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1 Corinthians Chapter 13

1 Corinthians Chapter 13

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
^Love

(Parallel teachings: 1 John 4:7-21; Romans 12:9-21; Colossians 3:12-14)
(Thematic parallels: Genesis 50:15-21; Luke 23:33-34; Proverbs 10:12; and numerous others)

  • 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but don’t have ^love, I’ve become a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
  • 2 And if I have prophecy, and I *understand all now-revealed mysteriesfn“now-revealed mysteries” is one word in Greek. It originally referred to secret knowledge reserved for initiates of the ancient mystery religions; i.e. “members only” knowledge that was revealed to insiders, but concealed from everyone outside. Paul uses it for secrets that God kept hidden until the work of Jesus, after which they were revealed in the good news (aka, the gospel). and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains,fnquotation/allusion to Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23 but don’t have ^love, I am nothing.
  • 3 And if I give all that I possess to feedfn“I give… …to feed” is one word in Greek.  It properly refers to giving out food in small portions to feed someone or something. the poor, and if I deliver my body to prisonfn“to prison” this sense can be implied by the word translated “deliver”; compare with Matthew 4:12 and Mark 1:14 so that I might [boast],fn“boast” many manuscripts, especially later ones, have “burned” here, so that it reads: “if I deliver my body so it will be burned”.  Current scholarship strongly leans toward “boast” but don’t have ^love, I gain nothing.
  • 4 ^Love is patient, it’s kind.  ^Love isn’t jealous, ^love doesn’t boast, it isn’t puffed up,
  • 5 It doesn’t act without decorum,fn“act without decorum” is one word in Greek. While it can refer to immoral actions, it more commonly refers to actions that violate accepted social norms, especially in a way that lacks decorum or propriety, or that causes public embarrassment. Its only other use in Scripture is 1 Corinthians 7:36; see footnote on that verse it doesn’t seek things for itself, it isn’t easily angered, it doesn’t take into account a wrong suffered.fnpossible quotation/allusion to Ezekiel 18:21-22
  • 6 it doesn’t rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.
  • 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
  • 8 ^Love never fails.  But if there are prophecies, they will be abolished;fn“they will be abolished” is one word in Greek, literally meaning to render something as completely without force or power, making it idle and of no effect.  Thus, it also means to abolish, because the force has been completely removed.  It’s the same word used to refer to knowledge later in the verse. if tongues, they will cease, if knowledge, it will be abolished.
  • 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
  • 10 But when the perfect comes, the partial will be abolished.
  • 11 When I was a child, I was talking like a child, I was understanding like a child, I was reasoning like a child.  When I *became a man, I *abolished the childish things.
  • 12 For now we see through a mirrorfn“mirror” The Greek word here refers to a metallic mirror, not a glass one. in puzzling obscurity,fn“puzzling obscurity” The Greek word here literally refers to a riddle or enigma which obscures something. but then face to face.fnquotation/allusion to Numbers 12:8 (also quoted/alluded to by 2 Cor 3:18); see also Deuteronomy 34:10; Exodus 33:11; Genesis 32:30  I know in part now, but then I will know Him fully, even as I was fully known.
  • 13 But now these three remain: faith, hope, and ^love; and the greatest of these is ^love.

 

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