1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
Original Language Analysis
ἡ
G3588
ἡ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
1 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
γάρ
For
G1063
γάρ
For
Strong's:
G1063
Word #:
2 of 21
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
τοῦ
G3588
τοῦ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
4 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
κόσμου
world
G2889
κόσμου
world
Strong's:
G2889
Word #:
5 of 21
orderly arrangement, i.e., decoration; by implication, the world (including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively (morally))
παρὰ
with
G3844
παρὰ
with
Strong's:
G3844
Word #:
8 of 21
properly, near; i.e., (with genitive case) from beside (literally or figuratively), (with dative case) at (or in) the vicinity of (objectively or subj
τῷ
G3588
τῷ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
θεῷ
God
G2316
θεῷ
God
Strong's:
G2316
Word #:
10 of 21
a deity, especially (with g3588) the supreme divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; exceedingly (by hebraism)
γέγραπται
it is written
G1125
γέγραπται
it is written
Strong's:
G1125
Word #:
12 of 21
to "grave", especially to write; figuratively, to describe
γάρ
For
G1063
γάρ
For
Strong's:
G1063
Word #:
13 of 21
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
Ὁ
G3588
Ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
14 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
τοὺς
G3588
τοὺς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
16 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
τῇ
G3588
τῇ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
19 of 21
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Cross References
Job 5:13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.Psalms 141:10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.Isaiah 44:25That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;1 Corinthians 2:6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:Exodus 18:11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.2 Samuel 16:23And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.2 Samuel 15:31And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.2 Samuel 17:23And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.2 Samuel 17:14And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
Historical Context
Job, written perhaps 2000 years before Paul, already diagnosed worldly wisdom's futility. Eliphaz's observation that God catches the wise in their craftiness was vindicated repeatedly in Israel's history—Pharaoh's schemes, Haman's plots, Herod's infanticide. Paul applies this ancient truth to Corinth's contemporary intellectual pretensions.
Questions for Reflection
- What examples from history, current events, or your own experience demonstrate that worldly wisdom is 'foolishness with God'?
- How has God 'caught the wise in their own craftiness' in your life—exposing the bankruptcy of strategies that seemed prudent at the time?
- What confidence does this truth provide when the world mocks Christian beliefs as foolish or outdated?
Analysis & Commentary
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness (ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν, ho drassomenos tous sophous en tē panourgịa autōn)—Paul quotes Job 5:13, where Eliphaz describes God's judgment on scheming wisdom. Panourgia (πανουργία) means craftiness, cunning, unscrupulous cleverness. God catches (δρασσόμενος, seizes) the clever in their own schemes—their plots become their downfall.
History confirms this repeatedly: the sophisticated philosophies of Greece (Stoicism, Epicureanism) have vanished; the intellectually fashionable ideologies of each age eventually collapse; the 'wise' who reject Christ find their wisdom bankrupt at death's door. Meanwhile, the 'foolish' gospel—bloodied Savior, penal substitution, bodily resurrection—endures and transforms lives across millennia. Paul's quotation from Job underscores that worldly wisdom's futility isn't New Testament innovation but creation-order reality: fallen human wisdom, divorced from God, leads to destruction. The 'craftiness' may be brilliant by human standards, but God easily overthrows it (Psalm 2:4, 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh').