📖WEB · 1 Corinthians 13:2
What does 1 Corinthians 13:2 mean?
"If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing."
— 1 Corinthians 13:2 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.
If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.
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;
Explanation
Paul is telling the Corinthian believers that even the most impressive spiritual gifts and abilities amount to nothing without love. He piles up examples of extraordinary capacities—prophecy, understanding all mysteries, possessing all knowledge, and having faith so complete it could move mountains—and then delivers a stunning verdict: without love, a person who has all these things "is nothing." Not "achieves little" or "falls short," but is nothing. The contrast is deliberately extreme, forcing the reader to confront how radically Paul is elevating love above every other spiritual accomplishment.
The context is essential to understanding the force of this statement. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, a congregation deeply preoccupied with spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy and speaking in tongues, and prone to ranking members by how impressive their gifts appeared. Chapters 12 through 14 of 1 Corinthians address this problem directly: chapter 12 explains that the gifts come from one Spirit and are meant to build up the body, not to create hierarchy; chapter 13, where this verse sits, functions as a corrective interlude showing the attitude that must undergird any use of gifts; and chapter 14 gives practical instructions for orderly worship. The Corinthians had gifts in abundance (1 Corinthians 1:7), but they were using them competitively and divisively. Paul's point is that gifts detached from love become worthless, even destructive, to the community.
Theologically, this verse reorders the Corinthians' (and our) instinc
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.