1 Corinthians 13:5

Doth not behave itself unseemly,.... By using either unbecoming words, or doing indecent actions; for a man unprincipled with this grace will be careful that no filthy and corrupt communication

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Not behave itself unseemly - in not uncourteous.

Doth not behave itself unseemly; he doth not behave himself towards any in an uncomely or unbeseeming manner, and will do nothing towards his brother, which in the opinion of men shall be a filthy or indecent action. Seeketh not her own; he doth not seek what is his own, that is, what is for his own profit or advantage only; he hath an eye to the good and advantage of his brother, as well as his own profit and advantage. Such a man is not easily provoked; he is not without his passions, but he is not governed by his passions, and overruled by them to fly out extravagantly against his brother upon every light and trivial occasion; he knows how to bear injuries, and is willing rather to bear lesser wrongs, losses, and injuries, than to do any thing in revenge of himself, or to the more remarkable prejudice of his neighbour. He thinketh no evil, that is, no mischief, nothing that may be hurtful and prejudicial to his neighbour. Or else, he doth not rashly suspect his neighbour for doing evil (which possibly may be the better interpretation); and so it teacheth us, that lightly to take up evil reports of our neighbours, is a violation of charity; for the man that hath a true love to his brother, though he may believe evil of his brother, and charge him with evil, when it evidently appears to him that he is guilty; yet before that be evident to him, he will not suspect, nor think any such things of him.

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Ver. 5. Behave itself unseemly] οισχημονει, or, doth not disgrace any one. Is not easily provoked] παροξυνεται, falls not into any sharp fit, as they did, Acts 15:39, so as that her teeth are set on edge, or that she should show her anger by the trembling of the body. Thinketh no evil] Is not suspicious, or doth not meditate revenge.

(5) Thinketh no evil.—That is, does not dwell upon the evil done to her.

Verse 5. (6.) Doth not behave itself unseemly] ουκασχημονει, from α, negative, and σχημα, figure, mein; love never acts out of its place or character; observes due decorum and good manners; is never rude, bearish, or brutish; and is ever willing to become all things to all men, that it may please them for their good to edification. No ill-bred man, or what is termed rude or unmannerly, is a Christian. A man may have a natural bluntness, or be a clown, and yet there be nothing boorish or hoggish in his manner. I must apologize for using such words; they best express the evil against which I wish both powerfully and successfully to declaim. I never wish to meet with those who affect to be called "blunt, honest men;" who feel themselves above all the forms of respect and civility, and care not how many they put to pain, or how many they displease. But let me not be misunderstood; I do not contend for ridiculous ceremonies, and hollow compliments; there is surely a medium: and a sensible Christian man will not be long at a loss to find it out. Even that people who profess to be above all worldly forms, and are generally stiff enough, yet are rarely found to be rude, uncivil, or ill-bred. (7.) Seeketh not her own] ουζητειταεαυτης. Is not desirous of her own spiritual welfare only, but of her neighbour's also: for the writers of the Old and New Testament do, almost every where, agreeably to their Hebrew idiom, express a preference given to one thing before another by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negative of that which is contrary to it. See Bishop Pearce, and see the notes on 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 10:24; 1 Corinthians 10:33. Love is never satisfied but in the welfare, comfort, and salvation of all. That man is no Christian who is solicitous for his own happiness alone; and cares not how the world goes, so that himself be comfortable. (8.) Is not easily provoked] ουπαροξυνεται. Is not provoked, is not irritated, is not made sour or bitter. How the word easily got into our translation it is hard to say; but, however it got in, it is utterly improper, and has nothing in the original to countenance it. By the transcript from my old MS., which certainly contains the first translation ever made in English, we find that the word did not exist there, the conscientious translator rendering it thus:-It is not stirid to wrath. The New Testament, printed in 1547, 4to., the first year of Edward VI., in English and Latin, has simply, is not provokeed to angre. The edition published in English in the following year, 1548, has the same rendering, but the orthography better: is not provoked to anger. The Bible in folio, with notes, published the next year, 1549, by Edmund Becke, preserves nearly the same reading, is not provoketh to anger. The large folio printed by Richard Cardmarden, at Rouen, 1566, has the same reading.

5. doth not behave itself unseemly] The Vulgate renders unseemly by ambitiosa; Erasmus by fastidiosa; Wiclif by coveitous; doth not frawardly, Tyndale. But see note on ch. 1 Corinthians 12:23, where a word of similar derivation occurs. Also ch. 1 Corinthians 7:36; and cf. Romans 1:27; Revelation 16:15. Here it means ‘is not betrayed by a sense of superiority into forgetfulness of what is due to others.’seeketh not her own] See ch. 1 Corinthians 10:24; 1 Corinthians 10:33.is not easily provoked] οὐπαροξύνεται. The ‘contention’ between Paul and Barnabas is, according to the Greek, a παροξυσμός. Acts 15:39.thinketh no evil] So the Vulgate and other versions. Rather, imputeth not the evil, i.e. bears no malice. St Chrysostom explains it by “is not suspicious.” See Romans 4, where the word is translated indifferently ‘reckoned’ and ‘imputed.’

Doth not behave itself unseemly - (οὐκἀσχημονεῖ ouk aschēmonei). This word occurs in 1 Corinthians 7:36. See the note on that verse. It means to conduct improperly, or disgracefully, or in a manner to deserve reproach.

5. Behave… unseemly—Lovelessness cares not how offensive its demeanour towards others. It cares not how much mortification it creates in other breasts by its coarse, offensive, or haughty style.