1 Corinthians 12:17

Contextual Overview

¹² A person has only one body, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body. Christ is like that too. ¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹² For as the body is one and hath many mebres and all the membres of one body though they be many yet are but one body: even so is Christ. ¹² For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Messiah. ¹² For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, form one body, so it is with Christ.Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Galatians 3:16; Ephesians 4:4,16;">[xr] ¹² For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹² A person's body is one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also. ¹² For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 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. ¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Corinthians 12:21, 1 Corinthians 12:29, 1 Samuel 9:9, Psalms 94:9, Psalms 139:13-16, Proverbs 20:12

Cross-References

Genesis 12:14
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:14
And it came to pass, that, when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very fair.

Genesis 12:14
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:14
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:14
And it came to pass, that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she [was] very fair.

Genesis 12:14
It happened that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:14
And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:14
And so whanne Abram hadde entrid in to Egipt, Egipcians sien the womman that sche was ful fair; and the prynces telden to Farao, and preiseden hir anentis him;

Genesis 12:14
And it cometh to pass, at the entering of Abram into Egypt, that the Egyptians see the woman that she [is] exceeding fair;

Genesis 12:14
So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If the whole body were an eye,.... And nothing else,

where were the hearing? there would be no ear, and so no sense of hearing: and if the whole were hearing: or only consisted of a member capable of the sense of hearing,

where were the smelling? there would be no nose, the organ of smelling, and that sense would be wanting: thus if the church only consisted of ministers of the Gospel, of men of eminent light and knowledge, qualified for the preaching of the word to others, there would be no hearers; and on the other hand, if it only consisted of hearers, of such who only could hear the word to their own advantage, there would be none of a quick understanding, or of a quick smell to discern perverse things, to distinguish truth from error, to discern spirits, and direct the rest of the members to wholesome and savoury food, and preserve them from what would be hurtful and pernicious to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If 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 with their allotment; all are to be honored in their appropriate place.