Passage

1 Corinthians 13.12

Book: 1 Corinthians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

10. but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.

12. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.

But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:10-13, ASV)

WEB

10. but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. 11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three. The greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:10-13, WEB)

KJV

10. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. ^{done away: Gr. vanish away} 11. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ^{thought: or, reasoned} ^{put away: Gr. vanish away}

12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ^{darkly: Gr. in a riddle}

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:10-13, KJV)

YLT

10. and when that which is perfect may come, then that which [is] in part shall become useless. 11. When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning, and when I have become a man, I have made useless the things of the babe;

12. for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known;

and now there doth remain faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these [is] love. (1 Corinthians 13:10-13, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle, with Sosthenes named as co-sender
Audience: the church at Corinth, a divided congregation in a wealthy Roman colony
Location: written from Ephesus during the third missionary journey
Time period: c. AD 53-55

Theological reading

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

The verse states the limit of present knowledge inside the love chapter, which is where Paul puts it deliberately: the argument is that gifts of knowledge are partial and will pass, while love remains.

The mirror image is concrete. Ancient mirrors were polished metal, giving a real but imperfect reflection, so the point is not that we see nothing but that we see indirectly.

The last clause is the striking one. The contrast is not merely between partial and full knowing but between knowing and being known: our future knowledge is compared to God's present knowledge of us, which is already complete. Being known precedes and exceeds knowing.

The verse is a standing caution against overconfidence in theological system-building, and its placement means the caution is issued by an apostle in the middle of an inspired letter.

The King James rendering has misled two things. "Through a glass, darkly" shaped English usage but is wrong twice. Ancient mirrors were polished bronze, not glass, so the seeing is in a mirror rather than through one, a reflection rather than a window. And en ainigmati means "in a riddle," not "darkly": the image is enigmatic, requiring interpretation, rather than merely faint. Corinth was known for its bronze-work, which may sharpen the local force of the figure.

The likely background is Numbers 12:8, where the LORD says He speaks to Moses "mouth to mouth, and openly, and not in riddles." Paul appears to be saying that what was Moses' singular privilege becomes the eschatological condition of all believers.

"Face to face" resolves the seeing-God problem, eschatologically. Exodus 33:20 denies that anyone can see God and live. John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12 restate the denial. This verse, Matthew 5:8 and Revelation 22:4 promise it for the future. The New Testament does not weaken the prohibition; it defers the fulfillment and transforms the creature rather than diminishing God.

Apologetic use, in both directions. Against triumphalist apologetics: the text concedes that present knowledge is partial and enigmatic, and anyone claiming more than this verse allows is arguing against his own scripture. Against the demand for total clarity as a condition of belief: partial knowledge is still knowledge, and "in part" is not "not at all." See Divine Hiddenness Objection Defeater and Epistemic Standards for Theism.

Key words

esoptron (G2072), mirror; a polished bronze mirror, not glass.
ainigma (G0135), riddle, enigma; the root of English "enigma," and the reason "darkly" is a poor gloss.
ginōskō (G1097), to know experientially; see G1097 - ginosko.
epiginōskō (G1921), to know fully, recognize; the intensified compound in the second half.
prosōpon (G4383), face; the term behind "face to face."
G1097 - ginosko, ginosko, Strong's G1097
G4314 - pros, pros, Strong's G4314

Cross-references

Exodus 33:20, the refusal this verse defers rather than denies
Matthew 5:8, the same promise in beatitude form
Revelation 22:4, the consummation
Job 42.5, the same report-versus-encounter structure
1 John 3:2, we shall see Him as He is
2 Corinthians 5:7, walking by faith and not by sight
Phenomenology of Perception, on partial and perspectival givenness

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

G0026 - agape, via 1 Corinthians 13.1-13
G1097 - ginosko
G2673 - katargeo, via 1 Corinthians 13.8-12
G4314 - pros

Passages:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.