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1 Corinthians 12:16

New Testament Epistle (Pauline) ASV (1901)

What does 1 Corinthians 12:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
1 Corinthians 12:16 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Corinthians 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14For the body is not one member, but many.
15If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.
16And 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.
17If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him.
19And if they were all one member, where were the body?
← 1 Corinthians 12:151 Corinthians 12:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And if the ear shall say, etc.] 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…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The ear - A less noble part. The eye - The most noble. 1 Corinthians 12:18”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“is it: Co1 12:16, Co1 12:22; Rom 12:3, Rom 12:10; Phi 2:3 1 Corinthians 12:17”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Corinthians 12 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification