1 Corinthians 2:1-3
2:1 When I came 1 to you, brothers and sisters, 2 I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony 3 of God.
2:2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing 4 among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
2:3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling.
1 Corinthians 2:13
2:13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. 5
1 tn Grk “and I, when I came.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, κἀγώ (kagw) has not been translated here.
2 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
3 tc ‡ A few important mss (Ì46vid א* A C pc as well as some versions and fathers) read μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) instead of μαρτύριον (marturion, “testimony”). But the latter has wider ms support (א2 B D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï and some versions), though not quite as impressive. μαρτύριον may have been changed by scribes in anticipation of Paul’s words in 2:7, or conversely, μυστήριον may have been changed to conform to 1:6. Transcriptionally, since “the mystery of God/Christ” is a well-worn expression in the corpus Paulinum (1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 3:4; Col 2:2; 4:3), while “testimony of Christ” occurs in Paul only once (1 Cor 1:6, though “testimony of the Lord” appears in 2 Tim 1:8), and “testimony of God” never, it is likely that scribes changed the text to the more usual expression. A decision is difficult in this instance, but a slight preference should be given to μαρτύριον.
4 tn Grk “to know nothing.”
5 tn Or “combining spiritual things with spiritual words” (i.e., words the Spirit gives, as just described).