1 Corinthians 13:4 (DRB)

Passage

Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up,

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 13:2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up,

1 Corinthians 13:5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil:

1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "charity", "patient", "kind", "envieth", "dealeth", "perversely", and "puffed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "charity" and "patient", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And if I should distribute all my..." into verse 5's "Is not ambitious seeketh not her own...", so "charity" and "patient" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "charity" and "patient" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.