In 1 Corinthians 1:19 Paul had cited Isaiah’s prophecies in order to demonstrate the antithesis between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the world. Now he returns to this antithesis, making use of two more Old Testament citations. His first citation comes from Job 5:13.
Interestingly enough, these words were spoken not by Job but by Eliphaz, who wrongly accused Job of sin (see also Job 42:7). Paul quotes Eliphaz not because all Eliphaz’s words are true, but because this specific statement is confirmed in the rest of Scripture (e.g., in Isaiah 29:14 and Psalm 94:11).
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”