1 Corinthians 13:13 Greek Text Analysis (2024)

FAQs

What is the Greek word for love in 1 Corinthians 13 13? ›

We are commanded to love God (Matt. 22:37) and love one another (John 13:34) with agapē love. Agapē is the word for love used in 1 Corinthians 13.

He concludes by mentioning love again with two other virtues often listed with it: faith and hope. Together, these three virtues "abide" or "remain." Perhaps Paul means that, as is the case with love, faith and hope will continue into eternity after the need for spiritual gifts has long since passed.

In this text, Paul reminds the Corinthians that all their spiritual gifts are as nothing unless they have love, which is the greatest gift of all. Elsewhere in the letter, these gifts are clearly identified as coming from God (12:4-7) and not for personal gain, but for the benefit of others (14:1-3).

Lastly, in 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul uses the triadic formula of faith, hope, and love. He does not say that love is the only important thing; rather, he says that “now faith, hope, and love abide.” This means that the Corinthians must have all these three.

4. Agape. “Agape” is probably the Greek word for love we are most familiar with. It's “unconditional, sacrificial love and Biblically refers to a love that God is (1 John 4:8, 16)” and that God shows (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19).

Agape – Unconditional love. Per the Greeks, the first type of love is Agape, which means selfless love. It is when we do not expect anything in return. It's to love one completely and without any strings attached. The Greeks felt that only some people have the capacity to have Agape for the long term.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Agape love, which is most often crowned as the highest form of Christian love, is the kind of love and action that shows empathy; extends the desire for good of the beloved; wants the best; extends help or demonstrates good intentions; and is intended for everyone. Agape love is sacrificial.

Scripture. 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

What are the insights of 1 Corinthians 13? ›

On the positive side, Paul says love is: patient, kind, and selfless. It involves truth-telling, fortitude, constancy, and tolerance (1 Corinthians 13:4-5,7). In terms of what love “is not,” Paul says it is not self-seeking, short-tempered, and offensive. In other words, love does not hurt people.

In 1 Corinthians 13:7, Paul writes, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” God's Word gives an outline in this verse for how to assume the best about others.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love,” leading some Christians to conclude that love is more important than faith or hope.

In First Corinthians 13:4-8, Paul uses the word agape to describe the highest level of love in this world, which is also the kind of love God expects every believer to demonstrate in his or her life.

Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always “me first,” Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, ...

agape. Original Greek: ἀγάπη (agápē) Agape is often defined as unconditional, sacrificial love. Agape is the kind of love that is felt by a person willing to do anything for another, including sacrificing themselves, without expecting anything in return.

ἑαυτοῦ • (heautoû) (reflexive, reciprocal, Attic) (3rd person) himself, herself, itself, themselves quotations ▼

Storge (στοργή, storgē) means "love, affection" and "especially of parents and children". It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring.

Derived from Greek, agape traditionally denotes a selfless, unconditional love.