1 Corinthians 13:4 Explained

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." — 1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV)

1 Corinthians 13:4 opens the Bible's most famous description of love — read at weddings worldwide, but written to a divided, prideful church as a rebuke and a cure.

Read it in context: 1 Corinthians 13 · The Book of 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13:4 in context

What does 1 Corinthians 13:4 mean?

'Charity' is the KJV's word for agape — committed, self-giving love. The verse defines it by what it does and does not do: patient ('suffereth long'), kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant. Love here is action and restraint, not feeling.

What is the context of 1 Corinthians 13:4?

Paul is correcting the Corinthians' obsession with showy spiritual gifts. Chapter 13 interrupts to say: gifts without love are nothing. The 'love chapter' is not romantic poetry in context — it is a diagnostic for a community that loved its own giftedness more than its members.

How do I pray 1 Corinthians 13:4?

Pray this verse with your own name in place of 'charity': 'Am I patient? Am I kind? Do I envy? Am I puffed up?' Let it examine you before it comforts you. Then ask God to grow the love you lack.

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