1 Corinthians 8:2
What does 1 Corinthians 8:2 mean?
A plain-English look at 1 Corinthians 8:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 1 Corinthians 8:2 means
Paul exposes the illusion of self-assured certainty. If someone imagines he has mastered a subject, that very confidence shows he still lacks the kind of knowing that matters. True knowledge is measured not only by accuracy but by humility—by knowing our limits, recognizing others’ struggles, and submitting our understanding to God’s wisdom. Thinking we “know” can be a subtle form of pride that blinds us to how our actions affect those with tender consciences. The point is not to disparage learning but to insist that knowledge be held reverently and applied lovingly. We have not learned as we ought until love shapes both our conclusions and our conduct.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000If any man thinketh that he knoweth anything, he knoweth not yet as he ought to know;
KJV
King James Version · 1611And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901If any man thinketh that he knoweth anything, he knoweth not yet as he ought to know;
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949If anyone seems to himself to have knowledge, so far he has not the right sort of knowledge about anything;
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and if any one doth think to know anything, he hath not yet known anything according as it behoveth <FI>him<Fi> to know;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he hath not yet known as he ought to know.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890If any one think he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know [it].
Context
Flowing from the warning that knowledge can puff up, this verse confronts the attitude behind the Corinthians’ claims. Before Paul explains the theology of idols and the one God (in verses 4–6), he corrects the heart posture that mishandles truth. Verse 3 will balance this caution by pointing to the decisive factor—our relationship of love to God and God’s recognition of us. With that foundation, Paul can then unfold correct doctrine without it becoming a weapon against the weak.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Proverbs 30:2
Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;
- Galatians 6:3
For if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
- 1 Timothy 6:3
If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
- 1 Timothy 1:5
But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned:
- Proverbs 26:12
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.
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