Book of 1 Corinthians · Chapter 14 of 16
40 verses · 21 video commentaries from 8 courses · Berean Standard Bible
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.
1 Cor 14:1-40
Paul, in 1 Corinthians, attempts to regulate charismatic speech within the Corinthian community, not to forbid it. He states that he himself engages in charismatic speech and suggests that glossolalia is not valid unless there is an interpreter, indicating a desire for order rather than outright rejection.
Summarized by AI · Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Lecture 10: Charisma and Christianity | Cyprian and the Bishops · watch the clip
Paul understood his communities to be organized by spiritual gifts (charismata) given by the Holy Spirit to each baptized member. These gifts, such as teaching, administration, healing, or prophecy, were meant to enable the community to function effectively, much like different parts of a human body working together.
Summarized by AI · Earliest Christian Heresies · Lecture 8: The Victory of Orthodoxy · watch the clip
The passage about women's silence appears within a broader discussion where Paul addresses the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues in Corinth. He notes that many, potentially including women, are engaging in this practice, possibly to gain status, but often without interpretation, leading to disorder.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:26-40
Paul addresses disorder during communal meals and charismatic practices in Corinth, noting divisions and unequal distribution of food. He instructs that spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues and prophecy should be exercised for mutual edification, with only a few speaking at a time, in turn, and with interpretation, to maintain decorum and understanding.
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1 Cor 14:26-33
Paul's First Corinthians letter reveals that the Corinthian church, despite significant problems like disorganization, immorality, and chaotic worship, lacked formal leaders such as pastors, bishops, or elders. The community was intended to be led by the Holy Spirit through individual spiritual gifts, which proved problematic in practice.
Summarized by AI · Earliest Christian Heresies · Lecture 8: The Victory of Orthodoxy · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:1
Paul was concerned about the Corinthians' boasting and pride, particularly regarding their spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues or prophetic speech. He felt they were using these gifts for personal distinction and notoriety rather than out of genuine spiritual inspiration.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why Paul Clashed with the So-Called Super Apostles · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:2
The New Testament describes speaking in tongues differently in Acts (known foreign languages) versus 1 Corinthians (unknown languages, possibly angelic). Modern manifestations of speaking in tongues are likely a psychological condition, where individuals, after being prepared and encouraged, enter an emotional state that produces non-linguistic vocalizations, rather than a supernatural gift of the Spirit.
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1 Cor 14:33-36
The instructor believes that the passage in 1 Corinthians 14, which instructs women to be silent in churches, was likely an interpolation. Although present in all manuscripts, there are strong reasons to doubt its originality, suggesting it was added to the text later.
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1 Cor 14:33-34
First Corinthians 14:33-34 contains a passage where Paul seemingly commands women to be silent in church and to ask their husbands questions at home. However, many scholars argue these verses were not originally part of Paul's letter, citing that just three chapters earlier (1 Corinthians 11), Paul explicitly states that women pray and prophesy aloud in church, indicating an active speaking role.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Must Women Keep Silent? What Were Jesus' and Paul's Actual Views of Women in the Church? · watch the clip
The verses in 1 Corinthians 14:33-34, where Paul instructs women to be silent in churches and ask their husbands at home, are present in all manuscripts but appear in different locations in some. This textual variation leads some scholars to believe these verses originated as a marginal note by a scribe, which was later incorporated into the main text, rather than being part of Paul's original letter.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Who Changed the Bible, and Why? · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:34-36
Paul's letter to the Corinthians instructs women to be silent in churches, forbidding them from speaking and requiring them to be subordinate, as the law dictates. If they wish to learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home, as it is considered shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
The command for women to be silent in 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 seems to contradict Paul's generally egalitarian views expressed elsewhere, such as in Galatians 3:28, where he promotes inclusivity and acknowledges women in positions within the church.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
One interpretation suggests that Paul's instruction for women to be silent is not a general prohibition but a specific admonition within the context of the Corinthian church. It might address women who were engaging in disruptive 'speaking in tongues' or status-seeking behavior, urging them to cultivate other spiritual gifts like interpretation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
Another theory proposes that the verses commanding women's silence (1 Corinthians 14:34-36) are an interpolation, meaning they were added later by someone else, possibly in the second century. This addition would have been intended to curb women's authority in the church by leveraging Paul's name.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
A third possibility suggests that some lines in the passage about women's silence might be original to Paul but have been displaced or misunderstood within the letter. This view allows for parts of the text to be authentic while acknowledging potential issues with its current placement or interpretation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Paul Really Tell Women to Be Silent in Church? · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:34-35
Bart Ehrman distinguishes a textual variant, a wording that differs between surviving manuscripts, from an interpolation, an addition found in every manuscript that the author did not write. The story of the woman taken in adultery at the end of John 7 and the start of John 8 is not original to John but counts as a variant, because some manuscripts have it and some do not. First Corinthians 14:34-35, where Paul tells women not to speak in church, is in every surviving manuscript, yet Ehrman says there are very good reasons to think Paul did not write it, a judgment that cannot be settled from the manuscripts alone.
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The early collection and copying of Paul's letters were not standardized, leading to textual issues such as the combining of multiple letters into one, as seen in 2 Corinthians. This lack of central control over copying means that some passages, like a debated section in 1 Corinthians, may have been later scribal additions, impacting our understanding of Paul's original statements on women and gender.
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A passage in 1 Corinthians states that women should be silent in churches, not permitted to speak, and should be subordinate as the law says. They are instructed to ask their husbands at home if they wish to learn, as it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Many scholars, however, believe this passage is a later scribal interpolation due to its intellectual, literary, and textual inconsistencies with Paul's other teachings.
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Proctor raises a hypothesis some scholars hold: since the Pastoral Epistles put ideas about women into Paul's mouth that break from Paul, and 1 Corinthians 14 uses very similar language, perhaps people linked to that movement, or later readers who owned both 1 Timothy and 1 Corinthians, interpolated the passage into 1 Corinthians 14. He presents it as a possibility and says it shows how Paul's later readers, who copied and read his texts, shaped how his letters reach us.
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The verses in 1 Corinthians 14, which instruct women to remain silent and be subordinate in churches, appear to be an interpolation rather than original to Paul's letter. This is supported by the fact that these verses contradict Paul's earlier statements in 1 Corinthians 11, where he gives instructions for women praying and prophesying in church, implying they do speak. Additionally, the passage disrupts the flow of Paul's argument about prophecy, suggesting it was inserted later by a scribe.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Paul Said WHAT About Women? Debunking Misused Bible Verses · watch the clip
1 Cor 14:38
Paul expresses frustration with divisions within the Corinthian church, where members align with different leaders like Apollos or Peter. He asserts his authority by stating that those who do not recognize his teachings will not be recognized by God, and he threatens to confront their 'power' directly upon his arrival.
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