1 Corinthians 13:4 BSB

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

KJV

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

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Commentary

3 voices

Cyprian

Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience. (258)

Charity is the bond of brotherhood, the foundation of peace, the holdfast and security of unity, which is greater than both hope and faith, which excels both good works and martyrdoms, which will abide with us always, eternal with God in the kingdom of heaven. Take from it patience; and deprived of it, it does not endure. Take from it the substance of bearing and of enduring, and it continues with no roots nor strength. The apostle, finally, when he would speak of charity, joined to it endurance and patience.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

The love of God, and of our neighbour for God's sake, is patient toward, all men. It, suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world: and all this, not only for a time, but to the end. And in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind, soft, mild, benign.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Extending good to others. Compare with love's features here those of the "wisdom from above" (Jas 3:17). envieth--The Greek includes also jealousy. vaunteth not--in words, even of gifts which it really possesses; an indirect rebuke of those at Corinth who used the gift of tongues for mere display. not puffed up--with party zeal, as some at Corinth were (1Co 4:6).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Ἡ	Hē	<the>	G3588 →
ἀγάπη	agapē	Love	G26 →
μακροθυμεῖ,	makrothumei	is patient,	G3114 →
χρηστεύεται,	chrēsteuetai	is kind,	G5541 →
ἡ	hē	<the>	G3588 →
ἀγάπη	agapē	love	G26 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
ζηλοῖ,	zēloi	is envious,	G2206 →
ἡ	hē	<the>	G3588 →
ἀγάπη	agapē	love	G26 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
περπερεύεται,	perpereuetai	is boastful,	G4068 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
φυσιοῦται,	phusioutai	is puffed up,	G5448 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
leads to
- Proverbs 17:9
  Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Proverbs 10:12
  Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.
- Colossians 3:14
  And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
Through
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
leads to
- Ephesians 4:32
  Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Ephesians 4:2
  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Through
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
leads to
- Colossians 3:12–13
  Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- Matthew 6:14–15
  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- Mark 11:25
  And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”