Translation
Sacrificial love will never, ever fall down or be cast down;
Go to footnote numberhowever, if prophecies, they will be brought down to motionless condition;
Go to footnote numberif tongues, they will cease;
Go to footnote numberif personal, experiential knowledge, it will be brought down to a motionless condition.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Sacrificial love will never, ever fail; however, if there is the uttering of spiritual admonishment, it will be rendered ineffective; if there is speaking in unknown languages, it will come to an end; if there is the expression of personal, experiential knowledge that provides spiritual insight, it will also be rendered ineffective.
Footnotes
1
This is the word for “fall, fail, cast down.”
2
The key idea behind this verb is “to make inactive or motionless” in the sense of “to render inoperable, non-functioning.” The part about it being “brought down” is provided by the preposition “down” which is attached to the verb “to make inactive or motionless.”
3
Here the meaning is “to cease or come to an end.”
4
This is the singular form of the same verb used of prophecies earlier in this verse. It means “to make inactive or motionless” in the sense of “to render inoperable, non-functioning.”
THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF TONGUES AND PROPHECY
The Corinthians were arguing over two things that will not last for eternity (tongues and prophecy); those things are tools that God uses in our lives to strengthen us, but they are only tools for this phase to get us to the next phase. Paul’s point is that they pale in comparison to love.