{Not with excellency of speech or of wisdom} (ou kath'
huperoch(886e) logou (8820)sophias). Huperoch(885c) is an old word from the
verb huperech(935c) ( Php 4:7 ) and means preeminence, rising above.
In N.T. only here and  1Ti 2:2  of magistrates. It occurs in
inscriptions of Pergamum for persons of position (Deissmann,
_Bible Studies_, p. 255). Here it means excess or superfluity,
"not in excellence of rhetorical display or of philosophical
subtlety" (Lightfoot). {The mystery of God} (	o must(8872)ion tou
theou). So Aleph A C Copt. like  2:7 , but B D L P read
marturion like  1:6 . Probably {mystery} is correct. Christ
crucified is the mystery of God ( Col 2:2 ). Paul did not
hesitate to appropriate this word in common use among the mystery
religions, but he puts into it his ideas, not those in current
use. It is an old word from mue(935c), to close, to shut, to
initiate ( Php 4:12 ). This mystery was once hidden from the ages
( Col 1:26 ), but is now made plain in Christ ( 1Co 2:7  Ro
16:25f. ). The papyri give many illustrations of the use of the
word for secret doctrines known only to the initiated (Moulton
and Milligan's _Vocabulary_).