1 Corinthians 13:3 (WEB)

Passage

If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

1 Corinthians 13:5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "away", "goods", "feed", "poor", "body", and "burned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "If I have the gift of prophecy..." into verse 4's "Love is patient and is kind love...", so "give" and "away" 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 "give" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.