1 Corinthians 1:5

That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) Ye are enriched.—Literally, ye were enriched. “Utterance” is the power of outward expression of that “knowledge” which dwells within.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:1-9 All Christians are by baptism dedicated and devoted to Christ, and are under strict obligations to be holy. But in the true church of God are all who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, and who call upon him as God manifest in the flesh, for all the blessings of salvation; who acknowledge and obey him as their Lord, and as Lord of all; it includes no other persons. Christians are distinguished from the profane and atheists, that they dare not live without prayer; and they are distinguished from Jews and pagans, that they call on the name of Christ. Observe how often in these verses the apostle repeats the words, Our Lord Jesus Christ. He feared not to make too frequent or too honourable mention of him. To all who called upon Christ, the apostle gave his usual salutation, desiring, in their behalf, the pardoning mercy, sanctifying grace, and comforting peace of God, through Jesus Christ. Sinners can have no peace with God, nor any from him, but through Christ. He gives thanks for their conversion to the faith of Christ; that grace was given them by Jesus Christ. They had been enriched by him with all spiritual gifts. He speaks of utterance and knowledge. And where God has given these two gifts, he has given great power for usefulness. These were gifts of the Holy Ghost, by which God bore witness to the apostles. Those that wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be kept by him to the end; and those that are so, will be blameless in the day of Christ, made so by rich and free grace. How glorious are the hopes of such a privilege; to be kept by the power of Christ, from the power of our corruptions and Satan's temptations!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That in every thing - In every respect, or in regard to all the favors conferred on any of his people. You have been distinguished by him in all those respects in which he blesses his own children.

Ye are enriched by him; - compare the note at Romans 2:4. The meaning of this expression is, "you abound in these things; they are conferred abundantly upon you." By the use of this word, the apostle intends doubtless to denote "the fact" that these blessings had been conferred on them abundantly; and also that this was a "valuable endowment," so as to be properly called "a treasure." The mercies of God are not only conferred abundantly on his people, but they are a bestowment of inestimable value; compare 2 Corinthians 6:10.

In all utterance - With the power of speaking various languages ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ en panti logō. That this power was conferred on the church at Corinth, and that it was highly valued by them, is evident from 1 Corinthians 14; compare 2 Corinthians 8:7. The power of speaking those languages the apostle regarded as a subject of thanksgiving, as it was a proof of the divine favor to them; see 1 Corinthians 14:5, 1 Corinthians 14:22, 1 Corinthians 14:39.

And in all knowledge - In the knowledge of divine truth. They had understood the doctrines which they had heard, and had intelligently embraced them. This was not true of all of them, but it was of the body of the church; and the hearty commendation and thanksgiving of the apostle for these favors, laid the foundation for the remarks which he had subsequently to make, and would tend to conciliate their minds, and dispose them to listen attentively, even to the language of reproof.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

5. utterance—Alford from Menochius translates, "doctrine." Ye are rich in preachers or the preaching of the word, and rich in knowledge or apprehension of it: literally "(the) word (preached)." English Version (as in 2Co 8:7) is better: for Paul, purposing presently to dwell on the abuse of the two gifts on which the Corinthians most prided themselves, utterance (speech) and knowledge (1Co 1:20; 3:18; 4:19; 1Co 13:1-14:40), previously gains their goodwill by congratulating them on having those gifts.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

In every thing; in every grace and in every good gift, (for he is manifestly speaking of spiritual things), so as this general particle must not be extended to the things of this life, but restrained either to spiritual gifts, or spiritual, sanctifying habits. Thus we read of the riches of grace, Ephesians 1:7, and of the riches of Christ, Ephesians 3:8: nor is the metaphor improper, whether we consider riches as signifying plenty or abundance, or that which accommodateth a man in this life, and is fitted to men’s wants, to give them a supply.

In all utterance; the word may be translated, in everything, or, in all speech; but the first having been said before, it seems more proper here to translate it, in all word or speech, or in all utterance, as we translate it. If it be taken in the first sense, the gospel is by it understood, the doctrine of the gospel preached amongst them by Paul and Apollos, who preached among the Gentiles the riches of Christ, Ephesians 3:8. If we interpret it utterance, which our translators prefer, it signifies an ability to utter that knowledge which God hath given us, to the glory of God and the good of others, either in prayer or spiritual discourses.

And in all knowledge: some by knowledge here understand the gift of prophecy; but it more properly signifies the ability God had given them to comprehend in their understanding the mysteries of the gospel, the great and deep things of God. The apostle blesseth God both for the illumination of their minds by the ministry of the gospel, so as they knew the things of God, and also for the ability which God had given them to communicate this their knowledge to others.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

That in everything ye are enriched by him,.... This is still a continuation of the thanksgiving for this church, that they were "enriched", or plentifully and abundantly provided for by Christ, with all grace, with all the riches of grace; with his own unsearchable riches, of which they were made partakers, and the riches of glory, to which they were entitled by him; and all which come to them through his poverty, which makes his grace in the donation of these riches the more illustrious: and particularly the apostle is thankful, that they were enriched by Christ

in all utterance, and in all knowledge; that not only they had the knowledge of the truths and doctrines of the Gospel, concerning the person, offices, grace, and righteousness of Christ in the theory of them, or a speculative notion of them; but for the most part had a spiritual experimental knowledge of these things; and many of them had such large gifts of knowledge, elocution, and utterance, that they were richly qualified to preach the Gospel to others; nay, even had the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, so as to speak with divers tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Geneva Study Bible

That in every thing ye are enriched by him, {8} in {d} all utterance, and in all knowledge;

(8) He refers to that by name which they abused the most.

(d) Seeing that while we live here we know but in part, and prophesy in part, this word all must be limited by the present state of the faithful: and by utterance he does not mean a vain kind of babbling, but the gift of holy eloquence, which the Corinthians abused.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

1 Corinthians 1:5. ὅτι κ.τ.λ. stands in explicative apposition to the foregoing τ. χάριτι τ. δοθείσῃ, bringing out the matter of thanksgiving eminent in the conversion of the Cor[75]—“(I mean), that in everything you were enriched,” etc. For this defining ὅτι after a vbl[76] noun, cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26 and 2 Corinthians 1:8. The affluence of endowment conferred on the Cor[77] stirred the Apostle’s deep gratitude (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:7, 2 Corinthians 8:9): this wealth appears in another light in 1 Corinthians 4:6-10, 1 Corinthians 5:2, 1 Corinthians 8:1-3; see also Introd., p. 730 f. The Church doubtless dwelt upon this distinction in its recent letter, to which P. is replying. ἐν παντὶ is defined, and virtually limited, by ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει (kindred gifts, linked by the single prp[78]): the exuberance of grace in the Cor[79] shone “in all (manner of) utterance and all (manner of) knowledge”. λόγος in this connexion signifies not the thing said (as in 18), but the saying of it, loquendi facultas (Bz[80]). “Relatively to γνῶσις, λόγος is the ability and readiness to say what one understands; γν. the power and ability to understand” (Hn[81]). “Knowledge” would naturally precede; but the Cor[82] excelled and delighted in “speech” above all: see 1 Corinthians 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 4:19 f., 1 Corinthians 13:1.

[75] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[76] verbal.

[77] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[78] preposition.

[79] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[80] Beza’s Nov. Testamentum: Interpretatio et Annotationes (Cantab., 1642).

[81] C. F. G. Heinrici’s Erklärung der Korintherbriefe (1880), or 1 Korinther in Meyer’s krit.-exegetisches Kommentar (1896).

[82] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. in every thing ye are enriched] Rather, Ye were enriched, i.e. at your baptism, when you entered into the covenant-union with Christ. The gifts of utterance, knowledge and the like, were the result of the favour of God towards you. It appears evident from the rest of the Epistle that the Apostle was thinking rather of the powers conveyed to the Corinthians by their translation into Christ, than of the use they had made of them. The Corinthians as a body were not as yet remarkable for their Christian knowledge, though many individuals had no doubt made great spiritual progress.

in all utterance] Literally, speech, discourse.

Bengel's Gnomen

1 Corinthians 1:5. Λόγῳ—γνώσει, in word (utterance)—in knowledge) The word (utterance) follows knowledge, in point of fact: and it is by the former that the latter is made known. He shows, that the Corinthians ought to be such in attainments, that it should be unnecessary to write to them. Moreover they were admirers of spiritual gifts; therefore by mentioning their gifts, he gains over to himself their affections, and makes a way for reproof.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - In everything; i.e. of course, every gift which belongs specially to the Christian life. In all utterance; i.e. in all "eloquence" (λόγῳ), or perhaps "in all doctrine" (so Luther, Calvin, Meyer, etc.). The word for" utterance" is rhema; logos means "discourse" and "reason" (comp. 2 Corinthians 8:7). Knowledge. From the word guests is derived the name Gnostic, which was applied to so many forms of ancient heresy. There was danger to the Corinthian Christians in the exaggerated estimate of what they took for gnosis, and many of them were tempted to pride themselves on purely intellectual attainments, which were valueless for the spiritual life. St. Clement of Rome also, in writing to them ('Ep. ad Corinthians 1.') speaks of their "mature and established knowledge." 1 Corinthians 1:5

Vincent's Word Studies

Ye are enriched (ἐπλουτίσθητε)

Rev. more literally, "were enriched." Compare Colossians 3:16; and see on Romans 2:4.

Utterance - knowledge (λόγῳ - γνώσει)

The two words are found together, 1 Corinthians 12:8; 2 Corinthians 11:6; 2 Corinthians 8:7. For knowledge, see on Romans 11:33. Utterance, aptitude in speech. Paul gives thanks for speech as a means of testifying for Christ. "The saints have never been silent" (Pascal).