it.

The words — οἶδεν (oiden) means knows, and γὰρ (gar) means for, structuring the logical comparison. The text states that only a person’s own spirit knows their thoughts, and analogously, only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts.

The thread — The pattern of internal awareness runs through Proverbs 20:27 and Proverbs 14:10, while the application to divine knowledge directly links to 1 Corinthians 2:10 and 1 Corinthians 2:12. These passages collectively show the Spirit searching divine depths and granting believers comprehension.

Why it lands — It requires readers to acknowledge the limits of human knowledge and depend on the Spirit of God to grasp spiritual realities. The passage demands a shift from self-reliant reasoning to Spirit-enabled understanding.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching out his inmost being.
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Romans 11:33 O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
Proverbs 20:5 The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.