1 Corinthians 12:2

Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
know	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
were	ἦν ēn	G2258	I (thou
Gentiles	ἔθνη ethnē	G1484	a race (as of the same habit) · noun — nominative plural neuter
away	ἤγεσθε ēgesthe	G71	properly · verb — imperfect passive indicative, 2nd person plural
unto	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
these	τὰ ta	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — accusative plural neuter
dumb	ἄφωνα aphōna	G880	voiceless · adjective — accusative plural neuter
idols	εἴδωλα eidōla	G1497	an image (i.e. for worship) · noun — accusative plural neuter
as	ὡς hōs	G5613	which how · particle
led	ἀπαγόμενοι. apagomenoi	G520	to take off (in various senses) · verb — present passive participle, nominative plural masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wi…
1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true…
Psalms 115:5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Ephesians 2:11-12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision…
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit o…
Jeremiah 10:5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot d…
Habakkuk 2:18-19 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work t…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The apostle comes now to treat of spiritual gifts, which abounded in the church of Corinth, but were greatly abused. What these gifts were is at large told us in the body of the chapter; namely, extraordinary offices and powers, bestowed on ministers and Christians in the first ages, for conviction of unbelievers, and propagation of the gospel. Gifts and graces, charismata and charis, greatly differ. Both indeed were freely given of God. But where grace is given it is for the salvation of those who have it. Gifts are bestowed for the advantage and salvation of others. And there may be great gifts where there is not a dram of grace, but persons possessed of them are utterly out of the divine…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:2

(Eph 2:11). that ye were--The best manuscripts read, "That WHEN ye were"; thus "ye were" must be supplied before "carried away"--Ye were blindly transported hither and thither at the will of your false guides. these dumb idols--Greek, "the idols which are dumb"; contrasted with the living God who "speaks" in the believer by His Spirit (Co1 12:3, &c.). This gives the reason why the Corinthians needed instruction as to spiritual gifts, namely, their past heathen state, wherein they had no experience of intelligent spiritual powers. When blind, ye went to the dumb. as ye were led--The Greek is, rather, "as ye might (happen to) be led," namely, on different occasions. The heathen oracles l…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:2

Ye were Gentiles - Previously to your conversion to the Christian faith; ye were heathens, carried away, not guided by reason or truth, but hurried by your passions into a senseless worship, the chief part of which was calculated only to excite and gratify animal propensities. Dumb idols - Though often supplicated, could never return an answer; so that not only the image could not speak, but the god or demon pretended to be represented by it could not speak: a full proof that an idol was nothing in the world.

The Church Fathers

Paul shows that there is a very big difference between Christian prophecy and pagan soothsaying. Pagans do not address the unclean spirit but are possessed by it and say things which they do not understand. The soothsayer's soul is darkened, and he does not know what he is saying, whereas the prophet's soul is enlightened and reveals what the prophet has learned and understood.
— Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Now that he is about to give them spiritual teaching, Paul recalls their former way of life. His intention is that, just as they have been worshipers of idols in the shape of statues and used to be led about by the will of demons, so now, as worshipers of God, they may walk according to the model of the law, so as to be pleasing to God.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have…
Gentiles · UNCLASSIFIED SCIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCIPTURES RELATING TO
Idolatry · They who practise: Carried away by it — They who practise: Carried away by it

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 12:2

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:2

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 12:2

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:2

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 12:2

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 12:1-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 12:2