1 Cor. 13:5. Does not think evil.
Love, he says, enduring every evil, is not provoked to anger, and not only does not do evil in revenge, but does not even think about it. Notice that everywhere he does not say: love envies but stops itself, is provoked but overcomes — rather, he says, it does not allow any evil whatsoever to appear even at its very beginning — as here too: "thinks no evil." And this was said to the Corinthians so that they would not repay offense with offense.
1 Cor. 13:6. Does not rejoice in unrighteousness.
That is, it does not rejoice when someone suffers injustice, experiences violence and insult.
1 Cor. 13:6. But rejoices with the truth.
But, he says, what is far more important, he rejoices together with those who are in good repute, and counts it as his own glory when the truth prospers. This is against the envious.
1 Cor. 13:7. Bears all things.
And insults, and beatings, and death. Such a quality is granted to it by the long-suffering inherent in it. This is against those who devise evil.
1 Cor. 13:7. Believes all things.
Love believes all things that the beloved says, for love itself speaks nothing falsely, and does not suppose that another speaks falsely either.
1 Cor. 13:7. Hopes all things, endures all things.
Love, he says, does not despair of the beloved, but hopes that he is always ascending to what is better. This he said to those who despair. If beyond expectation it should happen that the beloved persists in evil, she bears his faults courageously. For she, he says, "endures all things." This is addressed to those who easily fall into enmity.
1 Cor. 13:8. Love never fails.
That is, it never deviates from its goal, but brings everything to fulfillment; or, what is even better, it is not interrupted, not cut short, never ceases, but continues even in the age to come, when everything else will be abolished, as the apostle will say further on.
1 Cor. 13:8. Although both prophecies will cease and tongues will fall silent.
Having enumerated the offspring of love, he again exalts it in another manner, namely, he says that both prophecy and tongues will cease, but love will abide constantly and eternally. For if prophecies and tongues exist so that faith may be received more readily, then, once faith has spread everywhere, naturally they, being superfluous, will cease — both in the present age, and especially in the age to come.
1 Cor. 13:9-10. And knowledge will be abolished. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will cease.
If knowledge will be abolished: will we then live in ignorance? By no means! But he says that knowledge "in part" will be abolished when perfect knowledge comes, that is, the knowledge proper to the future life. For then we will know not merely as much as we know now, but far more. For example, we know even now that God exists everywhere, but how this is, we do not know; that the Virgin gave birth, we know, but how this is, we do not know. But then we will learn about these mysteries something greater and more beneficial.
1 Cor. 13:11. When I was a child.
Having said that with the coming of the perfect "that which is in part" will be done away with, he at the same time presents an example by which he explains how great the difference is between present and future knowledge. For now we are like infants, but then we shall be men.
1 Cor. 13:11. Then I spoke as a child.
This corresponds to languages.
1 Cor. 13:11. I thought as a child.
This corresponds to the prophecies.
1 Cor. 13:11. I reasoned as a child.