If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- KJV If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
- BSB If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
- NASB If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
- NLT If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A foot cannot opt out of the body by claiming it is not a hand. Feeling different from others does not make a believer any less part of Christ's body.
Overview
Paul addresses those who feel inferior because they lack a more prominent gift. Their sense of not belonging does not change the reality that God has placed them in the body. The argument gently counters self-deprecation, assuring every member of an indispensable place in the church Christ has formed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Judg 9:8–15The trees set out to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
- 2 Kgs 14:9Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife. Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 12:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.