1 Corinthians 1:22 (LSB)

Passage

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased, through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

1 Corinthians 1:24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "indeed", "jews", "signs", "greeks", "search", and "wisdom". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "indeed" and "jews", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "For since in the wisdom of God..." into verse 23's "but we preach Christ crucified to Jews...", so "indeed" and "jews" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "indeed" and "jews" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.