1 Corinthians 12:17 Meaning and Explanation
“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →If the whole body were a single organ, it could not function: an all-eye body could not hear, an all-ear body could not smell.
What Does 1 Corinthians 12:17 Mean?
Now Paul turns the argument toward those tempted to wish everyone were like them. If the whole body were an eye, there would be no hearing; if all ear, no sense of smell. Uniformity would cripple the body, not perfect it.
The differences among believers are not flaws to be ironed out; they are the very means by which the body lives and acts. What one member lacks, another supplies. To despise another's unlike gift is to wish the body blind or deaf. God's wisdom is displayed in the diversity, not in spite of it.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 12:17
What does 1 Corinthians 12:17 mean?
If the whole body were a single organ, it could not function: an all-eye body could not hear, an all-ear body could not smell.