1 Corinthians — Chapter 14
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1Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
2For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
3But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.
4The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
5I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified.
6Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
7Even in the case of lifeless instruments, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone recognize the tune they are playing unless the notes are distinct?
8Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
10Assuredly, there are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
11If, then, I do not know the meaning of someone’s language, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.
12It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church.
13Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
15What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
16Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
17You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified.
18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
19But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
21It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.”
22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
24But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all,
25and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church.
27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at most three, should speak in turn, and someone must interpret.
28But if there is no interpreter, he should remain silent in the church and speak only to himself and God.
29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
30And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop.
31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
32The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
33For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.
34Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.
35If they wish to inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church.
36Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
37If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, let him acknowledge that what I am writing you is the Lord’s command.
38But if anyone ignores this, he himself will be ignored.
39So, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
40But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.
1Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
3But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
6Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
7And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
10There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
11Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
12Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
13Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
16Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
19Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
20Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
21In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
22Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
23If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
25And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
26How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
30If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
32And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
34Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
36What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
37If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
38But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
40Let all things be done decently and in order.
1Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual [gifts], but rather that ye may prophesy.
2For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for no man understandeth; but in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
3But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men edification, and exhortation, and consolation.
4He that speaketh in a tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5Now I would have you all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy: and greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
6But now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?
7Even things without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they give not a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?
9So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air.
10There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without signification.
11If then I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be to him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh will be a barbarian unto me.
12So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual [gifts], seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the church.
13Wherefore let him that speaketh in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
16Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest?
17For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all:
19howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men.
21In the law it is written, By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers will I speak unto this people; and not even thus will they hear me, saith the Lord.
22Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to the unbelieving: but prophesying [is for a sign], not to the unbelieving, but to them that believe.
23If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues, and there come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad?
24But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all;
25the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
26What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27If any man speaketh in a tongue, [let it be] by two, or at the most three, and [that] in turn; and let one interpret:
28but if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29And let the prophets speak [by] two or three, and let the others discern.
30But if a revelation be made to another sitting by, let the first keep silence.
31For ye all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted;
32and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;
33for God is not [a God] of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,
34let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law.
35And if they would learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church.
36What? was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone?
37If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord.
38But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39Wherefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
40But let all things be done decently and in order.
1Pursue love and be eager for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
2For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit.
3But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.
4The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
5I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.
6Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation or with knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
7It is similar for lifeless things that make a sound, like a flute or harp. Unless they make a distinction in the notes, how can what is played on the flute or harp be understood?
8If, for example, the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?
9It is the same for you. If you do not speak clearly with your tongue, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air.
10There are probably many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning.
11If then I do not know the meaning of a language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.
12It is the same with you. Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.
13So then, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
14If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive.
15What should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, but I will also sing praises with my mind.
16Otherwise, if you are praising God with your spirit, how can someone without the gift say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
17For you are certainly giving thanks well, but the other person is not strengthened.
18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you,
19but in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Instead, be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
21It is written in the law: “By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet not even in this way will they listen to me,” says the Lord.
22So then, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
23So if the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and unbelievers or uninformed people enter, will they not say that you have lost your minds?
24But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or uninformed person enters, he will be convicted by all, he will be called to account by all.
25The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and in this way he will fall down with his face to the ground and worship God, declaring, “God is really among you.”
26What should you do then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.
27If someone speaks in a tongue, it should be two, or at the most three, one after the other, and someone must interpret.
28But if there is no interpreter, he should be silent in the church. Let him speak to himself and to God.
29Two or three prophets should speak and the others should evaluate what is said.
30And if someone sitting down receives a revelation, the person who is speaking should conclude.
31For you can all prophesy one after another, so all can learn and be encouraged.
32Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,
33for God is not characterized by disorder but by peace.As in all the churches of the saints,
34the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. Rather, let them be in submission, as in fact the law says.
35If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.
36Did the word of God begin with you, or did it come to you alone?
37If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, he should acknowledge that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.
38If someone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
39So then, brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid anyone from speaking in tongues.
40And do everything in a decent and orderly manner.
1Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
2For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries.
3But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation.
4He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly.
5Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages, but rather that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up.
6But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?
7Even things without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they didn’t give a distinction in the sounds, how would it be known what is piped or harped?
8For if the trumpet gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war?
9So also you, unless you uttered by the tongue words easy to understand, how would it be known what is spoken? For you would be speaking into the air.
10There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning.
11If then I don’t know the meaning of the sound, I would be to him who speaks a foreigner, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me.
12So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the assembly.
13Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret.
14For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
16Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, seeing he doesn’t know what you say?
17For you most certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up.
18I thank my God, I speak with other languages more than you all.
19However in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in another language.
20Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
21In the law it is written, “By men of strange languages and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people. Not even thus will they hear me, says the Lord.”
22Therefore other languages are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to the unbelieving; but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to those who believe.
23If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy?
24But if all prophesy, and someone unbelieving or unlearned comes in, he is reproved by all, and he is judged by all.
25And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
26What is it then, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has another language, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to build each other up.
27If any man speaks in another language, let it be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret.
28But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the assembly, and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others discern.
30But if a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first keep silent.
31For you all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted.
32The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,
33for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.
34Let the wives be quiet in the assemblies, for it has not been permitted for them to be talking except in submission, as the law also says,
35if they desire to learn anything. “Let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a wife to be talking in the assembly.”
36What!? Was it from you that the word of God went out? Or did it come to you alone?
37If any man thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him recognize the things which I write to you, that they are the commandment of the Lord.
38But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking with other languages.
40Let all things be done decently and in order.
Summary
Paul urges the Corinthians to pursue love while also desiring spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, because prophecy speaks intelligibly to build up the church while speaking in tongues without interpretation edifies only the speaker (vv. 1-5). He illustrates the need for clarity with musical instruments and military trumpets, arguing that unintelligible speech is useless for communication, and that anyone speaking in tongues in the assembly should pray for the ability to interpret (vv. 6-13). He explains that praying only with the spirit leaves the mind unfruitful, so he insists on praying and singing with understanding as well, since an outsider cannot say "Amen" to something they cannot comprehend (vv. 14-19). Paul reasons that tongues function as a sign mainly for unbelievers while prophecy builds up believers and can even convict an outsider who hears their heart's secrets exposed (vv. 20-25). He then lays out practical order for worship — only two or three should speak in tongues, each followed by interpretation, and prophets should speak in turn and yield to one another, since God is a God of peace, not confusion — including instruction for women to remain silent and submissive in that setting, and closing with the call for everything to be done properly and in order (vv. 26-40).
Authorship & Background
Deep Dive
Setting: Paul writes from Ephesus in about AD 53–55. This chapter ends the section on spiritual gifts (chapters 12–14). Chapter 12 showed that the Spirit gives different gifts to different members of one body, and chapter 13 that love is the way every gift must be used. Now Paul applies both to the Corinthians' actual meetings. Picture a few dozen believers crowded into a house. Several people are speaking in tongues at once, prophets are talking over each other, and visitors are wondering what is going on. Paul does not shut the gifts down. He gives one test for everything said in church: does it build others up? The word "build up" (oikodomeō, oikodomē, from the word for building a house) runs through the chapter (vv3, 4, 5, 12, 17, 26).
Prophecy and Tongues (vv1–25)
- "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (v1). The order matters. Love is to be pursued, chased like a runner after a goal. Gifts are to be desired. Love comes first and shapes which gifts to want: the ones that serve others best.
- "One who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God" (v2). Tongues, as Paul describes them here, are directed to God in prayer and praise (vv14–17). Without interpretation no one else understands. "He utters mysteries in the Spirit" means things hidden from the hearers, not necessarily deep secrets. (The King James adds "unknown" before "tongue" in this chapter, printed in italics because it is not in the Greek.)
- "Upbuilding and encouragement and consolation" (v3). This is the clearest description of New Testament prophecy anywhere. It speaks to people, in words they understand, to strengthen them, urge them on and comfort them. "Encouragement" (paraklēsis) is related to the word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit, the Helper or Comforter (John 14:16).
- "The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself" (v4). Paul is not scolding here. Being built up in one's own faith is good (Jude 20). But the church meeting is for building up others, and that is where prophecy is "greater."
- "I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy" (v5). Paul is not against tongues. "I want" expresses a wish, like 7:7, where he says he wishes everyone were single as he is. It does not mean everyone will (12:30). "Unless someone interprets": an interpreted tongue does build up the church, and then it works much like prophecy.
- "If I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you…?" (v6). Paul imagines himself visiting Corinth and speaking only in tongues. What use would that be? They need revelation, knowledge, prophecy or teaching: words that make sense.
- "The flute or the harp… the bugle" (vv7–8). Three instruments. A flute or a harp playing random notes is not music. A battle trumpet giving an unclear signal leaves the army confused about whether to attack or retreat. Sound is not enough. It has to carry meaning.
- "You will be speaking into the air" (v9). Talking to the wind: noise, but nothing reaches anyone.
- "I will be a foreigner to the speaker" (v11). The word is barbaros. Greeks used it for anyone who did not speak Greek, because foreign languages sounded to them like "bar-bar-bar." Paul says uninterpreted tongues turn brothers and sisters into foreigners to each other in their own church.
- "Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church" (v12). "Manifestations of the Spirit" is literally "spirits." Paul redirects their eagerness rather than crushing it. Want to excel? Excel at building others up.
- "My spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful" (v14). When Paul prays in a tongue, his spirit is truly engaged with God, but his mind does not grasp the words, and it bears no fruit for others either. The tongues-speaker should therefore pray for the ability to interpret (v13).
- "I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also" (v15). Paul does not choose between heart and head. Both belong in worship. "Sing praise" (psallō) originally meant playing a stringed instrument, and later singing praise. Early Christian worship was full of song (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19).
- "How can anyone in the position of an outsider say 'Amen'…?" (v16). "Amen" is Hebrew for "it is true" or "so be it." Saying "Amen" after a prayer meant joining in it and making it one's own (Neh 8:6; Ps 106:48). The Greek word for "outsider" here is idiōtēs, a private person or layman, someone untrained. In vv16, 23 and 24 it probably means an inquirer or new believer who does not have the gift, perhaps sitting in a special place in the meeting. (Our word "idiot" comes from it, but that meaning is much later.)
- "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you" (v18). A striking claim from the man correcting the abuse of tongues. Paul is not criticizing from outside. Since we never see him speaking in tongues in public in Acts or the letters, his use was apparently mainly in private prayer.
- "Five words with my mind… than ten thousand words in a tongue" (v19). "Ten thousand" (myrioi) was the largest Greek number word, the root of "myriad." Five clear words outweigh countless unclear ones.
- "Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil" (v20). The Corinthians were impressed by the spectacular, as children are by noise and color (13:11). Paul wants them innocent as infants toward evil, but grown up in their thinking (Matt 10:16).
- "By people of strange tongues… I will speak to this people" (v21). Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11–12. He calls it "the Law," meaning the Old Testament Scriptures as a whole (as Jesus does in John 10:34). In Isaiah, Israel's leaders mocked God's prophet, saying his plain teaching was like baby talk. God replied that, since they would not listen to plain words, he would speak to them through the foreign tongue of Assyrian invaders. Hearing a language they could not understand would be a sign of judgment. And "even then they will not listen."
- "Tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers" (v22). This is one of the hardest verses in the chapter, because vv23–25 seem to show the opposite: tongues drive unbelievers away and prophecy wins them. Most interpreters resolve it through Isaiah 28. Tongues are a sign to unbelievers in the sense of a sign against them, a mark of judgment on people who refuse to listen. They confirm the hearer's distance from God and do not draw him in. Prophecy is a "sign for believers," a mark of God's presence with his people, and it can bring an unbeliever to faith. Others read "sign" more broadly. Either way, the practical point is clear: in the gathered church, prophecy helps outsiders and uninterpreted tongues do not.
- "Will they not say that you are out of your minds?" (v23). "Out of your minds" (mainesthe) is the word for frenzy. To a pagan visitor, a room full of people speaking in tongues at once would sound like the ecstatic cults of Dionysus. The gospel would be mistaken for one more mystery religion.
- "He is convicted by all… the secrets of his heart are disclosed" (vv24–25). When God's word is spoken plainly, an unbeliever finds himself searched and seen (Heb 4:12–13; John 4:29). The woman at the well was won by being known.
- "Falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you" (v25). This echoes Isaiah 45:14, where the nations come to Israel and say, "Surely God is in you." It is the goal of Christian worship: not that visitors are impressed with the church, but that they meet God there.
- Commentators: All three agree that Paul ranks prophecy above tongues in church because it is understood. Matthew Henry puts the principle plainly: "Public worship should be performed so as to be understood," and "What cannot be understood can never edify." He adds on vv24–25 that truth "plainly and duly taught, has a marvellous aptness to awaken the conscience, and touch the heart." Guzik insists that "builds up himself" (v4) is not a rebuke but simply describes a gift aimed at God, and he stresses that Paul valued tongues highly in private prayer. JFB notes that the speaker is built up because he understands what he is praying in his spirit, and reads the trumpet of v8 as the signal for attack or retreat. On v22, JFB and Guzik both read the Isaiah quote as making tongues a sign of judgment on unbelief. Guzik admits openly that the verse sits in tension with vv23–25, mentions J. B. Phillips's suggestion that a copyist reversed the words, and prefers to read the hard verse in light of the clear ones that follow.
Orderly Worship (vv26–40)
- "Each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation" (v26). A rare glimpse into an early Christian meeting. There was no single preacher doing everything. Many people contributed what God had given them. "Hymn" is literally "psalm," which may be a psalm of Scripture or a new song. The rule over all of it: "Let all things be done for building up."
- "Two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret" (v27). Three limits on tongues in church: a cap on the number, one at a time, and interpretation required.
- "Keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God" (v28). If no interpreter is present, the gift is still real but is to be used quietly, in private prayer. A speaker can choose to stay silent, which shows the gift is not an uncontrollable seizure.
- "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said" (v29). "Weigh" is diakrinō, to evaluate or tell apart, the same word as "discerning" in 11:29 and related to "distinguishing between spirits" in 12:10. New Testament prophecy was not beyond question. It was to be tested against Scripture and the apostles' teaching (1 Thess 5:20–21; 1 John 4:1). This is one reason many scholars see church prophecy as different in kind from Old Testament prophecy or Scripture itself.
- "If a revelation is made to another… let the first be silent" (v30). Courtesy in the Spirit: no one should hog the floor.
- "The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets" (v32). This is a key line. Genuine prophecy does not take a person over. The prophet stays in control and can wait his turn. That was a sharp contrast with pagan oracles, like the priestess at Delphi, who were thought to be seized by the god in a frenzy.
- "God is not a God of confusion but of peace" (v33). The reason behind the rules. Disorder in worship misrepresents God. The Spirit who brought order out of chaos at creation (Gen 1:2) does not bring chaos into the church.
- "As in all the churches of the saints" (v33). Translations differ on whether this phrase ends v33 or begins v34. The ESV puts it with v34, making the instruction about women a practice shared by all churches. Others attach it to "God is not a God of confusion."
- "The women should keep silent in the churches" (v34). This is a difficult passage, and faithful Christians read it in several ways. The plain difficulty is 11:5, where Paul assumes women pray and prophesy in church. So "silent" cannot mean total silence. The main views:
- Judging prophecy. The silence applies to the weighing of prophecies in v29. Women were not to take part in publicly judging prophets, especially their own husbands, since that was a work of church authority. Many complementarian scholars hold this view.
- Disruptive questions. Verse 35 points to asking questions: "If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home." Many women of the time had little education, and questions called out during the meeting were disrupting worship. Paul tells them to learn at home instead.
- A general rule of order. Some read it as a broader limit on women speaking with authority in the gathered church, alongside 1 Timothy 2:11–12, while still allowing the praying and prophesying of chapter 11.
- A later addition. In a handful of Western manuscripts, vv34–35 appear after v40 instead of here. A few scholars, notably Gordon Fee, argue the verses were a marginal note later copied into the text. Every known manuscript includes them, though, and most scholars hold they are original and that the move was a copyist's attempt to tidy the flow.
- "As the Law also says" (v34). No Old Testament verse commands women to be silent. Paul probably means the creation order of Genesis 2 (as in 11:8–9), or perhaps Genesis 3:16, as the Tyndale notes and JFB suggest.
- "Or was it from you that the word of God came?" (v36). Sharp irony. The Corinthians acted as if the gospel had started with them, or reached only them. They were not free to invent their own practices apart from the other churches (11:16).
- "A command of the Lord" (v37). Anyone claiming to be a prophet or "spiritual" (pneumatikos, the Corinthians' favorite word) will prove it by recognizing Paul's apostolic authority. True spiritual gifts do not compete with the word of Christ's apostle. They submit to it.
- "If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized" (v38). A play on words. The one who refuses to acknowledge Paul's teaching is not acknowledged, either by the church as a true prophet or, more seriously, by God (8:3). Some manuscripts read "let him be ignorant," as in the King James.
- "Earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues" (v39). Paul's summary of three chapters. Seek the gift that builds others up most. Do not ban the one that has been misused.
- "All things should be done decently and in order" (v40). "Decently" (euschēmonōs) means fittingly, in a becoming way, the opposite of "rude" in 13:5. "In order" (kata taxin) was used of soldiers in formation. The aim is not stiff formality but worship that fits a God of peace.
- Commentators: On order in worship, all three agree. Henry: "God is not the God of confusion, but of peace and good order," and disorders "are to be carefully kept out of all Christian churches." JFB quotes John Newton on v40: "Church government is the best security for Christian liberty." Guzik stresses that v32 rules out wild, uncontrolled behavior as a sign of the Spirit, and that order in worship should be lively, not dead. They differ on vv34–35. Henry reads them as forbidding women to teach in the assembly: they must "not set up for teachers." JFB reads public speech by women as a show of independence from their husbands, contrary to 11:3. Guzik holds that chapter 11 assumes women may pray and prophesy, and takes the silence to concern the judging of prophecy or disruptive talk. He cites a claim that the verb laleō here means chatter. The lexicon notes that sense in classical Greek, but in the New Testament laleō is the ordinary word for "speak," and it is the same verb Paul uses for speaking in tongues and prophesying throughout this chapter. So the word itself cannot settle the question. None of the three discusses the manuscripts that move vv34–35.
Pointing to Christ
God's purpose in giving gifts is that outsiders will fall on their faces and say, "God is really among you." That was always the promise of Immanuel, "God with us" (Matt 1:23). Jesus himself spoke so that people understood, and his words searched hearts: "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did" (John 4:29). He is the Word made flesh, God speaking plainly and finally (Heb 1:1–2), and the church's words build up only as they point to him. He is also the God of peace, not confusion, who calmed the storm with a word (Mark 4:39).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines prophecy vs. tongues, the priority of edification, the guidelines for orderly worship, and the difficult passage on women.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org The instruction about women keeping silent, and the readings that have been offered of it.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Prophecy Builds Up the Whole Church (v.3) — Paul says prophecy speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort, which is why he prioritizes it over gifts that only benefit the speaker. In your own words and actions toward others, are you aiming to build people up, or mostly to express yourself?
- Clarity Over Impressiveness (v.19) — Paul says he would rather speak a few understandable words than a great many that no one comprehends. In how you talk about your faith, are you prioritizing being understood, or sounding impressive?
- Edification as the Test (v.26) — Paul's governing principle for worship is that everything done should build people up. How would your own church's gatherings measure up if edification were the standard used to evaluate them?
- God's Character Reflected in Peace, Not Confusion (v.33) — Paul says God is a God of peace, not disorder, and worship should reflect that. Does the way you personally engage in corporate worship reflect peace and purpose, or distraction and chaos?
- Order That Serves the Spirit's Work (v.40) — Paul closes by insisting everything be done decently and in order. How do you hold together being open to the Spirit's leading while still valuing order and consideration for others?