"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
— 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)
The Bible line people look up as through a glass darkly is 1 Corinthians 13:12 in the King James wording: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." This page is that phrase and a plain reading. The longer meaning page is 1 Corinthians 13:12 meaning. Related lines are Love never fails Bible verse and Faith, hope and love Bible verse.
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The verse
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV) says, "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
The KJV's "glass" is a looking-glass — a polished metal mirror (esoptron), not a dirty window. "Darkly" translates en ainigmati: in a riddle, or dimly. The ESV says "in a mirror dimly." Same Greek sentence.
What through a glass darkly means
Paul is finishing an argument inside the love chapter. Partial prophecy and partial knowledge belong to the time of the mirror. Face-to-face sight belongs to when completeness comes (verses 9–10). The mirror still shows a real face. It is not yet open sight.
"Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" means our partial knowing will be brought up to the clarity with which God already knows us. We are already fully known. The future is our sight catching up.
How this sits in 1 Corinthians 13
Verse 8 says love never fails while gifts pass (Love never fails Bible verse). Verse 11 is putting away childish ways (1 Corinthians 13:11). Verse 12 is the sight those gifts wait on. Verse 13 says faith, hope, and love remain, and love is greatest (Faith, hope and love Bible verse). The whole chapter is 1 Corinthians 13.
Questions people ask
What Bible verse says through a glass darkly?
1 Corinthians 13:12 in the King James Version. Modern translations say "in a mirror dimly" or "only a reflection as in a mirror," then "face to face."
What does through a glass darkly mean?
It means we now see through a mirror, in a riddle — a true but indirect sight — and that then we will see face to face. It is not a proverb about every confusing week.
Is "glass" a window or a mirror?
A mirror. Older English used "glass" for a looking-glass. The Greek is esoptron.
Does this mean we know nothing of God now?
No. A mirror reflects a real face, and "I know in part" is still knowing. Paul is saying present sight is real and incomplete, not empty.
Where should I read next?
For the longer reading, go to 1 Corinthians 13:12 meaning. For love never fails, go to Love never fails Bible verse. For the chapter, go to 1 Corinthians 13.
