Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 2:13
And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church, immediately following his statement that believers received the Spirit of God to understand divine gifts. He speaks at this moment to ground his apostolic message in divine origin rather than rhetorical strategy.
The words — διδακτοῖς (didaktois) translates literally as "taught," and σοφίας (sophias) means "wisdom." The text explicitly contrasts διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας with words taught by the Spirit.
The thread — This distinction between human wisdom and Spirit-taught speech appears in 1 Corinthians 2:4 and 1 Corinthians 1:17, where Paul rejects persuasive rhetoric to preserve the cross's power. The immediate context in 1 Corinthians 2:14 reinforces that spiritual truths remain inaccessible to unaided human reasoning.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to evaluate teaching by its source rather than its rhetorical polish. It demands reliance on the Spirit's instruction to grasp divine truths instead of human intellectual frameworks.
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
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
- 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
- Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
- 1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
- Luke 12:12 For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?
- 1 Corinthians 10:3 They all ate the same spiritual food