1 Corinthians 13:9 (LSB)

Passage

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 13:7 it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

1 Corinthians 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man, I did away with childish things.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "part" and "prophesy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "part" and "prophesy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Love never fails but if there are..." into verse 10's "but when the perfect comes the partial...", so "part" and "prophesy" 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 "part" and "prophesy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.