SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:21
Porque en la sabiduría de Dios, por no haber el mundo conocido a Dios por sabiduría, agrad a Dios salvar a los creyentes por la locura de la predicacin.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:21
Verse 21. For after that in the wisdom of God] Dr. Lightfoot observes, "That sofia tou qeou, the wisdom of God, is not to be understood of that wisdom which had God for its author, but that wisdom which had God for its object. There was, among the heathen, sofia thv fusewv, wisdom about natural things, that is, philosophy; and sofia tou qeou, wisdom about God; that is, divinity. But the world in its divinity could not, by wisdom, know God." The plain meaning of this verse is, that the wise men of the world, especially the Greek philosophers, who possessed every advantage that human nature could have, independently of a Divine revelation, and who had cultivated their minds to the uttermost, could never, by their learning, wisdom, and industry, find out God; nor had the most refined philosophers among them just and correct views of the Divine nature, nor of that in which human happiness consists. The work of LUCRETIUS, Deuteronomy Natura Rerum, and the work of CICERO, Deuteronomy Natura Deorum, are incontestable proofs of this. Even the writings of Plato and Aristotle have contributed little to remove the veil which clouded the understanding of men. No wisdom but that which came from God could ever penetrate and illuminate the human mind. By the foolishness of preaching] By the preaching of Christ crucified, which the Gentiles termed mwria, foolishness, in opposition to their own doctrines, which they termed sofia, wisdom. It was not by the foolishness of preaching, literally, nor by the foolish preaching, that God saved the world; but by that Gospel which they called mwria, foolishness; which was, in fact, the wisdom of God, and also the power of God to the salvation of them that believed.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. For after that in the wisdom of God , etc.] These words contain a reason proving the infatuation of men, with respect to the wisdom of God; by which may be meant either Christ, who is the wisdom of God, was in the world, and yet the world of the Jews, and their chief Rabbins among them, with all their wisdom, neither knew him, nor God his Father; or the Gospel, which is also so called, and though this was come, both into the Jewish and Gentile world, yet neither of them, by their natural wisdom, knew the God of grace, so manifestly revealed in it; or rather the works of creation, in which there is such a visible display of the wisdom of God: yet the world by wisdom knew not God; the author of them: the Gentiles knew him not in any spiritual and saving manner, as in Christ, or the God of all grace; yea, they knew him not as the God of nature to be the one, only, true God; they knew him not so as to glorify him as God, or to worship him in a right way and manner: wherefore, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe ; it was his purpose and decree within himself; it was his sovereign good will and pleasure; it was what he, without any motion from, or merit in the creature, resolved of himself from all eternity that he would save, not the wise man, the Scribe, the disputer of this world, the rationalist, the talker, nor the worker, but them that believe in his Son; that look unto him, venture on him, and commit the care and keeping of their souls to him, however weak, mean, and despicable they may otherwise be; or whether they believe with a weak, or a strong faith, so be it, it is but true: the Ethiopic version reads, that believe in this foolish doctrine; and this he determined to do, and did, by the foolishness of preaching; or by that sort of preaching, which both for the matter of it, Christ, that itself, and the manner of it, the world reckons foolishness; and which are the things of the Fathers grace in election, of the Sons grace in redemption, and the Spirits in regeneration: so the wise men of the world, with all their wisdom, are left ignorant of God, and perish in their sins, whilst the Gospel they despise is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe in Christ; this, through efficacious grace, becomes the means of regenerating and quickening men, showing them their need of salvation, and where it is, and of working faith in them to look to Christ for it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-25 - Paul had been bred up in Jewish learning; but the plain preaching of crucified Jesus, was more powerful than all the oratory and philosoph of the heathen world. This is the sum and substance of the gospel Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. And by his death we live. The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God, i explained and faithfully applied, appears foolishness to those in the way to destruction. The sensual, the covetous, the proud, an ambitious, alike see that the gospel opposes their favourite pursuits But those who receive the gospel, and are enlightened by the Spirit of God, see more of God's wisdom and power in the doctrine of Chris crucified, than in all his other works. God left a great part of the world to follow the dictates of man's boasted reason, and the event ha shown that human wisdom is folly, and is unable to find or retain the knowledge of God as the Creator. It pleased him, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. By the foolishness of preaching not by what could justly be called foolish preaching. But the thin preached was foolishness to wordly-wise men. The gospel ever was, an ever will be, foolishness to all in the road to destruction. The message of Christ, plainly delivered, ever has been a sure touchston by which men may learn what road they are travelling. But the despise doctrine of salvation by faith in a crucified Saviour, God in huma nature, purchasing the church with his own blood, to save multitudes even all that believe, from ignorance, delusion, and vice, has bee blessed in every age. And the weakest instruments God uses, ar stronger in their effects, than the strongest men can use. Not tha there is foolishness or weakness in God, but what men consider as such overcomes all their admired wisdom and strength.
Greek Textus Receptus
επειδη 1894 CONJ γαρ 1063 CONJ εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF σοφια 4678 N-DSF του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM ουκ 3756 PRT-N εγνω 1097 5627 V-2AAI-3S ο 3588 T-NSM κοσμος 2889 N-NSM δια 1223 PREP της 3588 T-GSF σοφιας 4678 N-GSF τον 3588 T-ASM θεον 2316 N-ASM ευδοκησεν 2106 5656 V-AAI-3S ο 3588 T-NSM θεος 2316 N-NSM δια 1223 PREP της 3588 T-GSF μωριας 3472 N-GSF του 3588 T-GSN κηρυγματος 2782 N-GSN σωσαι 4982 5658 V-AAN τους 3588 T-APM πιστευοντας 4100 5723 V-PAP-APM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
21. After that (epeidh). Rev., correctly, seeing that.By wisdom (dia thv sofiav). Better, as Rev., giving the force of the article, "through its wisdom."
Preaching (khrugmatov). Not the act, but the substance of preaching. Compare ver. 23.
To save (swsai). The word was technically used in the Old Testament of deliverance at the Messiah's coming; of salvation from the penalties of the messianic judgment, or from the evils which obstruct the messianic deliverance. See Joel ii. 32; Matt. i. 21; compare Acts ii. 40. Paul uses it in the ethical sense, to make one a partaker of the salvation which is through Christ. Edwards calls attention to the foregleam of this christian conception of the word in the closing paragraph of Plato's "Republic:" "And thus, Glaucon, the tale has been saved, and has not perished, and will save (swseien) us if we are obedient to the word spoken, and we shall pass safely over the river of forgetfulness and our soul will not be defiled."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:21 {Seeing that} (epeide). Since (epei and d) with explanatory gar. {Through its wisdom} (dia tes sofias). Article here as possessive. The two wisdoms contrasted. {Knew not God} (ouk egnw). Failed to know, second aorist (effective) active indicative of ginwskw, solemn dirge of doom on both Greek philosophy and Jewish theology that failed to know God. Has modern philosophy done better? There is today even a godless theology (Humanism). "Now that God's wisdom has reduced the self-wise world to ignorance" (Findlay). {Through the foolishness of the preaching} (dia tes mwrias tou kerugmatos). Perhaps "proclamation" is the idea, for it is not keruxis, the act of heralding, but kerugma, the message heralded or the proclamation as in verse #23. The metaphor is that of the herald proclaiming the approach of the king (#Mt 3:1; 4:17). See also kerugma in #1Co 2:4; 2Ti 4:17. The proclamation of the Cross seemed foolishness to the wiseacres qen (and now), but it is consummate wisdom, God's wisdom and good-pleasure (eudokesan). The foolishness of preaching is not the preaching of foolishness. {To save them that believe} (swsai tous pisteuontas). this is the heart of God's plan of redemption, the proclamation of salvation for all those who trust Jesus Christ on the basis of his death for sin on the Cross. The mystery-religions all offered salvation by initiation and ritual as the Pharisees did by ceremonialism. Christianity reaches the heart directly by trust in Christ as the Savior. It is God's wisdom.
