1 Corinthians 13:8
in 1 Corinthians 13Love 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Love 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.
KJV
Charity 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.
⋯
This verse in 1 Corinthians 13
Commentary
18 notes on this verse(16.) Charity never faileth - Ἡ αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει· This love never falleth off, because it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things; and while it does so it cannot fail; it is the means of preserving all other graces; indeed, properly speaking, it includes them all; and all receive their perfection from it. Love to God and man can never be dispensed with.
This site's exposition
Love never fails
on 1 Corinthians 13:8-10
Love never fails, while prophecy, tongues and knowledge belong to the time when we know in part and we prophesy in part. Then the partial passes away when the perfect comes, to teleion, which verse 12 places at full sight and knowledge in the Lord's presence and the resurrection. Reading the perfect as the completed canon fails at verse 12, since no one holding a Bible yet has that knowledge, so the gifts serve the church until that day (1:7).
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Use your knowledge as a sort of tool to build the edifice of charity, which remains forever, even when "knowledge passes away." For knowledge which is used to promote love is useful, but in itself and separated from love it turns out to be not only useless but even harmful.
A commentator
Macrina the Younger[THE TEACHING OF MACRINA] ON THE SOUL AND THE RESURRECTION · Written before 379.
proposed
Love is first among all the activities connected with virtue and all the commandments of the law. If, therefore, the soul ever attains this love, it will need none of the others, having reached the fullness of its being. It seems that love alone preserves …
Having shown the excellency of love from its being requisite both to the spiritual gifts, and to the virtues of life; and from rehearsal of all its good qualities, and by showing it to be the foundation of exact self-denial; from another, a third head, again he points out its worth. And this he doth, first from a wish to persuade those who seemed to be accounted inferior that it is in their power to have the chief of all signs, and that they will be no worse off than the possessors of the gifts, if they have this, but rather much better: secondly, with regard on the other hand to them that had the greater gifts and were lifted up thereby, studying to bring them down and to show that they have nothing unless they have this. For thus they would both love one another, envy as well as pride being hereby taken away; and reciprocally, loving one another, they would still further banish these passions. Now then after that in every way he had shown her to be very exceedingly great, again he doth so from another most important head, by a fresh comparison exalting her dignity, and saying thus; "but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease." For if both these were brought in in order to the faith; when that is every where sown abroad, the use of these is henceforth superfluous. But the loving one another shall not cease, rather it shall even advance further, both here and hereafter, and then more than now. For here there are many things that weaken our love; wealth, business, passions of the body, disorders of the soul; but there none of these. But although it be no marvel that prophecies and tongues should be done away, that knowledge should be done away, this is what may cause some perplexity. For this also he added, "Whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away." What then? are we then to live in ignorance? […]
"Love never faileth." Seest thou when he put the crown on the arch, and what of all things is peculiar to this gift? For what is, "faileth not?" it is not severed, is not dissolved by endurance. For it puts up with everything: since happen what will, he that loves never can hate. This then is the greatest of its excellencies. Such a person was Paul. Wherefore also he said, "If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh;" and he continued hoping. And to Timothy he gave a charge, saying, "And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all ... in meekness correcting those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure may give them the knowledge of the truth." "What then," saith one, "if they be enemies and heathens, must one hate them?" One must hate, not them but their doctrine: not the man, but the wicked conduct, the corrupt mind. For the man is God's work, but the deceit is the devil's work. Do thou not therefore confound the things of God and the things of the devil. Since the Jews were both blasphemers, and persecutors, and injurious, and spake ten thousand evil things of Christ. Did Paul then hate them, he who of all men most loved Christ? In no wise, but he both loved them, and did everything for their sakes: and at one time he saith, "My heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them that they may be saved:" and at another, "I could wish that myself were anathema from Christ for their sakes." Thus also Ezekiel seeing them slain saith, "Alas, O Lord, dost Thou blot out the remnant of Israel?" And Moses, "If Thou wilt forgive their sin, forgive."
"Tongues will cease" when I express what I want to say with my mind.
11 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
A commentator
Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 254 · Written before 458.
proposed
Love always remains firm and stable, unchanged and unchanging.
A commentator
Severian of GabalaPAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH · Written before 425.
proposed
Love never fails, which means that it never falls into sin.
The Medieval Church3 voices
That is, it never deviates from its goal, but brings everything to fulfillment; or, what is even better, it is not interrupted, not cut short, never ceases, but continues even in the age to come, when everything else will be abolished, as the apostle will …
A commentator
BonaventureOn the Reduction of the Arts to Theology · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
From the foregoing it is gathered that, although from the primary division the light descending from above is fourfold, there are nevertheless six differences of it: namely, the light of sacred Scripture, the light of sensitive cognition, the light of mechanical art, the light of …
After showing that charity excels the other gifts of the Holy Spirit by reason of need and fruitfulness, the Apostle now shows the excellence of charity over the other gifts in regard to permanence. In regard to this he does three things: first, he mentions …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Love never faileth - It accompanies to, and adorns us in, eternity; it prepares us for, and constitutes, heaven. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail - When all things are fulfilled, and God is all in all.
This living principle of all duty and obedience is the more excellent way of which the apostle speaks, preferable to all gifts. Nay, without this the most glorious gifts are nothing, of no account to us, of no esteem in the sight of God.
Charity never faileth,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
never faileth--never is to be out of use; it always holds its place. shall fail . . . vanish away--The same Greek verb is used for both; and that different from the Greek verb for "faileth." Translate, "Shall be done away with," that is, shall be dispensed with at the Lord's coming, being superseded by their more perfect heavenly analogues; for instance, knowledge by intuition.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Charity never faileth - Paul here proceeds to illustrate the value of love, from its “permanency” as compared with other valued endowments. It is valuable, and is to be sought because it will always abide; may be always exercised; is adapted to all circumstances, and to all worlds in which we may be placed, or in which we may dwell. The word rendered “faileth” (ἐκπίπτει ekpiptei) denotes properly to fall out of, to fall from or off; and may be applied to the stars of heaven falling Mar 13:25, or to flowers that fall or fade Jas 1:11; 1Pe 1:24, or to chains falling from the hands, etc.; Act 12:7. Here it means to fall away, to fail; to be without effect, to cease to be in existence. The expression may mean that it will be adapted to all the situations of life, and is of a nature to be always exercised; or it may mean that it will continue to all eternity, and he exercised in heaven forever. The connection demands that the latter should be regarded as the true interpretation; see 1Co 13:13. The sense is, that while other endowments of the Holy Spirit must soon cease and he valueless, love would abide, and would always exist. The “argument” is, that we ought to seek that which is of enduring value; and that, therefore, love should be preferred to those endowments of the Spirit on which so high a value had been set by the Corinthians. But whether there be prophecies - That is, the “gift” of prophecy, or the power of speaking as a prophet; that is, of delivering the truth of God in an intelligible manner under the influence of inspiration; the gift of being a public speaker, of instructing and edifying the church, and foretelling future events; see the note at 1Co 14:1. They shall fail - The gift shall cease to be exercised; shall be abolished, come to nothing. There shall be no further use for this gift in the light and glory of the world above, and it shall cease. […]
Modern Voices1 voice
This love never faileth. Now, you could think of this chapter, if you like, 1 Corinthians 13. I think of it this way. It's like a ring, a gold ring. And there are three precious jewels on it.
The words behind it
14 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἡ | he | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀγάπη | agape | Love | G26 → | 114 times |
| οὐδέποτε | oudepote | never | G3763 → | |
| πίπτει.¶ | piptei | falls. | G4098 → | 90 times |
| Εἴτε | eite | if | G1535 → | 65 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| προφητεῖαι, | propheteiai | [there are] prophesies, | G4394 → | 19 times |
| καταργηθήσονται· | katargethesontai | they will be abated; | G2673 → | 27 times |
| εἴτε | eite | if | G1535 → | 65 times |
| γλῶσσαι, | glossai | tongues, | G1100 → | 49 times |
| παύσονται· | pausontai | they will cease; | G3973 → | |
| εἴτε | eite | if | G1535 → | 65 times |
| γνῶσις, | gnosis | knowledge | G1108 → | 29 times |
| καταργηθήσεται. | katargethesetai | it will be abated. | G2673 → | 27 times |
ἡ<the>
heG3588 →19766 times
ἀγάπηLove
agapeG26 →114 times
οὐδέποτεnever
oudepoteG3763 →
πίπτει.¶falls.
pipteiG4098 →90 times
Εἴτεif
eiteG1535 →65 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
προφητεῖαι,[there are] prophesies,
propheteiaiG4394 →19 times
καταργηθήσονται·they will be abated;
katargethesontaiG2673 →27 times
εἴτεif
eiteG1535 →65 times
γλῶσσαι,tongues,
glossaiG1100 →49 times
παύσονται·they will cease;
pausontaiG3973 →
εἴτεif
eiteG1535 →65 times
γνῶσις,knowledge
gnosisG1108 →29 times
καταργηθήσεται.it will be abated.
katargethesetaiG2673 →27 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 13:13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 16:14
Do everything in love.
- Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
- 1 John 4:7–18
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1–8
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
- Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.
- 1 Corinthians 16:14
Through
Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
it leads to
- Mark 16:17
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
- Acts 13:52
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 4:31
After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
- Mark 16:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 55; Bonaventure, On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology; Frederic Godet, Commentary on First Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 34; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 33; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Leonard Ravenhill, 1 Cor 13 (Version 1); Macrina the Younger, [THE TEACHING OF MACRINA] ON THE SOUL AND THE RESURRECTION; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 4.52; Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 254; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.