What Does 1 Corinthians 13:13 Mean in the King James?
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Love is the greatest among the things that remain.
THE MEANING
Trust, hope, and love remain with you now. Love holds the greatest place among them, not as a passing feeling but as the enduring bond at the heart of this triad.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that certainty or expectation outranks love: among these enduring realities, love is greatest.
THE ROOT
ἀγάπη
agapē
GROWS FROM
ἀγαπ-
agap-
The Greek word family of love and being beloved.
The KJV’s “charity” here is ἀγάπη (agapē, love), the same family as loving and being beloved. That family makes love a relationship that connects people, not only an act of generosity.
ALSO GROWS
agapaō: To love
ἀγαπάω
The verb form makes love something enacted between people.
agapētos: Beloved
ἀγαπητός
The same family names the one who is held in love, showing its relational reach.
μένει
menei
GROWS FROM
μεν-
men-
To remain, stay, or continue.
The same word describes trust, hope, and love: all three remain. Its word family also reaches toward dwelling and endurance, so “abideth” carries the sense of staying present, not merely appearing for a moment.
ALSO GROWS
monē: Dwelling, abode
μονή
This related noun gives remaining the sense of a place where one stays.
hypomenō: To endure, remain steadfast
ὑπομένω
This compound carries the same staying into endurance through difficulty.
πίστις
pistis
GROWS FROM
πειθ-
peith-
The word family of being persuaded and trusting.
πίστις (pistis, trust) belongs to the family of πείθω (peithō, persuade or trust) and πιστός (pistos, trustworthy). The verse’s “faith” can therefore be heard as reliance, one of the enduring realities that love surpasses in greatness.
ALSO GROWS
peithō: To persuade, trust
πείθω
This related verb brings out the movement from persuasion into reliance.
pistos: Trustworthy, reliable
πιστός
The related adjective shows trust as a bond with what can be relied upon.
pisteuō: To trust, believe
πιστεύω
This verb makes the same word family a lived act of trust.
THE PATTERN
What remains is gathered under love: trust and hope endure, while love holds the greatest place.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.THE THREAD
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.John’s “continue” comes from μένω (menō, remain), the same word family as “abideth,” and “my love” is ἀγάπη (agapē, love), the same word as “charity.” This verse brings the two roots together: what remains is a life continuing in love.
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