1 Corinthians 2:1

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, etc.] This account the apostle gives of himself is occasioned, either by what he had said in the latter part of the preceding chapter, concerning the choice God has made of the foolish, weak, base, and despicable things of the world, and of his calling them by his grace both to fellowship with the saints in common, and therefore he accommodated his ministry unto them, and in particular to the ministry of the word, of which he himself was a like instance and an example; or else by what he had declared in (<460117>1 Corinthians 1:17) of the same chapter, that he was sent to preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words; which he here reassumes, and affirms…”

“PAUL'S SUBJECT OF PREACHING, CHRIST CRUCIFIED, NOT IN WORLDLY, BUT IN HEAVENLY, WISDOM AMONG THE PERFECT. (1Co. 2:1-16) And I--"So I" [CONYBEARE] as one of the "foolish, weak, and despised" instruments employed by God (Co1 1:27-28); "glorying in the Lord," not in man's wisdom (Co1 1:31). Compare Co1 1:23, "We." when I came-- (Act 18:1, &c.). Paul might, had he pleased, have used an ornate style, having studied secular learning at Tarsus of Cilicia, which STRABO preferred as a school of learning to Athens or Alexandria; here, doubtless, he read the Cilician Aratus' poems (which he quotes, Act 17:28), and Epimenides (Tit 1:12), and Menander (Co1 15:33). Grecian intellectual development was an…”

“And I, brethren - Keeping up the tender and affectionate style of address. When I came unto you - When I came at first to preach the gospel at Corinth. Acts 18:1 ff. Came not with excellency of speech - Came not with graceful and attractive eloquence. The apostle here evidently alludes to that nice ant studied choice of language; to those gracefully formed sentences, and to that skill of arrangement in discourse and argument which was so much an object of regard with the Greek rhetoricians. It is probable that Paul was never much distinguished for these (compare 2 Corinthians 10:10), and it is certain he never made them an object of intense study and solicitude. Compare 1Co 2:4, 1…”

“And I accordingly came to you, not with loftiness of speech or of wisdom - I did not affect either deep wisdom or eloquence. Declaring the testimony of God - What God gave me to testify concerning his Son. 1 Corinthians 2:2”

“2:1-5 God’s sovereign work made Paul’s preaching effective. In his evangelism, Paul did not rely on the persuasive power of his intellect or his dynamic personality, but on the power of the Holy Spirit (see also study note on 1:18-31). 2:1 When I first came to you: See Acts 18:1-17. lofty words and impressive wisdom: Human wisdom and philosophy don’t bring people to Christ (see 1 Cor 1:17, 21; 2:2). The message of the cross has its own power to convert the human heart (see 1:17; Rom 1:16; Gal 6:14). • God’s secret plan: See study note on 1 Cor 2:7.”

“when: Act 18:1-4 with: Co1 2:4, Co1 2:13, Co1 1:17; Exo 4:10; Jer 1:6, Jer 1:7; Rom 16:18; Co2 10:10, Co2 11:6 the testimony: Co1 1:6; Isa 8:20; Act 20:21, Act 22:18; Th2 1:10; Ti1 1:11; Ti2 1:8; Jo1 4:14, Jo1 5:11-13; Rev 1:2, Rev 1:9, Rev 19:10 1 Corinthians 2:2”