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Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
the Third Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

1 Corinthians 3:20

They also say, "The Lord knows how the wise man thinks. His thinking is worth nothing."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God Continued...;   Heart;   Quotations and Allusions;   Vanity;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - God's;   Knowledge;   Knowledge, Divine;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Wisdom, Worldly;   Wisdom-Folly;   Worldly;   The Topic Concordance - Glory;   Knowledge;   Vanity;   Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Vanity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Apollos;   Philosophy;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wisdom;   Holman Bible Dictionary - 1 Corinthians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Vanity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Fool;   Quotations;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Apollos ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Again;   Foreknow;   Papyrus;   Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament;   Thought;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Apollos;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings of the wise are futile.
King James Version (1611)
And againe, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vaine.
King James Version
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
English Standard Version
and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
New American Standard Bible
and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE useless."
New Century Version
It is also written in the Scriptures, "The Lord knows what wise people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind."
Amplified Bible
and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS of the [humanly] wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."
Legacy Standard Bible
and again, "The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless."
Berean Standard Bible
And again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
Contemporary English Version
The Scriptures also say, "The Lord knows that the plans made by wise people are useless."
Complete Jewish Bible
and again, " Adonai knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless ."
Darby Translation
And again, [The] Lord knows the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Scriptures also say, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise. He knows that their thoughts are worth nothing."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And againe, The Lord knoweth that the thoughtes of the wise be vaine.
George Lamsa Translation
And again, The LORD knows that the thoughts of the wise are vain.
Good News Translation
and another scripture says, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless."
Lexham English Bible
and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
Literal Translation
And again, "The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are worthless." LXX-Psa. 93:11; MT-Psa. 94:11
American Standard Version
and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
Bible in Basic English
And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.
Hebrew Names Version
And again, "The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless."
International Standard Version
and again,Psalm 94:11;">[xr] "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless."Psalm 94:11">[fn]
Etheridge Translation
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Murdock Translation
And again: The Lord knoweth the devices of the wise, that they are vain.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And agayne The Lorde knoweth the thoughtes of the wyse, that they be vayne.
English Revised Version
and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
World English Bible
And again, "The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Weymouth's New Testament
And again, "The Lord takes knowledge of the reasonings of the wise--how useless they are."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and eft, The Lord knowith the thouytis of wise men, for tho ben veyn.
Update Bible Version
and again, The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.
Webster's Bible Translation
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
New English Translation
And again, " The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile ."
New King James Version
and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." Psalms 94:11">[fn]
New Living Translation
And again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless."
New Revised Standard
and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And again - The Lord taketh note of the speculations of the wise, that they are vain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And again: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Revised Standard Version
and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And agayne God knoweth the thoughtes of the wyse that they be vayne.
Young's Literal Translation
and again, `The Lord doth know the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And agayne: The LORDE knoweth the thoughtes of the wyse, that they are vayne.
Mace New Testament (1729)
and again, "the Lord knows, that the thoughts of the wise are vain."
Simplified Cowboy Version
and another time when it says, "The Boss knows the thoughts of the wise and laughs at their stupidity."

Contextual Overview

18 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. 19 The wisdom of this world is foolish to God. The Holy Writings say, "He is the One Who gets them in a trap when they use their own wisdom." 20 They also say, "The Lord knows how the wise man thinks. His thinking is worth nothing."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the lord: Psalms 94:11

that: Job 11:11, Job 11:12, Psalms 2:1, Romans 1:21, Colossians 2:8

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 16:23 - all the counsel Nehemiah 4:15 - God Ecclesiastes 7:16 - neither Isaiah 19:3 - and I Isaiah 44:25 - turneth Isaiah 66:18 - their thoughts Jeremiah 4:14 - How long Obadiah 1:8 - even Matthew 2:8 - go 1 Peter 1:18 - vain

Cross-References

Genesis 2:20
Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field. But there was no helper found that was right for Adam.
Genesis 2:23
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
Genesis 5:29
He gave him the name Noah. He said, "This one will give us rest from our work, from the hard work of our hands because the ground was cursed by the Lord."
Genesis 16:11
The angel of the Lord also said to her, "See, you are going to have a child. And you will give birth to a son. You will give him the name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard how you have suffered.
Genesis 35:18
As Rachel's soul was leaving, for she died, she gave him the name Benoni. But his father gave him the name Benjamin.
Exodus 2:10
The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter. And he became her son. She gave him the name Moses, saying, "Because I took him out of the water."
1 Samuel 1:20
The Lord made it possible for her to have a child, and when the time came she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Samuel, saying, "I have asked the Lord for him."
Matthew 1:21
A Son will be born to her. You will give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from the punishment of their sins."
Matthew 1:23
He said, "The young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a Son. They will give Him the name Immanuel. This means God with us."
Acts 17:26
He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And again,.... Not in the same place, nor in the same book, but in the Psalms, in Psalms 94:11. This form of citing Scriptures answers to ועוד and moreover, used by the Jewish doctors when the matter does not so clearly appear from the first proof, and therefore they produce another q: and so here the apostle, for the further confirmation and illustration of this point, that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, to the testimony of Eliphaz, adds this of David,

the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain; in the Psalms it is, "the Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vanity"; which the apostle not only cites, but explains and teaches; as that by men is meant men of wisdom and knowledge, of the greatest capacities, whose thoughts, reasonings, schemes, and devices, the omniscient God not only knows, but makes known, and discovers them, sooner or later, to be vain and fruitless, yea, vanity itself; and notwithstanding all their machinations and contrivances, his counsel shall stand, his Gospel shall be maintained, his truths shall prevail, and his ordinances shall be continued, and his work go on.

q Vid. Surenhusii Biblos Katallages, p. 11, 531.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And again, - Psalms 94:11.

The Lord knoweth - God searches the heart. The particular thing which it is here said that he knows, is, that the thoughts of man are vain. They have this quality; and this is that which the psalmist here says that God sees. The affirmation is not one respecting the omniscience of God, but with respect to what God sees of the nature of the thoughts of the wise.

The thoughts of the wise - Their plans, purposes, designs.

That they are vain - That they lack real wisdom; they are foolish; they shall not be accomplished as they expect; or be seen to have that wisdom which they now suppose they possess.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise — They are always full of schemes and plans for earthly good; and God knows that all this is vain, empty, and unsatisfactory; and will stand them in no stead when he comes to take away their souls. This is a quotation from Psalms 94:11. What is here said of the vanity of human knowledge is true of every kind of wisdom that leads not immediately to God himself.


 
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