1 Corinthians 13:9 kjv
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1 Corinthians 13:9 nkjv
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
1 Corinthians 13:9 niv
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:9 esv
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:9 nlt
Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!
1 Corinthians 13 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cor 13:8 | Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. | Prophecies, tongues, and knowledge are temporary gifts. |
| 1 Cor 8:2 | The one who imagines he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. | Highlights human limitation in knowledge. |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! | God's knowledge is infinite, unlike human knowledge. |
| Col 2:3 | in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | Christ possesses complete wisdom and knowledge. |
| James 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. | Wisdom is a gift from God, but understanding is partial. |
| Heb 1:1-2 | In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. | God's revelation in the past was partial; now complete in Christ. |
| Matt 13:17 | For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. | Prophets received partial revelation. |
| Isa 40:28 | Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. His understanding no one can fathom. | God's understanding is complete and unfathomable. |
| Ps 139:1-4 | O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. | God's knowledge is perfect and exhaustive. |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? | Human understanding is flawed. |
| 1 John 3:2 | Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we now will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. | Future state will bring complete knowledge and likeness to Christ. |
| 1 Cor 1:24 | but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. | Christ is the embodiment of God's wisdom. |
| John 16:12 | "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. | Jesus knew his disciples' understanding was limited. |
| Rom 12:6 | We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: that of prophecy, in proportion to our faith; | Gifts are measured by faith, indicating limitation. |
| Acts 1:16 | "Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in that which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. | Holy Spirit inspired past prophecy, yet not full unveiling. |
| Heb 8:10-11 | This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No one, the one then teaching his neighbor, and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest. | Future covenant brings full knowledge of God. |
| Deut 29:29 | The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. | Some knowledge is kept by God. |
| John 13:7 | Jesus replied, "What I am doing you cannot understand now, but later you will understand." | Foreshadows incomplete understanding that will be later clarified. |
| 1 Cor 14:3 | But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. | Prophecy benefits others with partial truth. |
| 1 Thess 5:20-21 | do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test everything. Hold on to what is good. | Prophecies must be tested due to their fallibility. |
1 Corinthians 13 verses
1 Corinthians 13 9 Meaning
For our knowledge is incomplete, and our prophecy is incomplete. This verse explains the limited nature of spiritual gifts as experienced in the present. It highlights that while gifts like prophecy and knowledge are valuable, they are not perfect or exhaustive. This imperfection points to a future state where understanding will be complete.
1 Corinthians 13 9 Context
In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Paul is emphasizing the supremacy of love over all spiritual gifts. The preceding verses (13:1-8) have detailed how gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, and knowledge, while important, are temporary and imperfect. They will eventually cease. This specific verse (13:9) directly follows the declaration that these gifts "will pass away" and elaborates on the reason why they will pass away – because the knowledge and prophecy they convey are incomplete. The context is correcting the Corinthian church's overemphasis on certain showy spiritual gifts, showing that love is the permanent and perfect virtue that should be pursued above all else. The Corinthian church was experiencing divisions and misuses of spiritual gifts, likely believing their manifestations of prophecy and knowledge were the ultimate expressions of spiritual maturity. Paul reminds them that these gifts are partial and ultimately insufficient compared to the enduring nature of love.
1 Corinthians 13 9 Word analysis
- hoti (hoti): Conjunction. "For" or "because." Introduces the reason for the previous statement (that gifts will cease). It connects the inadequacy of present knowledge and prophecy to their eventual passing away.
- diasma (diasma): Noun, neuter singular. "Fragment," "piece," or "part." In the context of knowledge and prophecy, it signifies an incomplete or partial piece of information or revelation. It's not the whole truth or understanding.
- ginosko (ginosko): Verb, first-person plural present indicative active. "We know." This refers to the current state of human knowing, which is limited and partial. It contrasts with complete knowledge.
- kain (kain): Adverb. "In part." Reinforces the idea that what is known or prophesied is not the totality but a portion.
- prophēteia (prophēteia): Noun, feminine singular. "Prophecy." Refers to the gift of receiving and delivering messages from God. While divinely inspired, the reception and utterance of this message are through human faculties, which are fallible and incomplete.
- pasa (pasa): Adjective, feminine singular nominative. "Every" or "all."
- prophēteuō (prophēteuō): Verb, third-person plural present indicative active. "They prophesy." The action of giving prophetic utterances.
- katargeō (katargeō): Verb, third-person plural future indicative passive. "Will be done away with," "will be abolished," or "will cease." This signifies the termination or end of the prophetic gift.
Word Group Analysis:
- "ginoskomen kain kai pasē ginoskomen kain": This phrase "knowledge we have in part and prophecy we have in part" emphasizes the deficiency inherent in the current mode of spiritual understanding and communication. It’s a dual admission of limited capacity.
- "hotia ginosko kain kai pasē ginosko kain kai pasē prophēteia ginoskmen kai pasē": The structure underscores that both knowledge and prophecy are marked by partiality. They are not comprehensive systems but fragments of a larger, unseen reality. This deficiency is the very reason for their eventual obsolescence.
1 Corinthians 13 9 Bonus section
The concept of "in part" (kain) points to a developmental or progressive understanding, common in God's relationship with humanity. God reveals Himself and His will incrementally, from the Old Testament law to the New Testament fulfillment in Christ. This foreshadows the ultimate "seeing face to face" described in the next verse (13:12), where all partial understandings coalesce into a complete revelation of God's presence. This also contrasts with the exhaustive, perfect knowledge of God that is yet to be fully realized by believers in the resurrection. The imperfect nature of current gifts is a testament to the greater reality that is coming, a reality characterized by perfect love and perfect knowledge.
1 Corinthians 13 9 Commentary
The current spiritual gifts of prophecy and knowledge are temporary because they are incomplete. They are like seeing God's truth through a cracked or darkened window (1 Cor 13:12), offering glimpses rather than full sight. This partial understanding is precisely why they will cease to be relevant when the perfect, the fullness of God's presence and knowledge, arrives. The ultimate goal is not perfected spiritual gifts in this age, but the transformation into God's perfect likeness where our knowledge will be as complete as God's knowledge of us.