1 Corinthians 13:4 (GNV)

Passage

Loue suffreth long: it is bountifull: loue enuieth not: loue doeth not boast it selfe: it is not puffed vp:

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I had the gift of prophecie, and knewe all secrets and all knowledge, yea, if I had all faith, so that I could remooue mountaines and had not loue, I were nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I feede the poore with all my goods, and though I giue my body, that I be burned, and haue not loue, it profiteth me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Loue suffreth long: it is bountifull: loue enuieth not: loue doeth not boast it selfe: it is not puffed vp:

1 Corinthians 13:5 It doeth no vncomely thing: it seeketh not her owne things: it is not prouoked to anger: it thinketh not euill:

1 Corinthians 13:6 It reioyceth not in iniquitie, but reioyceth in the trueth:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "loue", "suffreth", "long", "bountifull", "enuieth", and "doeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "loue" and "suffreth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And though I feede the poore with..." into verse 5's "It doeth no vncomely thing it seeketh...", so "loue" and "suffreth" 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 "loue" and "suffreth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.