1 Corinthians 1:22

Bible in Basic English

Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,

King James Version (1611)
For the Iewes require a signe, and the Greekes seeke after wisedome.

King James Version
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

English Standard Version
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

New American Standard Bible
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

New Century Version
The Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks want wisdom.

Amplified Bible
For Jews demand signs (attesting miracles), and Greeks pursue [worldly] wisdom and philosophy,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

Legacy Standard Bible
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

Berean Standard Bible
Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

Contemporary English Version
Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise.

Complete Jewish Bible
Precisely because Jews ask for signs and Greeks try to find wisdom,

Darby Translation
Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom;

Easy-to-Read Version
The Jews ask for miraculous signs, and the Greeks want wisdom.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Seeing also that the Iewes require a signe, and the Grecians seeke after wisdome.

George Lamsa Translation
For the Jews demand signs, and the Syrians seek after wisdom:

Good News Translation
Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom.

Lexham English Bible
For indeed, Jews ask for sign miracles and Greeks seek wisdom,

Literal Translation
And since Jews ask for a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

American Standard Version
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

Hebrew Names Version
For Yehudim ask for signs, Yevanim seek after wisdom,

International Standard Version
Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,Matthew 12:38; 16:1; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; John 4:48;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For the Jihudoyee demand signs, and the Aramoyee require wisdom;

Murdock Translation
Because the Jews ask for signs, and the Gentiles demand wisdom.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the Iewes require a signe, & the Grekes seke after wisedome:

English Revised Version
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

World English Bible
For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For whereas the Jews demand signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom, We preach Christ crucified,

Weymouth's New Testament
Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For Jewis seken signes, and Grekis seken wisdom;

Update Bible Version
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

Webster's Bible Translation
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom:

New English Translation
For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,

New King James Version
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

New Living Translation
It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

New Life Bible
The Jews are looking for something special to see. The Greek people are looking for the answer in wisdom.

New Revised Standard
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Seeing that both, Jews for signs, do ask, and, Greeks for wisdom, do seek,

Douay-Rheims Bible
For both the Jews require signs: and the Greeks seek after wisdom.

Revised Standard Version
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For ye Iewes requyre a signe and the Grekes seke after wysdome.

Young's Literal Translation
Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For the Iewes requyre tokens, and the Grekes axe after wyssdome.

Mace New Testament (1729)
while the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom:

THE MESSAGE
While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."

Simplified Cowboy Version
The Jews want their miracles and the Greeks their lofty philosophies, so they both turn up their noses at our foolishness.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷ For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news: not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value. ¹⁸ For the word of the cross seems foolish to those who are on the way to destruction; but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God. ¹⁹ As it says in the holy Writings, I will put an end to the wisdom of the wise, and will put on one side the designs of those who have knowledge. ²⁰ Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him. ²² Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge: ²³ But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles; ²⁴ But to those of God's selection, Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Jews: Matthew 12:38, Matthew 12:39, Matthew 16:1-4, Mark 8:11, Luke 11:16, Luke 11:20, John 2:18, John 4:28

the Greeks: Acts 17:18-21

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 13:3 - General Matthew 11:6 - whosoever Luke 11:29 - they John 4:48 - Except John 6:30 - What John 7:48 - General Acts 14:1 - Greeks Acts 19:10 - both Acts 20:21 - to the Jews 1 Corinthians 2:2 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 1:13
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the arch of heaven, for a division between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for marking the changes of the year, and for days and for years:

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.

Genesis 8:17
Take out with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be increased on the earth.

Genesis 9:1
And God gave his blessing to Noah and his sons, and said, Be fertile, and have increase, and make the earth full.

Genesis 30:27
And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.

Genesis 30:30
For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family?

Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, I am God, the Ruler of all: be fertile, and have increase; a nation, truly a group of nations, will come from you, and kings will be your offspring;

Leviticus 26:9
And I will have pleasure in you and make you fertile and greater in number; and I will keep my agreement with you.

Job 40:15
See now the Great Beast, whom I made, even as I made you; he takes grass for food, like the ox.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the Jews require a sign,.... The Jews had always been used to miracles, in confirmation of the mission of the prophets sent unto them, and therefore insisted on a sign proving Jesus to be the true Messiah; except signs and wonders were wrought, they would not believe; and though miracles were wrought in great numbers, and such as never man did, they remained incredulous, and persisted in demanding a sign from heaven, and in their own way; and it was told them that no other sign should be given them, but that of the prophet Jonah, by which was signified the resurrection of Christ from the dead; this was given them, and yet they believed not, but went on to require a sign still; nothing but miracles would do with them, and they must be such as they themselves pleased: the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version, read "signs", in the plural number:

and the Greeks seek after wisdom; the wisdom of the world, natural wisdom, philosophy, the reason of things, the flowers of rhetoric, the ornaments of speech, the beauties of oratory, the justness of style and diction; as for doctrines they regarded none, but such as they could comprehend with, and account for by their carnal reason, everything else they despised and exploded. Hence we often read l of חכמת יוונית, "the Grecian wisdom", or wisdom of the Greeks; which, the Jews say m, lay in metaphors and dark sayings, which were not understood but by them that were used to it; the study of it was forbidden by them, though some of their Rabbins were conversant with it n.

l T. Bab Menachot, fol 99. 2. Bava Kama, fol. 82. 2. m Maimon & Bartenora in Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 14. n Shalshelet Hakabala, fol. 25. 1. Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 3. fol. 31. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the Jews require a sign - A miracle, a prodigy, an evidence of divine interposition. This was the characteristic of the Jewish people. God had manifested himself to them by miracles and wonders in a remarkable manner in past times, and they greatly prided themselves on that fact, and always demanded it when any new messenger came to them, professing to be sent from God. This propensity they often evinced in their contact with the Lord Jesus; Matthew 12:38; Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; Luke 12:54-56. Many mss., instead of “sign” here in the singular, read “signs” in the plural; and Griesbach has introduced that reading into the text. The sense is nearly the same, and it means that it was a characteristic of the Jews to demand the constant exhibition of miracles and wonders; and it is also implied here, I think, by the reasoning of the apostle, that they believed that the communication of such signs to them as a people, would secure their salvation, and they therefore despised the simple preaching of a crucified Messiah. They expected a Messiah that should come with the exhibition of some stupendous signs and wonders from heaven (Matthew 12:38, etc., as above); they looked for the displays of amazing power in his coming, and they anticipated that he would deliver them from their enemies by mere power; and they, therefore, were greatly offended 1 Corinthians 1:23, by the simple doctrine of a crucified Messiah.

And the Greeks ... - Perhaps this means the pagan in general, in opposition to the Jews; see the note at Romans 1:16. It was, however, especially the characteristic of the Greek philosophers. They seek for schemes of philosophy and religion that shall depend on human wisdom, and they therefore despise the gospel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. For the Jews require a sign — Instead of σημειον, a sign, ABCDEFG, several others, both the Syriac, Coptic, Vulgate, and Itala, with many of the fathers, have σημεια, signs; which reading, as undoubtedly genuine, Griesbach has admitted into the text. There never was a people in the universe more difficult to be persuaded of the truth than the Jews: and had not their religion been incontestably proved by the most striking and indubitable miracles, they never would have received it. This slowness of heart to believe, added to their fear of being deceived, induced them to require miracles to attest every thing that professed to come from God. They were a wicked and adulterous generation, continually seeking signs, and never saying, It is enough. But the sign which seems particularly referred to here is the assumption of secular power, which they expected in the Messiah; and because this sign did not appear in Christ, therefore they rejected him.

And the Greeks seek after wisdom. — Such wisdom, or philosophy, as they found in the writings of Cicero, Seneca, Plato, &c., which was called philosophy, and which came recommended to them in all the beauties and graces of the Latin and Greek languages.