1 Corinthians 13 - Exegesis

Introduction

The theme of 1 Corinthians 13 is the inability to split away from Bible Doctrine and still love: or rather pseudo-love towards God without Bible Doctrine behind that. Doing so results in works as you prefer pseudo-love instead of love for Christ, and thus waste your entire spiritual life, no profit.

Verses 1 ~ 3 focus on this pseudo-love. Even going so far to include self-boasting and obsoleted spiritual gifts (which to make it worse, some hallucinate that they have those today in the Church Age). And so what Paul warned the early church about we can't resist to continue following in doing this and we no longer have love for Christ.

Matthew 15:8 These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts (minds) are far from me.

Matthew 15:8 ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ·

Matthew 22:37-38 And (Jesus) saying to him: "Love the Lord {the} God in whole (with) your heart (mind), and also in whole (with) your soul, and also in whole (with) your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38 ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτῷ· ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μεγάλη καὶ πρώτη ἐντολή.

Philippians 3:18-19 For many walk, who (I've) often said (to) you, and now saying (to you), even crying, (they are) the enemies of the cross of Christ: the end (of) whom (is) wasted, whose {the} god (is their) stomach, and their glory is in the shame, they think (on) the earthly (body things).

Philippians 3:18-19 πολλοὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦσιν οὓς πολλάκις ἔλεγον ὑμῖν, νῦν δὲ καὶ κλαίων λέγω, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ χριστοῦ ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια, ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν, οἱ τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες.

ἀγαπήσεις verb indicative future active 2nd person singular from ἀγαπάω

Scribal Edits

The scribal changes on the later manuscripts are very suspicious (with verse 3's καυθήσομαι and verse 4's added ἡ ἀγάπη near the negatives, both around boasting, too). While you could say it was a harmless mistake from the Byzantine scribe involved, the type of edit seems to almost be malicious in the sense the scribe wanted his interpretation to be the one read.

For instance, if we assume that self-immolation should be the correct word there, then that means that as long as you have agape then immolating yourself is totally okay, which also means your own works are okay as well! Of course God would never sponsor self-immolation for anyone and your own works amount to nothing.

If these really were malicious edits by that Byzantine scribe, then (assuming if he did believe at some point), he'll be a case of entering the kingdom but not being able to enter the holy city, I always wondered if there'd be someone who actually intentionally modify the original texts. Guess we will have people sitting outside the city for an eternity, sheesh.

Chapter 13

1 Corinthians 13:1 Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον.

1 Corinthians 13:1 If (I speak) the languages of men and speaking also (the languages of) angels, but not having love, (I) become (like a) blaring bronze (gong) or a cymbal, clashing.

ἀγάπη is a noun accusative feminine singular common from ἀγάπη, generally should be translated as "virtue-love" because our English 'love' has trouble articulating everything about agape.

1 Corinthians 13:2 καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν ὥστε ὄρη μεθιστάναι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐθέν εἰμι.

1 Corinthians 13:2 And if (I) have (the gift of) prophecy and know all of the "mysteries", and all of the knowledge (gnosis), and if I have all of the belief, so that mountains (I could) reposition, but not having love, I (then) am nullified.

This is actually an important comparison Paul is making with three components that you could max out on but still become null or worthless without love for Christ. Consider the fact that: A) Satan himself is now missing this component, and B) love is the integrity of God and therefore is the most critical component. Unfortunately some translations bungle the three 'panta' so you can't see it as well.

1. μυστήρια πάντα (all of the "mysteries" (which aren't literal mysteries as Christianity erroneously misreads it))
2. πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν (all of the knowledge (gnosis))
3. πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν (all of the belief/believing)

1 Corinthians 13:3 καὶ ἐὰν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου, καὶ ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶμά μου ἵνα καυχήσωμαι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐθὲν ὠφελοῦμαι.

1 Corinthians 13:3 If feeding all (the poor and giving) the possessions, and if I hand over the body in order to boast but not having love, (there's) nothing (of) profit.

For an analysis on the famous scribal edit which inverts the verse, refer to 1 Corinthians 13:3 Body to be Burned.

1 Corinthians 13:4 The (virtue)-love is patience, the (virtue)-love is kindness, not zealousness, not boasting, not bragging.

1 Corinthians 13:4 ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ, οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται,

1 Corinthians 13:5 Not acting rudely, not {vehemently} seeking herself, not easily provoked, not recalling (all) the evil.

1 Corinthians 13:5 οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,

1 Corinthians 13:6 Don't rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoice (with) the truth

1 Corinthians 13:6 οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,

1 Corinthians 13:7 Bear all, believe all, hope all, endure all.

1 Corinthians 13:7 πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει.

1 Corinthians 13:8 The virtue-love never fails, and whether prophecies (come to) termination, whether languages (tongues) ceased, whether knowledge (comes to) termination.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει· εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται.

1 Corinthians 13:9 For (we) out from (in) part know, and (we) out from (in) part prophesy

1 Corinthians 13:9 ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν·

1 Corinthians 13:10 But whenever the perfect comes, the out from (in) part (comes to) termination.

1 Corinthians 13:10 ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I (was a) kid, (as a) kid (I) spoke, (as a) kid (I) thought, (as a) kid I recalled (events), when (I) became (a) man the {the} kid (was) removed.

1 Corinthians 13:11 ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος· ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now seeing through (a) mirror in murkiness, but then face-to-face: now becoming to know out from (in) part, and then recognizing even just as recognizing-perfectly.

1 Corinthians 13:12 βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι᾽ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now remain (in) belief, hope, virtue-love, the three (of) these, and (the) greatest (of) these: the virtue-love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 νυνὶ δὲ μένει πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, τὰ τρία ταῦτα· μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη.

Copyright © Under the Bible | All Rights Reserved