whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
Parallel translations
- WEB whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,
- KJV For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
- NKJV but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
- NASB whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
- NLT while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
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
Our presentable parts need no special treatment, but God has composed the body to give greater honor to the part that lacked it. He deliberately balances the body toward the humble.
Overview
Paul attributes this honoring of the weaker member to God's intentional composition of the body. God arranges things so that what seems inferior receives abundant honor. This divine pattern instructs the church to value and elevate her overlooked members, mirroring the grace by which God exalts the humble in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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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 12:24 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
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