1 Corinthians 1:26

1:26 Think about the circumstances of your call, ¹  brothers and sisters. ²  Not many were wise by human standards, ³  not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. ⁴ 

1 Corinthians 2:1

2:1 When I came ⁵  to you, brothers and sisters, ⁶  I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony ⁷  of God.

1 Corinthians 3:1

Immaturity and Self-deception

3:1 So, brothers and sisters, ⁸  I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, ⁹  as infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:29

7:29 And I say this, brothers and sisters: ¹⁰  The time is short. So then those who have wives should be as those who have none,

1 Corinthians 10:1

Learning from Israel’s Failures

10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, ¹¹  brothers and sisters, ¹²  that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,

1 Corinthians 15:1

Christ’s Resurrection

15:1 Now I want to make clear for you, ¹³  brothers and sisters, ¹⁴  the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand,

1 Corinthians 15:50

15:50 Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: ¹⁵  Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

[1:26]  ¹ tn Grk “Think about your calling.” “Calling” in Paul’s writings usually refers to God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. The following verses show that “calling” here stands by metonymy for their circumstances when they became Christians, leading to the translation “the circumstances of your call.”

[1:26]  ² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[1:26]  ³ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[1:26]  ⁴ tn The Greek word ευγενής (eugenh") refers to the status of being born into nobility, wealth, or power with an emphasis on the privileges and benefits that come with that position.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “and I, when I came.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, κἀγώ (kagw) has not been translated here.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[2:1]  ⁷ tc ‡ A few important mss (Ì^46vid א* A C pc as well as some versions and fathers) read μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) instead of μαρτύριον (marturion, “testimony”). But the latter has wider ms support (א² B D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï and some versions), though not quite as impressive. μαρτύριον may have been changed by scribes in anticipation of Paul’s words in 2:7, or conversely, μυστήριον may have been changed to conform to 1:6. Transcriptionally, since “the mystery of God/Christ” is a well-worn expression in the corpus Paulinum (1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 3:4; Col 2:2; 4:3), while “testimony of Christ” occurs in Paul only once (1 Cor 1:6, though “testimony of the Lord” appears in 2 Tim 1:8), and “testimony of God” never, it is likely that scribes changed the text to the more usual expression. A decision is difficult in this instance, but a slight preference should be given to μαρτύριον.

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “fleshly [people]”; the Greek term here is σαρκινός (BDAG 914 s.v. 1).

[7:29]  ¹³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[10:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “ignorant.”

[10:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[15:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “Now I make known to you.”

[15:1]  ²² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[15:50]  ²⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.