1Corinthians:13:1-8
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1Corinthians:13:1 @{
With the tongues } (\
tais gl
ssais \).
Instrumental case .
Mentioned first because really least and because the Corinthians put undue emphasis on this gift .
Plato (
_Symposium_
,
197 )
and many others have written on love ,
but Paul has here surpassed them all in this marvellous prose-poem .
It comes like a sweet bell right between the jangling noise of the gifts in chapters 12 and 14 .
It is a pity to dissect this gem or to pull to pieces this fragrant rose ,
petal by petal .
Fortunately Paul '
s language here calls for little comment ,
for it is the language of the heart . "
The greatest ,
strongest ,
deepest thing Paul ever wrote " (
Harnack ).
The condition (\
ean \
and present subjunctive , \
lal
kai m
ech \,
though the form is identical with present indicative )
is of the third class ,
a supposable case . {
But have not love } (\
agap
n de m
ech \).
This is the _crux_
of the chapter .
Love is the way _par
excellence_
of strkjv @
12:31 |.
It is not yet clearly certain that \
agap \ (
a back-formation from \
agapa \)
occurs before the LXX and the N .
T .
Plutarch used \
agap
sis \.
Deissmann (
_Bible
Studies_
,
p .
198 )
once suspected it on an inscription in Pisidia .
It is still possible that it occurs in the papyri (
Prayer to Isis ).
See _Light
from the Ancient East_
,
p .
75 for details .
The rarity of \
agap \
made it easier for Christians to use this word for Christian love as opposed to \
er
s \ (
sexual love ).
See also Moffatt '
s Love in the N .
T . (
1930 )
for further data .
The word is rare in the Gospels ,
but common in Paul ,
John ,
Peter ,
Jude .
Paul does not limit \
agap \
at all (
both toward God and man ).
Charity (
Latin _caritas_
)
is wholly inadequate . "
Intellect was worshipped in Greece ,
and power in Rome ;
but where did St .
Paul learn the surpassing beauty of love ?" (
Robertson and Plummer ).
Whether Paul had ever seen Jesus in the flesh ,
he knows him in the spirit .
One can substitute Jesus for love all through this panegyric . {
I am become } (\
gegona \).
Second perfect indicative in the conclusion rather than the usual future indicative .
It is put vividly , "
I am already become ."
Sounding brass (\
chalchos
ch
n \).
Old words .
Brass was the earliest metal that men learned to use .
Our word _echoing_
is \
ch
n \,
present active participle .
Used in strkjv @
Luke:21:25 |
of the roaring of the sea .
Only two examples in N .
T . {
Clanging cymbal } (\
kumbalon alalazon \).
Cymbal old word ,
a hollow basin of brass . \
Alalaz \,
old onomatopoetic word to ring loudly ,
in lament (
Mark:5:38 |),
for any cause as here .
Only two N .
T .
examples .
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1Corinthians:13:2 @
The ecstatic gifts (
verse 1 |)
are worthless .
Equally so are the teaching gifts (
prophecy ,
knowledge of mysteries ,
all knowledge ).
Crasis here in \
kan =
kai ean \.
Paul is not condemning these great gifts .
He simply places love above them and essential to them .
Equally futile is wonder-working faith "
so as to remove mountains " (\
h
ste or
methistanein \)
without love .
This may have been a proverb or Paul may have known the words of Jesus (
Matthew:17:20 ;
strkjv @
21:21 |). {
I am nothing } (\
outhen eimi \).
Not \
outheis \,
nobody ,
but an absolute zero .
This form in \
th \
rather than \
d \ (\
ouden \)
had a vogue for a while (
Robertson ,
_Grammar_
,
p .
219 ).
rwp @
1Corinthians:13:3 @{
Bestow to feed } (\
Ps
mis \).
First aorist active subjunctive of \
ps
miz \,
to feed ,
to nourish ,
from \
ps
mos \,
morsel or bit ,
and so to feed ,
by putting a morsel into the mouth like infant (
or bird ).
Old word ,
but only here in N .
T . {
To be burned } (\
hina kauth
s
mai \).
First future passive subjunctive (
Textus Receptus ),
but D \
kauth
somai \ (
future passive indicative of \
kai \,
old word to burn ).
There were even some who courted martyrdom in later years (
time of Diocletian ).
This Byzantine future subjunctive does not occur in the old MSS . (
Robertson ,
_Grammar_
,
p .
876 ).
Aleph A B here read \
kauch
s
mai \,
first aorist middle subjunctive of \
kauchaomai \ (
so Westcott and Hort ), "
that I may glory ."
This is correct . {
It profiteth me nothing } (\
ouden
pheloumai \).
Literally ,
I am helped nothing . \
Ouden \
in the accusative case retained with passive verb .
See two accusatives with \
phele \
in strkjv @
14:6 |.
Verb is old and from \
ophelos \ (
profit ).
rwp @
1Corinthians:13:4 @
Verses 4-7 |
picture the character or conduct of love in marvellous rhapsody . {
Suffereth long } (\
makrothumei \).
Late _Koin
_
word (
Plutarch )
from \
makros \,
long , \
thumos \,
passion ,
ardour .
Cf .
strkjv @
James:5:7f |. {
Is kind } (\
chr
steuetai \).
From \
chr
stos \ (
useful ,
gracious ,
kind )
and that from \
chraomai \,
to use .
Not found elsewhere save in Clement of Rome and Eusebius . "
Perhaps of Paul '
s coining " (
Findlay ).
Perhaps a vernacular word ready for Paul .
Gentle in behaviour . {
Envieth not } (\
ou z
loi \).
Present active indicative of \
z
lo \ (
contraction \
oei =
oi \,
same as subjunctive and optative forms ).
Bad sense of \
z
los \
from \
ze \,
to boil ,
good sense in strkjv @
12:31 |.
Love is neither jealous nor envious (
both ideas ). {
Vaunteth not itself } (\
ou perpereuetai \).
From \
perperos \,
vainglorious ,
braggart (
Polybius ,
Epictetus )
like Latin _perperus_
.
Only here in N .
T .
and earliest known example .
It means play the braggart .
Marcus Anton .
V .
5 uses it with \
areskeuomai \,
to play the toady . {
Is not puffed up } (\
ou phusioutai \).
Present direct middle indicative of \
phusio \
from \
phusis \ (
late form for \
phusa ,
phusia \
from \
phusa \,
bellows ),
to puff oneself out like a pair of bellows .
This form in Herodas and Menander .
Is not arrogant .
See on ¯
4:6 |.
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1Corinthians:13:5 @{
Doth not behave itself unseemly } (\
ouk asch
monei \).
Old verb from \
asch
m
n \ (
12:23 |).
In N .
T .
only here and strkjv @
7:36 |.
Not indecent . {
Seeketh not its own } (\
ou z
tei ta heaut
s \).
Its own interests (
10:24 ,
33 |). {
Is not provoked } (\
ou paroxunetai \).
Old word .
In N .
T .
only here and strkjv @
Acts:17:16 |
which see .
Irritation or sharpness of spirit .
And yet Paul felt it in Athens (
exasperation )
and he and Barnabas had \
paroxusmos \ (
paroxysm )
in Antioch (
15:39 |).
See good sense of \
paroxusmos \
in strkjv @
Hebrews:10:24 |. {
Taketh not account of evil } (\
ou logizetai to kakon \).
Old verb from \
logos \,
to count up ,
to take account of as in a ledger or note-book , "
the evil " (\
to kakon \)
done to love with a view to settling the account .
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1Corinthians:13:6 @{
Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness } (\
ou chairei \).
See strkjv @
Romans:1:32 |
for this depth of degradation .
There are people as low as that whose real joy is in the triumph of evil . {
But rejoiceth with the truth } (\
sunchairei de t
i al
thei
i \).
Associative instrumental case after \
sun -\
in composition .
Truth personified as opposed to unrighteousness (
2Thessalonians:2:12 ;
strkjv @
Romans:2:8 |).
Love is on the side of the angels .
Paul returns here to the positive side of the picture (
verse 4 |)
after the remarkable negatives .
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1Corinthians:13:7 @{
Beareth all things } (\
panta stegei \). \
Steg \
is old verb from \
steg \,
roof ,
already in strkjv @
1Corinthians:9:12 ;
strkjv @
1Thessalonians:3:1 ,
5 |
which see .
Love covers ,
protects ,
forbears (
_suffert_
,
Vulgate ).
See strkjv @
1Peter:4:8 | "
because love covers a multitude of sins " (\
hoti agap
kaluptei ph
thos hamarti
n \),
throws a veil over . {
Believeth all things } (\
panta pisteuei \).
Not gullible ,
but has faith in men . {
Hopeth all things } (\
panta elpizei \).
Sees the bright side of things .
Does not despair . \
Endureth all things \ (\
panta hupomenei \).
Perseveres .
Carries on like a stout-hearted soldier .
If one knows Sir Joshua Reynolds '
s beautiful painting of the Seven Virtues (
the four cardinal virtues of the Stoics--temperance ,
prudence ,
fortitude ,
justice--and the three Christian graces--faith ,
hope ,
love ),
he will find them all exemplified here as marks of love (
the queen of them all ).
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1Corinthians:13:8 @{
Love never faileth } (\
H
agap
oudepote piptei \).
New turn for the perpetuity of love . \
Piptei \
correct text ,
not \
ekpiptei \,
as in strkjv @
Luke:16:17 |.
Love survives everything . {
They shall be done away } (\
katarg
th
sontai \).
First future passive of \
katarge \.
Rare in old Greek ,
to make idle (\
argos \),
inoperative .
All these special spiritual gifts will pass .
It is amazing how little of human work lasts . {
They shall cease } (\
pausontai \).
Future middle indicative of \
pau \,
to make cease .
They shall make themselves cease or automatically cease of themselves .