Verse Lens · Context pointer
1 Corinthians 12:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20But now are they many members, yet but one body.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
This verse holds many members together as one body.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–26
Read 1 Corinthians 12:20 with 12:12–26. This verse holds many members together as one body. The complete unit establishes: Like one body with many members, Christ's community is formed by one Spirit across ethnic and slave/free divisions; no member may exclude self or dismiss another, God gives special honor to parts treated as lacking, and the body's purpose is equal care, shared suffering, and shared joy.
Why It Needs Context
The complete movement in 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 supplies the report, reply, qualification, speaker, or conclusion that gives this line its force; isolated teaching would detach it from those controls.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 — One Body Gives Greater Honor to Members Who Lack ItSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 12:12–26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 12:12–26
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗