· Translation: KJV

1 Corinthians 3:20And again, "The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless."

The setting

Corinth, Greece, ~55 AD. A cosmopolitan port city obsessed with Greek philosophy and rhetoric...

The emotion here: frustrated with intellectual arrogance dividing his church

The original word

dialogismos (διαλογισμός) — internal reasoning, mental calculations, human logic

Why it matters

Corinth was home to multiple philosophical schools competing for intellectual supremacy

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Corinthians 3:20

Paul is quoting Psalm 94:11 to show God's thoughts aren't impressed by human brilliance

Common misconceptionPeople think this is anti-intellectual, but Paul is addressing the arrogance that makes human wisdom an idol, not condemning education itself.

Bible Genome reading

1 Corinthians 3:20 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerPaul
Eraearly_church
Primary emotionworship
Literary typeteaching

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability70%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone60%
Themes:divine knowledgehuman limitationscripture

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Corinthians 3

1 Corinthians 3:20 comes from the book of 1 Corinthians, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine knowledge, human limitation, scripture. Notable phrases: Lord knows the reasoning; it is worthless.

Your reflection

What does 1 Corinthians 3:20 mean to you, today?

A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.

Speak your heart →

Get 3 verses for "worship"

Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.