1 Corinthians 1:21

“For after that in the wisdom of God, etc.] These words contain a reason proving the infatuation of men, with respect to “the wisdom of God”; by which may be meant either Christ, who is the wisdom of God, was in the world, and yet the world of the Jews, and their chief Rabbins among them, with all their wisdom, neither knew him, nor God his Father; or the Gospel, which is also so called, and though this was come, both into the Jewish and Gentile world, yet neither of them, by their natural wisdom, knew the God of grace, so manifestly revealed in it; or rather the works of creation, in which there is such a visible display of the wisdom of God: yet “the world by wisdom knew not God”; the…”

“after that--rather, "whereas." in the wisdom of God--in the wise arrangement of God. world by wisdom--rather, "by its wisdom," or "its philosophy" (Joh 1:10; Rom 1:28). knew not God--whatever other knowledge it attained (Act 17:23, Act 17:27). The deistic theory that man can by the light of nature discover his duty to God, is disproved by the fact that man has never discovered it without revelation. All the stars and moon cannot make it day; that is the prerogative of the sun. Nor can nature's highest gifts make the moral day arise; that is the office of Christ. Even the Jew missed this knowledge, in so far as he followed after mere carnal world wisdom. it pleased God--Paul refers to Jesus'…”

“For after that - ἐπειδὴ epeidē. Since, or seeing that it is true that the world by wisdom knew not God. After all the experience of the world it was ascertained that human beings would never by their own wisdom come to the true knowledge of God, and it pleased him to devise another plan for salvation. In the wisdom of God - This phrase is susceptible of two interpretations: (1) The first makes it refer to “the wisdom of God” evinced in the works of creation - the demonstration of his existence and attributes found there, and, according to that, the apostle means to say, that the world by a survey of the works of God did not know him; or were, notwithstanding those works, in deep darkness.…”

“For since in the wisdom of God - According to his wise disposals, leaving them to make the trial. The world - Whether Jewish or gentile, by all its boasted wisdom knew not God - Though the whole creation declared its Creator, and though he declared himself by all the prophets; it pleased God, by a way which those who perish count mere foolishness, to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians 1:22”

“1:21 Human wisdom alone does not bring people to the true knowledge of God; that comes only through the message of the cross, which the world considers foolish, but which saves those who believe (cp. Matt 11:25).”

“in: Co1 1:24; Dan 2:20; Rom 11:33; Eph 3:10 the wisdom: Dr. Lightfoot well observes, "that σοφια \[Strong's G4678\], του \[Strong's G5120\], Θεου \[Strong's G2316\], the wisdom of God, is not to be understood of that wisdom which had God for its author, but of that wisdom which had God for its object. There was, among the heathen, σοφια \[Strong's G4678\], της φυσεως, wisdom about natural things, that is philosophy; and σοφια \[Strong's G4678\], του \[Strong's G5120\], Θεου \[Strong's G2316\], wisdom about God, that is, divinity. But the world, in its divinity, could not, by wisdom, know God." The wisest of the heathen had no just and correct views of the Divine nature; of which the works of…”