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Friday, October 18th, 2024
the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Amplified Bible

1 Corinthians 3:18

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Humility;   Paradox;   Pride;   Wisdom;   The Topic Concordance - Craftiness;   Foolishness;   Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Simplicity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Apollos;   Philosophy;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wisdom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Corinthians, First and Second, Theology of;   World;   Holman Bible Dictionary - 1 Corinthians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - World;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Fool;   World;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Apollos ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Beguile;   Eschatology of the New Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Apollos;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Don't fool yourselves. Whoever thinks they are wise in this world should become a fool. That's the only way they can be wise.
Revised Standard Version
Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Let no man deceave him silfe. Yf eny man seme wyse amonge you let him be a fole in this worlde that he maye be wyse.
Hebrew Names Version
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
International Standard Version
Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways ofthe ways of">[fn] this world, he must become a fool to become really wise.Proverbs 5:7; Isaiah 5:21;">[xr]
New American Standard Bible
Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.
New Century Version
Do not fool yourselves. If you think you are wise in this world, you should become a fool so that you can become truly wise,
Update Bible Version
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
Webster's Bible Translation
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
English Standard Version
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
World English Bible
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Let none deceive himself: if any one among you thinketh himself to be wise, let him become a fool in this world, that he may become wise.
Weymouth's New Testament
Let no one deceive himself. If any man imagines that he is wise, compared with the rest of you, with the wisdom of the present age, let him become "foolish" so that he may be wise.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
No man disseyue hym silf. If ony man among you is seyn to be wiys in this world, be he maad a fool, that he be wijs.
English Revised Version
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
Berean Standard Bible
Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
Contemporary English Version
Don't fool yourselves! If any of you think you are wise in the things of this world, you will have to become foolish before you can be truly wise.
American Standard Version
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
Bible in Basic English
Let no man have a false idea. If any man seems to himself to be wise among you, let him become foolish, so that he may be wise.
Complete Jewish Bible
Let no one fool himself. If someone among you thinks he is wise (by this world's standards), let him become "foolish," so that he may become really wise.
Darby Translation
Let no one deceive himself: if any one thinks himself to be wise among you in this world, let him become foolish, that he may be wise.
Etheridge Translation
Let no man deceive himself. Whoever among you supposeth himself wise in this world, let him become foolish, that he may be wise.
Murdock Translation
Let no one deceive himself. Whoever among you thinketh that he is wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
King James Version (1611)
Let no man deceiue himselfe: If any man among you seemeth to bee wise in this world, let him become a foole, that he may be wise.
New Living Translation
Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world's standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
New Life Bible
Do not fool yourself. If anyone thinks he knows a lot about the things of this world, he had better become a fool. Then he may become wise.
New Revised Standard
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Let no man deceiue himselfe: If any man among you seeme to be wise in this world, let him be a foole, that he may be wise.
George Lamsa Translation
Let no man deceive himself. Whoever among you thinks he is wise in this world, let him consider himself a fool so that he may become wise.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let no one be deceiving himself: - if anyone imagineth himself to be wise among you, in this age, let him become foolish, that he may become wise;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let no man deceaue him selfe. Yf any man among you seeme to be wise in this worlde, let hym be a foole, that he may be wyse.
Good News Translation
You should not fool yourself. If any of you think that you are wise by this world's standards, you should become a fool, in order to be really wise.
Christian Standard Bible®
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise.
King James Version
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
Lexham English Bible
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks himself to be wise among you in this age, let him become a fool, in order that he may become wise.
Literal Translation
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks to be wise among you in this age, let him become foolish, that he may become wise.
Young's Literal Translation
Let no one deceive himself; if any one doth seem to be wise among you in this age -- let him become a fool, that he may become wise,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let no ma disceaue himselfe. Yf eny man thinke himselfe wyse amoge you, let him become a foole in this worlde, that he maye be wyse.
Mace New Testament (1729)
let no man deceive himself: if any among you pretends to worldly wisdom, let him commence fool, in order to be truly wise.
THE MESSAGE
Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times. Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It's written in Scripture, He exposes the chicanery of the chic. The Master sees through the smoke screens of the know-it-alls.
New English Translation
Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.
New King James Version
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
Simplified Cowboy Version
So don't be pulling the wool over your own eyes. Wisdom doesn't come from clever ideas or fancy words. If this is your wisdom then you should try to become fools. Only then will you know what it takes to become wise.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.
Legacy Standard Bible
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.

Contextual Overview

18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written [in Scripture], "[He is] THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE and CLEVER IN THEIR CRAFTINESS;" 20and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS of the [humanly] wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

deceive: 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 5:7, Isaiah 44:20, Jeremiah 37:9, Luke 21:8, Galatians 6:3, Galatians 6:7, Ephesians 5:6, 2 Timothy 3:13, Titus 3:3, James 1:22, James 1:26, 1 John 1:8

If: 1 Corinthians 1:18-21, 1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 8:1, 1 Corinthians 8:2, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 26:12, Isaiah 5:21, Jeremiah 8:8, Romans 11:25, Romans 12:16

let: Matthew 18:4, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17

Reciprocal: Genesis 41:8 - but there Exodus 1:10 - wisely 2 Samuel 15:31 - turn the counsel 2 Kings 5:11 - Behold Job 11:12 - would Job 32:13 - We Proverbs 2:7 - layeth Proverbs 14:6 - scorner Proverbs 28:11 - rich Proverbs 30:2 - I am Ecclesiastes 1:18 - For in Ecclesiastes 7:16 - neither Jeremiah 9:23 - wise Matthew 6:23 - If Matthew 11:25 - because Luke 8:18 - seemeth to have Luke 10:21 - thou hast Luke 11:35 - General Luke 16:8 - children of this John 7:49 - General John 11:49 - Ye Acts 8:31 - How Acts 10:33 - are we Acts 17:18 - babbler Acts 18:26 - expounded Romans 1:14 - both to Romans 1:22 - General Romans 2:19 - art confident 1 Corinthians 1:26 - that 1 Corinthians 6:5 - Is it 2 Corinthians 11:1 - in Colossians 2:8 - philosophy 1 Timothy 6:4 - He

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all the cattle, And more than any animal of the field; On your belly you shall go, And dust you shall eat All the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
"And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel."
Joshua 23:13
know and understand with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
Job 1:21
He said, "Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother's womb, And naked I will return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Job 5:5
"The hungry devour his harvest And take it even [when it grows] among the thorns; The trap opens for [his] wealth.
Job 31:40
Let thorns grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley." So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.
Psalms 90:3
You turn man back to dust, And say, "Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!"
Psalms 104:2
[You are the One] who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a tent curtain,
Proverbs 22:5
Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them]; He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer.
Proverbs 24:31
And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, And nettles were covering its surface, And its stone wall was broken down.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let no man deceive himself,.... With vain notions of serving God and religion, and of doing the churches good by his carnal and worldly wisdom, and with false hopes of escaping the vengeance of God for sowing the tares of error, heresy, and discord among his people.

If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world; either a member of them, or a preacher among them, who thought himself wise in worldly wisdom; or was desirous to be thought so by others; or would be a truly wise man in this world, whilst he lives in it, and before he goes out of it:

let him become a fool that he may be wise; not that, properly speaking, folly is the way to wisdom; but that that man that would be wise in a spiritual sense, must first learn to know himself; must be convinced of, and acknowledge his own folly, embrace the Gospel of Christ, which is esteemed foolishness by the world; submit to the ordinances of Christ, which are despised by men; and take up the cross of Christ, and follow him, bear reproach and persecution for his sake, than which nothing is more ridiculous with carnal men: he must deny his worldly wisdom, his carnal and righteous self, and wholly rest and rely on Christ, and his righteousness, for eternal life and happiness, and so will he become truly wise unto salvation. The Jews p have a saying,

"that everyone המנבל עצמו, "that makes himself a fool", for the words of the law, at the end, shall be exalted.''

p Raya Mehimua in Zohar in Numb. fol. 104. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let no man deceive himself - The apostle here proceeds to make a practical application of the truths which he had stated, and to urge on them humility, and to endeavor to repress the broils and contentions into which they had fallen. Let no man be puffed up with a vain conceit of his own wisdom, for this had been the real cause of all the evils which they had experienced. Grotius renders this, “See that you do not attribute too much to your wisdom and learning, by resting on it, and thus deceive your own selves.” “All human philosophy,” says Grotius, “that is repugnant to the gospel is but vain deceit” - Probably there were many among them who would despise this admonition as coming from Paul, but he exhorts them to take care that they did not deceive themselves. We are taught here:

(1) The danger of self-deception - a danger that besets all on the subject of religion.

(2) The fact that false philosophy is the most fruitful source of self-deception in the business of religion. So it was among the Corinthians; and so it has been in all ages since.

If any man among you - Any teacher, whatever may be his rank or his confidence in his own abilities; or any private member of the church.

Seemeth to be wise - Seems to himself; or is thought to be, has the credit, or reputation of being wise. The word “seems” δοκεῖ dokei implies this idea - if anyone seems, or is supposed to be a man of wisdom; if this is his reputation; and if he seeks that this should be his reputation among people. See instances of this construction in Bloomfield.

In this world - In this “age,” or “world” (ἐν τῷ αἰῶν τούτῳ en tō aiōn toutō). There is considerable variety in the interpretation of this passage among critics. It may be taken either with the preceding or the following words. Origen, Cyprian, Beza, Grotius, Hammond, and Locke adopt the latter method, and understand it thus: “If any man among you thinks himself to be wise, let him not hesitate to be a fool in the opinion of this age in order that he may be truly wise” - But the interpretation conveyed in our translation, is probably the correct one. “If any man has the reputation of wisdom among the people of this generation, and prides himself on it,” etc. If he is esteemed wise in the sense in which the people of this world are, as a philosopher, a man of science, learning, etc.

Let him become a fool -

(1) Let him be willing to be regarded as a fool.

(2) Let him sincerely embrace this gospel, which will inevitably expose him to the charge of being a fool.

(3) Let all his earthly wisdom be esteemed in his own eyes as valueless and as folly in the great matters of salvation.

That he may be wise - That he may have true wisdom - that which is of God. It is implied here:

(1) That the wisdom of this world will not make a man truly wise.

(2) That a “reputation” for wisdom may contribute nothing to a man’s true wisdom, but may stand in the way of it.

(3) That for such a man to embrace the gospel it is necessary that he should be willing to cast away dependence on his own wisdom, and come with the temper of a child to the Saviour.

(4) That to do this will expose him to the charge of folly, and the derision of those who are wise in their own conceit.

(5) That true wisdom is found only in that science which teaches people to live unto God, and to be prepared for death and for heaven - and that science is found only in the gospel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. If any man among you seemeth to be wise — Ει τις δοκει σοφος ειναι· If any pretend or affect to be wise. This seems to refer to some individual in the Church of Corinth, who had been very troublesome to its peace and unity: probably Diotrephes (1 Corinthians 1:14 (note)) or some one of a similar spirit, who wished to have the pre-eminence, and thought himself wiser than seven men that could render a reason. Every Christian Church has less or more of these.

Let him become a fool — Let him divest himself of his worldly wisdom, and be contented to be called a fool, and esteemed one, that he may become wise unto salvation, by renouncing his own wisdom, and seeking that which comes from God. But probably the apostle refers to him who, pretending to great wisdom and information, taught doctrines contrary to the Gospel; endeavouring to show reasons for them, and to support his own opinions with arguments which he thought unanswerable. This man brought his worldly wisdom to bear against the doctrines of Christ; and probably through such teaching many of the scandalous things which the apostle reprehends among the Corinthians originated.


 
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