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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

1 Corinthians 2:3

I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Humility;   Minister, Christian;   Philosophy;   Preaching;   Reasoning;   Wisdom;   Zeal, Religious;   Scofield Reference Index - Holy Spirit;   Thompson Chain Reference - Leaders;   Ministers;   Religious;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Crucifixion;   Holy spirit;   Preaching;   Tongue;   Wisdom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Confidence;   Corinthians, First and Second, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Daniel, Book of;   Thorn in the Flesh;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Apollos;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Power;   1 Corinthians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Paul the Apostle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Athens ;   Fear;   Inspiration;   Inspiration and Revelation;   Mystery ;   Philosophy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Corinthians, First Epistle to the;   Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament;   Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for December 21;   Every Day Light - Devotion for October 22;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for July 17;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear.
Revised Standard Version
And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And I was amoge you in weaknes and in feare and in moche treblinge.
Hebrew Names Version
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
International Standard Version
It was in weakness, fear, and great trembling that I came to you.Acts 18:1,6, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 11:30; Galatians 4:13;">[xr]
New American Standard Bible
I also was with you in weakness and fear, and in great trembling,
New Century Version
So when I came to you, I was weak and fearful and trembling.
Update Bible Version
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Webster's Bible Translation
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
English Standard Version
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
World English Bible
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Weymouth's New Testament
And so far as I myself was concerned, I came to you in conscious feebleness and in fear and in deep anxiety.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y in sikenesse, and drede, and myche trembling, was among you;
English Revised Version
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Berean Standard Bible
I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
Contemporary English Version
At first, I was weak and trembling with fear.
Amplified Bible
I came to you in [a state of] weakness and fear and great trembling.
American Standard Version
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Bible in Basic English
And I was with you without strength, in fear and in doubt.
Complete Jewish Bible
Also I myself was with you as somebody weak, nervous and shaking all over from fear;
Darby Translation
And *I* was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling;
Etheridge Translation
And I in much fear and trembling was with you.
Murdock Translation
And in much fear and much trembling, was I with you.
King James Version (1611)
And I was with you in weakenesse, and in feare, and in much trembling.
New Living Translation
I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.
New Life Bible
When I was with you, I was weak. I was afraid and I shook.
New Revised Standard
And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And I was among you in weakenesse, and in feare, and in much trembling.
George Lamsa Translation
And I was with you with much reverence for God and in trembling.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I, therefore in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, came to be with you,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I was among you in weaknesse, and in feare, and in much tremblyng.
Good News Translation
So when I came to you, I was weak and trembled all over with fear,
Christian Standard Bible®
I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
King James Version
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Lexham English Bible
And I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling,
Literal Translation
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
Young's Literal Translation
and I, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, was with you;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And I was amonge you in weaknes, and in feare, and in moch tremblinge:
Mace New Testament (1729)
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in great agony:
New English Translation
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling.
New King James Version
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Simplified Cowboy Version
You didn't hear this from some cocky roper, but from one who didn't feel worthy of the words he said. Quite frankly, I was scared out of my gourd.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
Legacy Standard Bible
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

Contextual Overview

1You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified. 3I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Corinthians 4:10-13, Acts 17:1, Acts 17:6-12, Acts 20:18, Acts 20:19, 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 10:1, 2 Corinthians 10:10, 2 Corinthians 11:29, 2 Corinthians 11:30, 2 Corinthians 12:5-10, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 4:13, Galatians 4:14

Reciprocal: Luke 8:47 - she came 1 Corinthians 1:26 - that Ephesians 6:5 - with Philippians 2:12 - with 1 Thessalonians 2:7 - we

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.
Genesis 2:8
Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil.
Genesis 2:10
A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:15
God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.
Genesis 2:21
God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.
Exodus 23:12
"Work for six days and rest the seventh so your ox and donkey may rest and your servant and migrant workers may have time to get their needed rest.
Exodus 34:21
"Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.
Leviticus 23:3
"Work six days. The seventh day is a Sabbath, a day of total and complete rest, a sacred assembly. Don't do any work. Wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to God .
Proverbs 10:22
God 's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I was with you in weakness,.... Meaning either the weakness of his bodily presence, the contemptibleness of his voice, and the mean figure he made as a preacher among them, both with respect to the matter and manner of his ministry in the eyes of many; or his lowly and humble deportment among them, not exerting the power and authority Christ had given him as an apostle; but choosing rather to work with his own hands, as he did at Corinth, to minister to his own necessities, and those of others; or the many persecutions which he endured there for the sake of preaching a crucified Christ; and which he sometimes calls "infirmities"; see

2 Corinthians 12:9 wherefore it is added,

and in fear, and in much trembling: not only on account of the greatness and awfulness of the work in which he was engaged, and lest the souls he ministered unto should be drawn aside from the truth, and into a sinful compliance; but because of the violence of men against him, threatening his life, and lying in wait for it: hence, the Lord, to encourage him, spake in a vision to him, and bid him not be afraid, but boldly preach his Gospel, and not be silent; assuring him of his presence, and that no man should set on him to hurt him, for he had many chosen vessels there to call by his grace through his ministry, Acts 18:9 which no doubt greatly served to remove the fears and tremor that attended him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I was with you - Paul continued there at least a year and six months. Acts 18:11.

In weakness - In conscious feebleness; diffident of my own powers, and not trusting to my own strength.

And in fear, and in much trembling - Paul was sensible that he had many enemies to encounter Acts 18:6.; and he was sensible of his own natural disadvantages as a public speaker, 2 Corinthians 10:10. He knew too, how much the Greeks valued a manly and elegant species of oratory; and he, therefore, delivered his message with deep and anxious solicitude as to the success. It was at this time, and in view of these circumstances, that the Lord spoke to him by night in a vision, and said, “be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city,” Acts 18:9-10. If Paul was conscious of weakness, well may other ministers be; and if Paul sometimes trembled in deep solicitude about the result of his message, well may other ministers tremble also. It was in such circumstances, and with such feelings, that the Lord met him to encourage him - And it is when other ministers feel thus, that the promises of the gospel are inestimably precious. We may add, that it is then, and then only, that they are successful. Notwithstanding all Paul’s fears, he was successful there. And it is commonly, perhaps always, when ministers go to their work conscious of their own weakness; burdened with the weight of their message; diffident of their own powers; and deeply solicitous about the result of their labors, that God sends down His Spirit, and converts sinners to God. The most successful ministers have been men who have evinced most of this feeling; and most of the revivals of religion have commenced, and continued, just as ministers have preached, conscious of their own feebleness, distrusting their own powers, and looking to God for aid and strength.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 2:3. I was with you in weakness — It is very likely that St. Paul had not only something in his speech very unfavourable to a ready and powerful elocution, but also some infirmity of body that was still more disadvantageous to him. A fine appearance and a fine voice cover many weaknesses and defects, and strongly and forcibly recommend what is spoken, though not remarkable for depth of thought or solidity of reasoning. Many popular orators have little besides their persons and their voice to recommend them. Louis XIV. styled Peter du Bosc le plus beau parleur de son royaume, the finest speaker in his kingdom; and among his own people he was styled l'orateur parfait, the perfect orator. Look at the works of this French protestant divine, and you find it difficult to subscribe to the above sayings. The difficulty is solved by the information that the person of M. du Bosc was noble and princely, and his voice full, harmonious, and majestic. Paul had none of these advantages, and yet idolatry and superstition fell before him. Thus GOD was seen in the work, and the man was forgotten.

In fear, and in much trembling. — This was often the state of his mind; dreading lest he should at any time be unfaithful, and so grieve the Spirit of God; or that, after having preached to others, himself should be a castaway. See 1 Corinthians 9:27.

An eminent divine has said that it requires three things to make a good preacher; study, temptation, and prayer. The latter, no man that lives near to God can neglect; the former, no man who endeavours rightly to divide the word of truth will neglect; and with the second every man will be more or less exercised whose whole aim is to save souls. Those of a different cast the devil permits to pass quietly on in their own indolent and prayerless way.


 
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