1 Corinthians 1:22

Contemporary English Version

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

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,

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:

Bible in Basic English
Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge:

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 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the good news without using big words that would make the cross of Christ lose its power. ¹⁸ The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. ¹⁹ As God says in the Scriptures, "I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much." ²⁰ What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? ²¹ God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him. Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. ²² Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. ²³ But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. ²⁴ Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. ²⁵ Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else. ²⁶ My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn't think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families.

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
Evening came and then morning—that was the third day.

Genesis 1:14

The Fourth Day

God said, "I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years.

Genesis 1:28
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.

Genesis 8:17
Let out the birds, animals, and reptiles, so they can mate and live all over the earth."

Genesis 9:1
God said to Noah and his sons: I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth.

Genesis 30:27
But Laban told him, "If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure the Lord has blessed me because of you."

Genesis 30:30
You didn't have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.

Leviticus 26:9
I will treat you with such kindness that your nation will grow strong, and I will also keep my promises to you.

Job 40:15
I created both you and the hippopotamus. It eats only grass like an ox,

Job 42:12
The Lord now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.

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.