Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church, a community divided by competing displays of spiritual gifts, and pivots from cataloguing those gifts to the "more excellent way."
The words — λαλῶ (lalō) is the verb for speaking in a sense closer to babbling than to articulate discourse; γλῶσσαις (glōssais) is the same term Paul uses for the gift of tongues in this letter.
The thread — 1 Timothy 1:5 names love as the goal of all instruction, and Galatians 5:22 lists it first among the fruit of the Spirit. 1 Peter 4:8 adds that love covers a multitude of sins.
Why it lands — The verse reduces the most spectacular spiritual performance to empty noise when love is absent. It asks the reader to test whether their faith is a display or a relationship.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Cross-references
- 1 Timothy 1:5 The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
- 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
- Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.
- Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- 1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
- 2 Peter 2:18 With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
- Matthew 25:45 Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
- 1 Corinthians 14:6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?