Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
    • 4 Love+ is patient*+ and kind.+ Love is not jealous.+ It does not brag, does not get puffed up,+

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures
    • 4 Ἡ The ἀγάπη love μακροθυμεῖ, is having longness of spirit, χρηστεύεται, it is kind, ἡ the ἀγάπη love οὐ not ζηλοῖ, is being jealous, οὐ not περπερεύεται, it is bragging, οὐ not φυσιοῦται, it is being puffed up,

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References
    • 4 Love*+ is long-suffering+ and kind.+ Love is not jealous,+ it does not brag,+ does not get puffed up,+

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    The Bible in Living English
    • 4 Love is patient, kind; love is not jealous; love does not show off, does not get inflated,

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    American Standard Version
    • 4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    The Emphasized Bible
    • 4 Love is patient, Is gracious. Love is not envious, Vaunteth not itself, Is not puffed up,

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4
    King James Version
    • 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

  • 1 Corinthians
    Watch Tower Publications Index 1986-2022
    • 13:4 it-1 1260; it-2 277; w14 6/15 20; cl 302-303, 305-306; cf 162-163; w02 10/15 28; w01 11/1 15-16; w99 2/15 19-21; w95 9/15 14-19; w94 9/1 20; w93 10/15 19, 21; w92 7/15 28-29; w91 7/15 14; w89 10/15 18

  • 1 Corinthians
    Watch Tower Publications Index 1930-1985
    • 13:4 g85 4/22 16; w80 2/15 6; w80 4/15 26-27; w78 6/15 4; w78 9/15 18-19; fl 35-36, 72-74; w74 439-440; g74 4/22 8; w73 292; w72 131-132; ad 1082; w65 196, 643; g65 8/22 4; w64 496; g64 6/8 4; w63 356; g63 3/22 7; w62 148; g62 8/22 28; g62 11/8 17; w61 13, 183; yb61 17, 20; w56 554; g51 3/8 25; w49 356

  • 1 Corinthians
    Research Guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses—2019 Edition
    • 13:4

      Insight, Volume 1, p. 1260

      Insight, Volume 2, p. 277

      The Watchtower,

      6/15/2014, p. 20

      10/15/2002, p. 28

      11/1/2001, pp. 15-16

      2/15/1999, pp. 19-21

      9/15/1995, pp. 14-19

      9/1/1994, p. 20

      10/15/1993, pp. 19, 21

      7/15/1992, pp. 28-29

      7/15/1991, p. 14

      10/15/1989, p. 18

      4/15/1980, pp. 26-27

      2/15/1980, p. 6

      9/15/1978, pp. 18-19

      6/15/1978, p. 4

      7/15/1974, pp. 439-440

      5/15/1973, p. 292

      3/1/1972, pp. 131-132

      11/1/1965, pp. 643-644

      4/1/1965, pp. 195-196

      8/15/1964, pp. 495-497

      6/15/1963, pp. 355-356

      3/1/1962, p. 148

      3/15/1961, pp. 182-184

      1/1/1961, pp. 12-14

      9/15/1956, pp. 553-555

      Close to Jehovah, pp. 302-303, 305-306

      “My Follower,” pp. 162-163

      Awake!,

      4/22/1985, p. 16

      4/22/1974, p. 8

  • 1 Corinthians Study Notes—Chapter 13
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
    • 13:4

      Love: In this famous description of love, Paul uses the same Greek term (a·gaʹpe) that is found at 1Jo 4:8-10, where John describes “the love of God.” Verse 8 even says that “God is love,” meaning that Jehovah is the very personification of love. (See study note on Joh 3:16.) Christian love is a quality that is best defined by describing how it acts. Christian love is synonymous with unselfishness and is guided by principle. Love guided by principle may not always include warm affection; the one who shows such love does so because it is the right thing to do. For example, a person may feel deeply hurt. However, he shows Christian love by refusing to “keep account of the injury.” (1Co 13:5) The godly love that Paul describes combines affectionate feelings of the heart with a mental determination to apply the righteous standards established by God.​—See study notes on Mt 5:44; 22:37.

      Love is patient: Or “love is long-suffering.” The Greek word could literally be rendered “having longness of spirit.” (Kingdom Interlinear) Both the verb and the noun forms denote calm endurance and slowness to anger. Patience is an aspect of the fruitage of God’s holy spirit (Ga 5:22), an identifying mark of a minister of God. (2Co 6:4-6; Col 3:12; 1Th 5:14; see App. A2.) Patience is a quality that Jehovah and Jesus constantly show in their dealings with humans. (Ro 2:4; 9:22; 1Ti 1:16; 1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 3:9, 15; see study note on Ga 5:22.) As imitators of Jesus and Jehovah, Christians are to show patience to others.​—1Co 11:1; Eph 5:1.

      Love is . . . kind: The Greek verb rendered “is . . . kind” (khre·steuʹo·mai) corresponds to the noun khre·stoʹtes (kindness), which is an aspect of “the fruitage of the spirit.” (Ga 5:22) Showing kindness involves taking an active interest in the welfare of others and engaging in friendly and helpful acts or favors. Kindness also involves thoughtfulness and consideration in responding to the needs of others, doing so in a gentle and friendly manner.​—Col 3:12; Tit 3:4.

      Love is not jealous: The Greek verb ze·loʹo conveys the idea of an intense emotion that can be either positive or negative. In this verse, it is rendered with the expression “to be jealous” because it conveys the idea of a negative emotion toward a suspected rival or one believed to be enjoying an advantage. The corresponding noun zeʹlos, often rendered “jealousy,” is listed among “the works of the flesh” at Ga 5:19-21. Such jealousy is selfish and spawns hatred, not love. Godly love is not jealous in an improper way but, rather, is trusting and hopeful, always acting in the interests of others.​—1Co 13:4-7; for a positive connotation of the Greek verb, see the study note on 2Co 11:2.

English Publications (1950-2022)
Log Out
Log In
  • English
  • Share
  • Preferences
  • Copyright © 2022 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • JW.ORG
  • Log In
Share