1 Corinthians — Chapter 13
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1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.
6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.
12Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
2And if I have [the gift of] prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3And if I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
4Love suffereth long, [and] is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;
6rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;
7beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8Love never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall be done away; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall be done away.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
10but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
12For 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.
13But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
4Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.
5It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
6It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.
7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,
10but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.
12For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.
3If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.
4Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,
5doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
6doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
10but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.
11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.
12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
13But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.
Summary
Known as the love chapter, this passage opens with Paul insisting that without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts and sacrifices are worthless — eloquent speech becomes noise, and prophecy, knowledge, faith, generosity, even martyrdom accomplish nothing apart from love (vv. 1-3). He then describes love's character: it is patient and kind, free of envy, boasting, and arrogance; it does not dishonor others, insist on its own way, or become easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs (vv. 4-5). Love finds no joy in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth, and it bears, believes, hopes, and endures through everything (vv. 6-7). Paul contrasts love's permanence with the temporary nature of spiritual gifts — prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will all pass away because present knowledge is only partial, like a child's limited understanding compared to an adult's, or a dim reflection compared to seeing face to face (vv. 8-12). He concludes that faith, hope, and love will remain, but love is the greatest of the three (v. 13).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the necessity, nature, and permanence of love — and its superiority over all spiritual gifts.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Gifts Amount to Nothing Without Love (vv.1-3) — Paul says that even the most impressive gifts and sacrifices are worthless if love is absent. How does this challenge a tendency to value visible ability or achievement over actual love for people?
- Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs (v.5) — Paul describes love as something that doesn't keep track of offenses committed against it. Is there someone toward whom you're quietly keeping a mental ledger that love would call you to erase?
- Love Is Not Self-Seeking (v.5) — Paul says love does not insist on its own way. In your closest relationships, are you honestly more self-centered or other-centered in how you treat people?
- Love Outlasts Every Gift (v.8) — Paul contrasts spiritual gifts, which will pass away, with love, which never fails. What are you investing more of yourself in — temporary displays of ability, or lasting expressions of love?
- Seeing Only Partially For Now (v.12) — Paul acknowledges that present understanding is like looking through a dim reflection compared to the clarity to come. How does knowing your current perspective is limited produce more humility in what you're certain about and more patience with others?
- Love as the Greatest Virtue (v.13) — Paul concludes that of faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest. Would the people who know you best describe love as the defining characteristic of your life?