1 Corinthians 13:4, Charity Suffereth Long

1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long…

This love is described as one that suffers, having to bear or endure what is painful and having to undergo distress inflicted by others. The King James translator adds the adjective “long” to describe the enduring nature of this patience. In this context, it describes the believer as exhibiting patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs inflicted by others (Thayer Lexicon). It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

It is defined a state of emotional quietness in the face of unfavorable circumstances. It shows the character of patience, to suffer long, be long-suffering, as opposed to showing hasty anger. There is another Greek word “hupomone” translated “patience” in the New Testament describing a man’s disposition as having an enduring spirit to bear difficult circumstances. In this text, it is the Greek word “makrothumeo” describing one who exercises understanding and patience towards people.

This spiritual trait enables the believer to forgive another who has inflicted hurt through malice. We observe that one who possesses God’s love has an enduring character of patience called longsuffering. Amen.