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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

World English Bible

1 Corinthians 12:16

If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   Scofield Reference Index - Churches;   The Topic Concordance - Body;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Selfishness;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Church;   Gifts of the spirit;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Body;   Body of Christ;   Christians, Names of;   Church, the;   Hear, Hearing;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Holy Ghost;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Body;   Body of Christ;   Church;   Humanity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Brotherly Love;   Ephesians, Epistle to;   Inspiration;   Spiritual Gifts;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Character;   Dependence;   Ear;   Eye;   Gifts;   Good;   Unity (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Fruit;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Corinthians, First Epistle to the;   Member;   Redeemer;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.
King James Version (1611)
And if the eare shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: is it therefore not of the body?
King James Version
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
English Standard Version
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
New American Standard Bible
And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
New Century Version
The ear might say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body." But saying this would not stop the ear from being a part of the body.
Amplified Bible
If the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
Legacy Standard Bible
And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
Berean Standard Bible
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Contemporary English Version
Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body?
Complete Jewish Bible
And if the ear says, "I'm not an eye, so I'm not part of the body," that doesn't make it stop being part of the body.
Darby Translation
And if the ear say, Because I am not an eye I am not of the body, is it on account of this not indeed of the body?
Easy-to-Read Version
The ear might say, "I am not an eye, so I don't belong to the body." But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if the eare would say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
George Lamsa Translation
And if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; is it therefore not a member of the body?
Good News Translation
And if the ear were to say, "Because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body," that would not keep it from being a part of the body.
Lexham English Bible
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, not because of this is it not a part of the body.
Literal Translation
And if the ear says, Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body, on account of this, is it not of the body?
American Standard Version
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.
Bible in Basic English
And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same.
Hebrew Names Version
If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body.
International Standard Version
And if the ear says, "Since I'm not an eye, I'm not part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it?
Etheridge Translation
And if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body itself, would it therefore not be of the body itself?
Murdock Translation
Or if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it, on that account, not of the body?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yf the eare woulde say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: is it therfore not of the body?
English Revised Version
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
Weymouth's New Testament
Or were the ear to say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," that would not make it any the less a part of the body.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if the ere seith, For Y am not the iye, Y am not of the bodi; not therfor it is not of the bodi.
Update Bible Version
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
New English Translation
And if the ear says, "Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body," it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.
New King James Version
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
New Living Translation
And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body?
New Life Bible
If the ear should say, "I am not a part of the body because I am not an eye," that would not stop it from being a part of the body.
New Revised Standard
And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, though the ear should say - Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body, Is it, therefore, not, of the body?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if the ear should say: Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: Is it therefore not of the body?
Revised Standard Version
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And if ye eare saye I am not the eye: therfore I am not of the body: is he therfore not of the body?
Young's Literal Translation
and if the ear may say, `Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body;' it is not, because of this, not of the body?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf the eare saye: I am not the eye, therfore am I not a membre of the body, is he therfore not a membre of the body?
Mace New Testament (1729)
and if the ear should say, "because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body?
Simplified Cowboy Version
And just because you can't see out of your ear doesn't mean it's not just as useful to the body.

Contextual Overview

12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 13 For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot would say, "Because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body," it is not therefore not part of the body. 16 If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now they are many members, but one body. 21 The eye can't tell the hand, "I have no need for you," or again the head to the feet, "I have no need for you."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

is it: 1 Corinthians 12:16, 1 Corinthians 12:22, Romans 12:3, Romans 12:10, Philippians 2:3

Reciprocal: 1 Corinthians 13:1 - I speak

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you."
Genesis 12:14
It happened that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15
The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Genesis 20:14
Abimelech took sheep and oxen, men-servants and women-servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife to him.
Genesis 24:35
Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 26:14
He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.
Genesis 32:5
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, men-servants, and maid-servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.'"
Job 1:3
His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
Job 42:12
So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if the ear shall say,.... The organ that receives sounds, and can distinguish them, and in which member is placed the sense of hearing; and may design such as are hearers of the word of God, not merely externally, but internally; who hear so as to love, savour, and relish it; so as to understand and believe it, and to act in compliance with it; and distinguish it for themselves, though they may not be able to give a distinct account of it to others, or instruct others in it:

because I am not the eye: the organ of seeing, in which is seated the visive faculty, and which receives light, and uses it for the good of the body, whose superintendent it is; and may be expressive of the ministers of the Gospel, who are that to the church, as eyes are to the body; they are the light of the world, have a clear insight into the doctrines of the Gospel, and communicate their light to others; they are set in the highest place in the church, and as watchmen and overseers there, to instruct; guide, and direct the members of it:

I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? it certainly is; and so such as are only hearers of the Gospel, being affectionate, believing, understanding and fruitful hearers; though they have not such large knowledge and clear light, so as to be capable of overseeing and instructing others, yet are true and useful members of the church, are highly respected by Christ the head, and to be had in esteem by their fellow members, who may be superior to them.


 
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