1 Corinthians 1:22
New International Version
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

New Living Translation
It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

English Standard Version
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

Berean Standard Bible
Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

Berean Literal Bible
Forasmuch as both Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom,

King James Bible
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

New King James Version
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

New American Standard Bible
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

NASB 1995
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

NASB 1977
For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom;

Legacy Standard Bible
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

Amplified Bible
For Jews demand signs (attesting miracles), and Greeks pursue [worldly] wisdom and philosophy,

Christian Standard Bible
For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,

American Standard Version
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

Contemporary English Version
Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise.

English Revised Version
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,

Good News Translation
Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom.

International Standard Version
Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,

Majority Standard Bible
Jews demand a sign and Greeks search for wisdom,

NET Bible
For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,

New Heart English Bible
For Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom,

Webster's Bible Translation
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom:

Weymouth New Testament
Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom,

World English Bible
For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

Berean Literal Bible
Forasmuch as both Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom,

Young's Literal Translation
Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

Smith's Literal Translation
And since the Jews ask a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

Catholic Public Domain Version
For the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom.

New American Bible
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

New Revised Standard Version
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For the Jews demand signs, and the Syrians seek after wisdom:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because the Jews ask for signs and the Aramaeans seek philosophy.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For the Jews ask for a sign, and the Greeks seek for wisdom;

Godbey New Testament
Since indeed the Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks seek after wisdom;

Haweis New Testament
For the Jews demand a miracle, and the Greeks seek wisdom:

Mace New Testament
while the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom:

Weymouth New Testament
Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom,

Worrell New Testament
seeing that both Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

Worsley New Testament
And whereas the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks look for wisdom, we preach Christ crucified;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Message of the Cross
21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,…

Cross References
John 4:48
Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

Matthew 12:38-39
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” / Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Matthew 16:1-4
Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. / But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ / and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ...

Mark 8:11-12
Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven. / Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Luke 11:29-30
As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. / For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

John 2:18
On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”

John 6:30
So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?

Acts 17:18-21
Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. / So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? / For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” ...

Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

Galatians 3:5
Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?

Hebrews 2:4
and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

Exodus 7:9-10
“When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.” / So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.

Deuteronomy 13:1-2
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, / and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,”

1 Kings 13:3-5
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’” / Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back. / And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

2 Kings 20:8-11
Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” / And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?” / “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.” ...


Treasury of Scripture

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

the Jews.

Matthew 12:38,39
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee…

Matthew 16:1-4
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven…

Mark 8:11
And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

the Greeks.

Acts 17:18-21
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection…

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1 Corinthians 1
1. After his salutation and thanksgiving for the Corinthians,
10. Paul exhorts them to unity,
12. and reproves their dissensions.
18. God destroys the wisdom of the wise,
21. by the foolishness of preaching;
26. and calls not the wise, mighty, and noble,
28. but the foolish, weak, and men of no account.














Jews demand signs
The phrase "Jews demand signs" reflects a historical and cultural context deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition. The Greek word for "signs" is "σημεῖα" (sēmeia), which refers to miraculous events or wonders that serve as divine authentication. Throughout the Old Testament, God often provided signs to His people as a means of confirming His promises and presence, such as the plagues in Egypt or the parting of the Red Sea. In the time of Jesus and Paul, many Jews expected the Messiah to perform miraculous signs as proof of His divine authority. This expectation is evident in the Gospels, where religious leaders frequently asked Jesus for a sign to validate His claims (e.g., Matthew 12:38). From a conservative Christian perspective, this demand for signs can be seen as a reliance on external, tangible evidence rather than faith in God's revealed Word and promises.

Greeks search for wisdom
The phrase "Greeks search for wisdom" highlights the cultural and philosophical pursuits of the Greek world. The Greek word for "wisdom" is "σοφία" (sophia), which denotes a love for knowledge, understanding, and intellectual insight. Greek culture, particularly in cities like Athens, was renowned for its philosophers and thinkers, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who sought to understand the world through reason and logic. This pursuit of wisdom often led to a reliance on human intellect and philosophical systems rather than divine revelation. In the context of 1 Corinthians, Paul contrasts this human wisdom with the wisdom of God, which is revealed through the message of the cross—a message that appears foolish to those who rely solely on human understanding. From a conservative Christian perspective, this serves as a reminder that true wisdom comes from God and is often countercultural, challenging the prevailing philosophies of the age.

(22) For.--This is a further unfolding of the fact of the simplicity of the preaching of the Cross. It pandered neither to Jewish-minded persons (not in the Greek "the Jews," "the Gentiles," but simply "Jews," "Gentiles") who desired visible portents to support the teaching, nor to those of Greek taste who desired an actual and clear philosophic proof of it. (See Matthew 12:38; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; John 4:48.)

Verse 22. - Jews ask for signs; rather, Jews demand signs. This had been their incessant demand during our Lord's ministry; nor would they be content with any sign short of a sign from heaven (Matthew 12:38: 16:1; John 2:18; John 4:48, etc.). This had been steadily refused them by Christ, who wished them rather to see spiritual signs (Luke 17:20, 21). Greeks seek after wisdom. St. Paul at Athens had found himself surrounded with Stoics and Epicureans, and the same new thing which every one was looking for mainly took the shape of philosophic novelties (Acts 17:21).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Jews
Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2453: Jewish. From Iouda; Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.

demand
αἰτοῦσιν (aitousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 154: To ask, request, petition, demand. Of uncertain derivation; to ask.

signs
σημεῖα (sēmeia)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4592: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of semaino; an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

Greeks
Ἕλληνες (Hellēnes)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1672: From Hellas; a Hellen or inhabitant of Hellas; by extension a Greek-speaking person, especially a non-Jew.

search for
ζητοῦσιν (zētousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2212: To seek, search for, desire, require, demand. Of uncertain affinity; to seek; specially, to worship, or to plot.

wisdom,
σοφίαν (sophian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4678: Wisdom, insight, skill (human or divine), intelligence. From sophos; wisdom.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 1:22 For Jews ask for signs Greeks seek (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
1 Corinthians 1:21
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