1 Corinthians 12:17

1 Corinthians 12:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
• New International Version (NIV)If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
• English Standard Version (ESV)If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
• New King James Version (NKJV)If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

Context of 1 Corinthians 12:17

15If the foot could speak, it might say, ‘I am not a hand, so I do not belong to this body.’ But what it says makes no difference. It is still a part of the body. 16If the ear could speak, it might say, ‘I am not an eye, so I do not belong to this body.’ But what it says makes no difference. It still belongs to the body. If the whole body was an eye, the body would not hear anything. If the whole body was an ear, it would not recognize different smells. 18But God has decided where each different part of our body should be. 19If our body was all the same part, it would not be a proper body.

1 Corinthians 12:17 word by word

εἰ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα ὀφθαλμός, ποῦ ἡ ἀκοή; εἰ ὅλον ἀκοή, ποῦ ἡ ὄσφρησις;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ifεἰei · ifG1487
• the wholeὅλοςholos · allG3650
• bodyὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• bodyσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
• an eyeὀφθαλμόςophthalmos · eyeG3788
• whereποῦpou · where?G4226
• the hearingἀκοήakoē · hearingG189
• the smellingὄσφρησιςosphrēsis · sense of smellG3750

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 12:17

• 1 Corinthians 12:21For that reason, the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you.’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’
• 1 Samuel 9:9(That was the custom in Israel. If someone needed to hear a message from God, he would say, ‘We should go and talk with the seer.’ The man that we now call a prophet was called a ‘seer’ at that time.)
• Psalms 94:9God made our ears! Can he himself not hear? He made our eyes! Does he not see?
• Psalms 139:13You made every part of me. You made me grow inside my mother before I was born.
• Proverbs 20:12The Lord has made us with ears to hear with and eyes to see with. They are both his gift to us.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 12:17

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17If the whole body … - The idea in this verse is, that all the parts of the body are useful in their proper place, and that it would be as absurd to require or expect that all the members of the church should have the same endowments, as it would be to attempt to make the body “all eye.” If all were the same; if all had the same endowments, important offices which are now secured by the other members would be unknown. All, therefore, are to be satisfied…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-26Verses 12-26 Christ and his church form one body, as Head and members. Christians become members of this body by baptism. The outward rite is of Divine institution; it is a sign of the new birth, and is called therefore the washing of regeneration, Tit 3:5. But it is by the Spirit, only by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that we are made members of Christ's body. And by communion with Christ at the Lord's supper, we are strengthened, not by drinking the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-21These verses shift from the image of a physical body to the image of the church as a spiritual body. Every part of the body is important and essential for it to work well. Believers should not brag about their spiritual roles or think less of them compared to others. God, who created the body, has placed each part exactly where he wants it (12:18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Superior as the eye is, it would not do if it were the sole member to the exclusion of the rest.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 12:17

• Church

In the dictionaries

• Administration
• Bond
• Covet
• Temper
• Tongues, Gift of
• Church Government
• Communion; (fellowship)
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Ephesians, Epistle to the
• Gift

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings