The Letters · New Testament

1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13: gifts weighed against charity, and what remains

General context

Three conditions open the chapter, each granting something large and then cancelling it. Speaking "with the tongues of men and of angels" without charity leaves "sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal". Prophecy, understanding "all mysteries, and all knowledge", and faith enough that "I could remove mountains" without charity leave "I am nothing". Giving "all my goods to feed the poor" and the body "to be burned" without charity "profiteth me nothing". Charity is then described by a run of verbs: it "suffereth long, and is kind", envies not, "vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up", does not behave unseemly, "seeketh not her own", is not easily provoked, "thinketh no evil", rejoices not in iniquity "but rejoiceth in the truth", and "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." The comparison with gifts returns: "Charity never faileth", while prophecies fail, tongues cease and knowledge vanishes, because "we know in part, and we prophesy in part" and what is partial is "done away" when "that which is perfect is come". Two pictures follow, growing up and seeing. "When I was a child, I spake as a child", and manhood put away childish things; "now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face", and "now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known". The chapter ends by naming three things that remain and placing one of them above the others.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 1 Corinthians 13:3, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Corinthians 13:6, 1 Corinthians 13:7, 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 Corinthians 13:9, 1 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 13:13

1 Corinthians 13 (KJV)

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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The chapter names no person, no place and no event, quotes no Old Testament verse, and issues no command. It stands between two chapters about gifts, and the three gifts it says will end, prophecies, tongues and knowledge, are among the ones being disputed there. The word this source prints throughout is charity, and it appears nine times in thirteen verses. What is called "that which is perfect" is never defined, and the "then" set against "now" is never dated. The claim about seeing "face to face" is stated without saying whose face or when, and the chapter gives no test by which a reader could measure any of it.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 13:13

Literary context

Three methods follow one another in three sections. The opening uses conditions that all end at zero, and the zero is stated three different ways, sounding brass, "I am nothing", and profiting nothing. The middle abandons sentences for a chain of verbs with charity as subject, about half of them negative, so much of the description is of what charity does not do. The last section argues by contrast between now and then, using two ordinary pictures, a child growing up and a dim reflection. The final verse counts, "these three", then breaks the count by singling one out, which leaves the chapter ending on a comparison rather than a conclusion.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 1 Corinthians 13:3, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Corinthians 13:6, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 13:13

Key moments

Sounding brass (1 Corinthians 13:1). Speech without charity is compared to noise.
It profiteth me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). Even extreme giving is said to gain nothing without charity.
Charity suffereth long (1 Corinthians 13:4). The description by verbs begins.
Charity never faileth (1 Corinthians 13:8). Charity is set against gifts that end.
Childish things put away (1 Corinthians 13:11). Growing up is used to picture partial knowledge.
Through a glass, darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). Present seeing is contrasted with seeing face to face.
The greatest of these (1 Corinthians 13:13). Three things remain and one is placed above the others.

For reflection

The chapter weighs three impressive things and reaches nothing each time. What would you put in the first clause if you wrote the same sentence about your own work?