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

New Living Translation
Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

English Standard Version
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

Berean Standard Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

Berean Literal Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

King James Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

New King James Version
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

New American Standard Bible
For we know in part and prophesy in part;

NASB 1995
For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

NASB 1977
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Legacy Standard Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

Amplified Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete].

Christian Standard Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

American Standard Version
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Contemporary English Version
We don't know everything, and our prophecies are not complete.

English Revised Version
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.

Good News Translation
For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;

International Standard Version
For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete.

Majority Standard Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

NET Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,

New Heart English Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Webster's Bible Translation
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Weymouth New Testament
For our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying;

World English Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
for we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Berean Literal Bible
For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

Young's Literal Translation
for in part we know, and in part we prophecy;

Smith's Literal Translation
For we know by parts, and we prophesy by parts.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part.

New American Bible
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

New Revised Standard Version
For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Godbey New Testament
For we know in part, and prophesy in part:

Haweis New Testament
For we know partially, and prophesy partially.

Mace New Testament
for our knowledge is defective, and our prophesying is defective.

Weymouth New Testament
For our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying;

Worrell New Testament
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

Worsley New Testament
For now we know but in part, and we prophesy but in part.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Love
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.…

Cross References
1 Corinthians 8:2
The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” / But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

Ephesians 4:13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Colossians 1:9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

Romans 11:33
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Hebrews 5:12-14
Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! / For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. / But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.

James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

Job 11:7-9
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? / They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know? / Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.


Treasury of Scripture

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1 Corinthians 8:2
And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

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1 Corinthians 13
1. All gifts,
3. however excellent, are of no worth without love.
4. The praises thereof,
13. as love is greatest before hope and faith.














For we know
The Greek word for "know" here is "γινώσκομεν" (ginōskomen), which implies a process of learning or coming to understand. In the context of 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing the Corinthian church's understanding of spiritual gifts and knowledge. Historically, the city of Corinth was a hub of intellectual and cultural exchange, which may have led to an overemphasis on human wisdom. Paul reminds the believers that their knowledge, even of divine matters, is limited and incomplete. This serves as a humbling reminder that human understanding is finite and should be approached with humility and reliance on God.

in part
The phrase "in part" is translated from the Greek "ἐκ μέρους" (ek merous), indicating something that is partial or incomplete. This reflects the temporary and fragmentary nature of human knowledge and prophecy. In the broader scriptural context, this phrase underscores the idea that while believers have access to divine revelation, it is not yet complete. The full revelation will only be realized in the eschatological future when believers see God face to face. This partial knowledge should inspire believers to live in faith and hope, trusting in God's ultimate plan and revelation.

and we prophesy
The Greek word "προφητεύομεν" (prophēteuomen) refers to the act of speaking forth by divine inspiration. In the early church, prophecy was a significant spiritual gift, used for edification, exhortation, and comfort. However, Paul emphasizes that even this gift is exercised "in part." Historically, prophecy was highly valued in the Corinthian church, but Paul seeks to put it in perspective by showing that it, too, is incomplete. This serves as a reminder that spiritual gifts are tools for building up the church, but they are not the ultimate goal. The ultimate aim is love, which is eternal and complete.

in part
Reiterating the earlier phrase, "in part" again emphasizes the limitations of human understanding and spiritual gifts. The repetition serves to reinforce the message that while believers may experience and exercise spiritual gifts, they do so with an awareness of their limitations. This acknowledgment of partiality should lead to a greater dependence on God and a focus on love, which transcends all gifts and knowledge. In the historical context of Corinth, where spiritual gifts were sometimes a source of pride and division, this message would have been a call to unity and humility.

(9) We know in part.--Knowledge and preaching are incomplete; therefore, when this dispensation ends, and the complete dispensation is brought in, these imperfect gifts shall cease. Gifts are but the implements of the divine husbandry; graces are the seeds themselves. When the great harvest-time comes, the instruments, however useful, will be cast aside altogether; the seeds will, by the very process of death, be transformed into blossoms and fruits, and in that perfected form remain for ever.

Verse 9. - We know in part. The expression applies directly to religious knowledge, and should be a rebuke to the pretence to infallibility and completeness which is sometimes usurped by religious men.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

we know
γινώσκομεν (ginōskomen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

in
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

part
μέρους (merous)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3313: A part, portion, share. From an obsolete but more primary form of meiromai; a division or share.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

we prophesy
προφητεύομεν (prophēteuomen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4395: From prophetes; to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic office.

in
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

part,
μέρους (merous)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3313: A part, portion, share. From an obsolete but more primary form of meiromai; a division or share.


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NT Letters: 1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part and we (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)
1 Corinthians 13:8
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