1 Corinthians 2:9

Contextual Overview

⁶ Yet there is a wisdom that we are speaking to those who are mature enough for it. But it is not the wisdom of this world or of this world's leaders, who are in the process of passing away. ⁶ But we speak wisdom among the perfect; but wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who come to nought. ⁶ We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. ⁶ However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message ofa message of">[fn] wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.1 Corinthians 1:20,28; 14:20; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:15; Hebrews 5:14; James 3:15;">[xr] ⁶ But we speak wisdom among the perfect: not the wisdom of this world, nor the authorities of this world, which are abolished; ⁶ Yet we do speak wisdom, among the perfect; the wisdom not of this world, nor of the potentates of this world, who will come to naught. ⁶ We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought: ⁶ But still we have wisdom for those who are complete in knowledge, though not the wisdom of this world, and not of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing: ⁶ Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. ⁶ And we speake wisedome among them that are perfect: not the wisedome of this world, neither of the princes of this world, which come to nought.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

eye: This passage is not taken from the LXX, nor is an exact translation of the Hebrew; but it gives the general sense. Isaiah 64:4, John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:12

the things: Psalms 31:19, Matthew 20:23, Matthew 25:34, Hebrews 11:16

them: Romans 8:28, James 1:12, James 2:5, 1 John 4:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 41:32 - established by 1 Kings 10:7 - I believed 2 Chronicles 9:6 - the one half Job 11:6 - show thee Job 15:8 - the secret Psalms 5:11 - love Song of Solomon 7:13 - I have Isaiah 48:6 - showed Isaiah 66:8 - hath heard Daniel 2:19 - was Daniel 2:22 - revealeth Matthew 13:11 - Because Matthew 13:44 - like Matthew 16:17 - but Matthew 19:29 - every Luke 12:37 - that John 6:63 - the words John 15:15 - all Romans 8:17 - heirs of 1 Corinthians 8:3 - love 1 Corinthians 13:9 - General 2 Corinthians 4:17 - far Galatians 1:11 - that Galatians 1:16 - reveal Ephesians 3:3 - by Ephesians 3:8 - unsearchable Ephesians 3:20 - exceeding 2 Timothy 4:8 - that love 1 John 3:2 - it 1 John 4:16 - we

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East, in a place named Eden. He put the man he made in that garden.

Genesis 2:8
The LORD God planted a garden eastward, in `Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Genesis 2:8
And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had made.

Genesis 2:8
And the Lord God planted a garden eastwarde in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had shapen.

Genesis 2:8
And the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had made.

Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed.

Genesis 2:8
And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But as it is written,.... Not in an apocryphal book, called the Apocalypse of Elijah the prophet, as some have thought, but in

Isaiah 64:4 with some variation; and is brought to prove that the Gospel is mysterious and hidden wisdom, unknown to the princes of this world, and ordained before the world was, for the glory of the saints: for the following words are not to be understood of the glories and happiness of the future state; though they are indeed invisible, unheard of, and inconceivable as to the excellency and fulness of them, and are what God has prepared from all eternity, for all those on whom he bestows his grace here; but of the doctrines of grace, and mysteries of the Gospel, as the context and the reason of their citation abundantly show; and are what

eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: which could never have been seen to be read by the eye of man, nor the sound thereof ever heard by the ear of man, had not God been pleased to make a revelation of them; and though they are to be seen and read in the sacred writings, and to be heard either read or expounded, with the outward hearing of the ear; yet are neither to be seen nor heard intellectually, spiritually, and savingly, unless, God gives eyes to see, and ears to hear; the exterior senses of seeing and hearing are not sufficient to come at and discover the sense of them; flesh and blood, human nature cannot search them out, nor reveal them, no nor the internal senses, the intellectual capacity of men:

neither have entered into the heart of man; this clause is not in the original text; but is a phrase often used by the Jews, for that which never came into a man's mind, was never thought of by him, or he ever had any conceptions, or the least notion and idea of; so the elders of the city, at the beheading of the heifer, are represented not only as saying, "our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it"; but also neither עלתה על לבינו, "hath it entered into our hearts", that the sanhedrim hath shed blood y; and elsewhere z it is said, this matter is like to a king,

שעלה בלבו, "into whose heart it entered", to plant in his garden, c.

The things which God hath prepared for them that love him in the original text it is, "for him that waiteth for him"; the sense is the same, for such as hope in the Lord and wait for him, are lovers of him; and the meaning is, that God has prepared and laid up in his own breast, in his counsels and covenant, in the types, shadows, and sacrifices of the old law, in the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament, such doctrines and mysteries of grace as were not so seen, heard, known, and understood by the Old Testament prophets and saints; and has reserved for his people under the Gospel dispensation, the times of the Messiah, a more clear discovery of them: so the Jews themselves own that these words belong to the world to come a, which with them commonly signifies the days of the Messiah; though here they think fit to distinguish them, and interpret the phrase, "eye hath not seen", of the eye of the prophets: their words are these b;

"all prophesied not, but of the days of the Messiah; but as to the world to come, eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee.''

The gloss on it is,

"the eye of the prophets hath not been able to see it.''

Indeed, the mysteries of the Gospel are more clearly discerned now, than by the prophets formerly.

y T. Bab. Sota, fol. 46. 2. z Sepher Bahir in Zohar in Gen. fol. 31. 1. a Zohar in Exod. fol. 64. 4. & 67. 2. b T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 34. 2. Sabbat, fol, 63. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 99. 1. Maimon. in Misn. Sanhed. c. 11. sect. 1. & Hilch. Teshuva, c. 8. sect. 7. & Jarchi in Isa. lxiv. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But as it is written - This passage is quoted from Isaiah 64:4. It is not quoted literally; but the sense only is given. The words are found in the apocryphal books of Elijah; and Origen and Jerome supposed that Paul quoted from those books. But it is evident that Paul had in his eye the passage in Isaiah; and intended to apply it to his present purpose. These words are often applied by commentators and others to the future life, and are supposed by them to be descriptive of the state of the blessed there. But against the supposition that they refer directly to the future state, there are insuperable objections:

(1) The first is, that the passage in Isaiah has no such reference. In that place it is designed clearly to describe the blessedness of those who were admitted to the divine favor; who had communion with God; and to whom God manifested himself as their friend. That blessedness is said to be superior to all that people elsewhere enjoy; to be such as could be found no where else but in God. See Isaiah 64:1, Isaiah 64:4-5, Isaiah 64:8. It is used there, as Paul uses it, to denote the happiness which results from the communication of the divine favor to the soul.

(2) The object of the apostle is not to describe the future state of the redeemed. It is to prove that those who are Christians have true wisdom 1 Corinthians 2:6-7; or that they have views of truth, and of the excellence of the plan of salvation which the world has not, and which those who crucified the Lord Jesus did not possess. The thing which he is describing here, is not merely the happiness of Christians, but their views of the wisdom of the plan of salvation. They have views of that which the eyes of other people have not seen; a view of wisdom, and fitness, and beauty which can be found in no other plan. It is true that this view is attended with a high degree of comfort; but the comfort is not the immediate thing in the eye of the apostle.

(3) The declaration in 1 Corinthians 2:10, is conclusive proof that Paul does not refer to the happiness of heaven. He there says that God has revealed these things to Christians by his Spirit. But if already revealed, assuredly it does not refer to that which is yet to come. But although this does not refer directly to heaven, there may be an application of the passage to a future state in an indirect manner, which is not improper. If there are such manifestations of wisdom in the plan here; if Christians see so much of its beauty here on earth; and if their views so far surpass all that the world sees and enjoys, how much greater and purer will be the manifestations of wisdom and goodness in the world of glory.

Eye hath not seen - This is the same as saying, that no one had ever fully perceived and understood the value and beauty of those things which God has prepared for his people. All the world had been strangers to this until God made a revelation to his people by his Spirit. The blessedness which the apostle referred to had been unknown alike to the Jews and the Gentiles.

Nor ear heard - We learn the existence and quality of objects by the external senses; and those senses are used to denote any acquisition of knowledge. To say that the eye had not seen, nor the ear heard, was, therefore, the same as saying that it was not known at all. All people had been ignorant of it.

Neither have entered into the heart of man - No man has conceived it; or understood it. It is new; and is above all that man has seen, and felt, and known.

The things which God hath prepared - The things which God “has held in reserve” (Bloomfield); that is, what God has appointed in the gospel for his people. The thing to which the apostle here refers particularly, is the wisdom which was revealed in the gospel; but he also intends, doubtless, to include all the provisions of mercy and happiness which the gospel makes known to the people of God. Those things relate to the pardon of sin; to the atonement, and to justification by faith; to the peace and joy which religion imparts; to the complete and final redemption from sin and death which the gospel is suited to produce, and which it will ultimately effect. In all these respects, the blessings which the gospel confers, surpass the full comprehension of people; and are infinitely beyond all that man could know or experience without the religion of Christ. And if on earth the gospel confers such blessings on its friends, how much higher and purer shall be the joys which it shalt bestow in heaven!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 2:9. But, as it is written — The quotation is taken from Isaiah 64:4. The sense is continued here from verse seven, and λαλουμεν, we speak, is understood-We do not speak or preach the wisdom of this world; but that mysterious wisdom of God, of which the prophet said: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but they certainly belong to the present state, and express merely the wondrous light, life, and liberty which the Gospel communicates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires. To this the prophet himself refers; and it is evident, from the following verse, that the apostle also refers to the same thing. Such a scheme of salvation, in which God's glory and man's felicity should be equally secured, had never been seen, never heard of, nor could any mind but that of God have conceived the idea of so vast a project; nor could any power but his own have brought it to effect.