1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

1 Corinthians 13:4-5. Love suffereth long Here the apostle attributes to love the qualities and actions of a person, in order to render his account of that divine grace the more lively and affecting. 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; and 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... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Love is greater than the gifts (13:1-13)The Corinthians were impressed with people who exercised the more spectacular gifts. Paul reminds them that no matter what gifts they have - tongues, prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, faith - if they lack love they are not merely unimportant, they are nothing (13:1-2). People may be so generous with their goods and money that in the end they themselves become poor. They may be so faithful to their duty that they sacrifice their lives. But without love they... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Corinthians 13:4

is kind . Greek. chresteuomai. Only here. Compare App-184 . Note the Figure of speech Asyndeton in these verses: 1 Corinthians 13:13 , 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 . envieth . Greek. zeloo. See Acts 7:9 . vaunteth . Greek. perpereuomai. Only here. is . . . puffed up . See 1 Corinthians 4:6 . read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Corinthians 13:5

Doth . . . behave, &c . Greek. aschemoneo. Only here and 1 Corinthians 7:36 . is . . . easily provoked = is . . . roused to anger. Greek. paroxunomai Only here and Acts 17:16 . There is no word for "easily". The statement is absolute. thinketh no evil = reckons not (Greek. ou) the evil done to it). evil . App-128 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:4

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.Patient endurance and active good are qualities of love. Paul enumerated fifteen qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; but this is far from being a methodical dissertation on love as an abstract subject. The qualities cited here have the utility of contrasting with the extraordinary gifts so coveted at Corinth; and they are presented here as exactly opposed to the characteristic of the puffed-up... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:5

Does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.The true meaning of all of these qualities is seen in their opposites as cited by Hodge (under 1 Corinthians 13:4).Seeketh not its own ... Barclay rendered this "Love does not insist upon its rights."[14] He also stated that "It would be the key to almost... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:4

1 Corinthians 13:4. Charity suffereth long— The Apostle here proceeds to give us sixteen characters of divine love;—upon which, if the compass of our work allowed, it would be well worth time to expatiate. 1st, Love suffereth long,—is long-suffering or patient towards all men: it suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, infirmities, all the forwardness and littleness of faith in the children of God; all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world;—feeding our enemy when he... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:5

1 Corinthians 13:5. Doth not behave itself unseemly— This is the sixth character, and implies that love is not rude, or willingly offensive to any. It renders to all their due; fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour; courtesy, civility, humanity, to all the world, in their several degrees honouring all men. Good breeding, nay, the highest degree of it, politeness, is defined to be "a continual desire to please, appearing in all the behaviour;" If so, there is none so well-bred as the... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:4

4. suffereth long—under provocations of evil from others. The negative side of love. is kind—the positive side. Extending good to others. Compare with love's features here those of the "wisdom from above" ( :-). 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 ( :-). read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:5

5. not . . . unseemly—is not uncourteous, or inattentive to civility and propriety. thinketh no evil—imputeth not evil [ALFORD]; literally, "the evil" which actually is there (Proverbs 10:12; 1 Peter 4:8). Love makes allowances for the falls of others, and is ready to put on them a charitable construction. Love, so far from devising evil against another, excuses "the evil" which another inflicts on her [ESTIUS]; doth not meditate upon evil inflicted by another [BENGEL]; and in doubtful cases,... read more

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