Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
Parallel translations
- WEB that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”
- KJV That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
- BSB Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
- NKJV that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
- NASB so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Quoting Jeremiah, Paul concludes that the one who boasts must boast only in the Lord. All glory belongs to God, never to ourselves.
Overview
Drawing on Jeremiah 9:24, Paul caps his argument: the only legitimate boasting is in the Lord. Since salvation is entirely God's work in Christ, human pride is excluded and God receives all glory. For a church boasting in leaders and wisdom, this is the corrective heart of the passage.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jer 9:23–24Yahweh says, “Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.
- 2 Cor 10:17But “he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”
- Phil 3:3For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;
- Ps 105:3Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
- Isa 41:16You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the whirlwind will scatter them. You will rejoice in Yahweh. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
- Jer 4:2and you shall swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”
- Isa 45:25All the offspring of Israel will be justified in Yahweh, and will rejoice!
- 1 Chr 16:10Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
- Gal 6:13–14For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.
- 1 Chr 16:35Say, “Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 1:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.