1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast — it bears, believes, hopes and endures all things.
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
What 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 means
Read at countless weddings, but written to a quarrelling church divided over status and spiritual gifts. Paul places it deliberately in the middle of that argument.
Notice that nearly every line is a verb or a behaviour, not a feeling. Love is described by what it does and refuses to do. Memorised, it becomes an uncomfortable and useful mirror — try substituting your own name for the word ‘love’ and reading it again.
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Questions about 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
What does 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 mean?
It defines love by its conduct — patient, kind, not envious or proud, not self-seeking or easily angered — and says it bears, believes, hopes and endures all things.
Why was 1 Corinthians 13 written?
Not for weddings, but to a divided church arguing about spiritual gifts. Paul shows that gifts without love are worth nothing, which is why the chapter sits where it does.