1 Corinthians 13:8
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
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Paul argues for love's supremacy by contrasting its permanence with the temporary nature of spiritual gifts the Corinthians overvalued.
What Does 1 Corinthians 13:8 Mean?
Paul makes a decisive claim about love's permanence: "Charity never faileth." Love does not fall, fade, or come to an end. He then contrasts it with the very gifts the Corinthians prized so highly. Prophecies will fail, tongues will cease, and knowledge will vanish away. The gifts that seemed so important are temporary; love alone endures forever.
This is a stunning reordering of values. The Corinthians had elevated spiritual gifts as the measure of maturity, but Paul shows them to be provisional -- suited to the present, but destined to pass away when their purpose is complete. Love, by contrast, belongs to the permanent order of things. It will not become obsolete. The verb "never faileth" suggests that love will never fall away or be rendered useless; it carries through into eternity. This sets love apart as the one gift worth pursuing above all others, because it is the one thing that lasts. When prophecy, tongues, and present knowledge have served their purpose and ended, love will remain, as fresh and necessary as ever. Paul's point steadies the believer's priorities: invest yourself in what endures. The gifts have their season, but love is forever, because love is the very character of God in which His people will dwell eternally.
In the Original Language
The Greek "oudepote piptei" (never faileth) means never falls away. "Katargēthēsontai" (shall fail) and "pausontai" (shall cease) point to gifts being rendered inoperative.
Cross References
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
“The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.”
- 1 Peter 1:24-25
“But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:10
Application
Invest yourself above all in love, the one thing that lasts forever, rather than measuring your spiritual life by gifts that are only temporary.