1 Corinthians 2:1

Not with excellency of speech or of wisdom (ou kaq uperochn logou h sopia). Huperoch is an old word from the verb uperecw ( Philippians 4:7 ) and means preeminence, rising above. In N.T. only here and 1 Timothy 2:2 of magistrates. It occurs in inscriptions of Pergamum for persons of position (Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 255). Here it means excess or superfluity, "not in excellence of rhetorical display or of philosophical subtlety" (Lightfoot). The mystery of God (to musthrion tou qeou). So Aleph A C Copt. like 1 Timothy 2:7 , but B D L P read marturion like 1 Timothy 1:6 . Probably mystery is correct. Christ crucified is the mystery of God ( Colossians 2:2 ). Paul did not hesitate to appropriate this word in common use among the mystery religions, but he puts into it his ideas, not those in current use. It is an old word from muew, to close, to shut, to initiate ( Philippians 4:12 ). This mystery was once hidden from the ages ( Colossians 1:26 ), but is now made plain in Christ ( 1 Corinthians 2:7 ; Romans 16:25 ). The papyri give many illustrations of the use of the word for secret doctrines known only to the initiated (Moulton and Milligan's Vocabulary).