1 Corinthians 12:14

For the body is not one member, but many.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γὰρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
body	σῶμα sōma	G4983	the body (as a sound whole) · noun — nominative singular neuter
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
one	ἓν hen	G1520	one · adjective — nominative singular neuter
member	μέλος melos	G3196	a limb or part of the body · noun — nominative singular neuter
but	ἀλλὰ alla	G235	properly · conjunction
many	πολλά. polla	G4183	(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — nominative plural neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 12:27-28 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

The apostle here makes out the truth of what was above asserted, and puts the gifted men among the Corinthians in mind of their duty, by comparing the church of Christ to a human body. I. By telling us that one body may have many members, and that the many members of the same body make but one body (Co1 12:12): As the body is one, and hath many members, and all members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ; that is, Christ mystical, as divines commonly speak. Christ and his church making one body, as head and members, this body is made up of many parts or members, yet but one body; for all the members are baptized into the same body, and made to drink of the same Spir…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:14

Translate, "For the body also." The analogy of the body, not consisting exclusively of one, but of many members, illustrates the mutual dependence of the various members in the one body, the Church. The well-known fable of the belly and the other members, spoken by Menenius Agrippa, to the seceding commons [LIVY, 2.32], was probably before Paul's mind, stored as it was with classical literature.

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:14

For the body is not one member - The mystical body, the Church, as well as the natural body, is composed of many members.

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 12:14

For the body is not one member,.... Not only one; nor is anyone member the body, though ever so eminent, as the head or eye: thus the church of Christ is not one person only, or does not consist of one sort of persons; as only of Jews, or only of Gentiles, or only of rich and freemen, or only of men of extraordinary gifts and abilities, or greatly eminent for grace and spiritual knowledge: but many; members, as the Arabic version adds; as eyes, ears, hands, feet, &c. so in the mystical body of Christ, the church, there are many members, some in a higher station, others in a lower; some of greater gifts, grace, and usefulness, others of lesser; some Jews, other Gentiles; some bond, others fr…

The Church Fathers

The unity of the body consists in the fact that its many members supply the things which the other parts lack.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

Paul says this in order not to overlook the humbler members of the church. For even if someone is lesser by nature, he still belongs to the body of the church.
— Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

So is the broad serenity and calm of the soul troubled by one invading passion, and affected by the injury of a single part. They tell us too, those who have investigated the subject, that the virtues are not disunited from each other, and that to grasp the principle of any one virtue will be impossible to one who has not seized that which underlies the rest, and that the man who shows one virtue in his character will necessarily show them all. Therefore, by contraries, the depravation of anything in our moral nature will extend to the whole virtuous life; and in very truth, as the Apostle tells us, the whole is affected by the parts, and "if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it," "if one be honoured, all rejoice."
— Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity 15

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have…
Selfishness · Inconsistent with communion of saints — Inconsistent with communion of saints

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 12:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:14

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:14

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 12:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 12:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 12:14

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:14

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 12:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 12:14-27

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 12:14-21