1 Corinthians Chapter 14 Breakdown

1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

Men should always pursue the love of your neighbor. Also, desire the spiritual gifts and especially prophesy. We have already saw the evidence for how loving your neighbor comes directly from the Torah, in terms of how to love a neighbor.

Paul goes into the issues within the church, and the worship and teaching portions of the Sabbath day and how there was a lot of commotion and in fighting going on. He addresses these issues of speaking in tongues and contradictory women within the church, within this portion of his letter. He prefaces this by saying, the gifts are a good thing. However, he will go on to say they need to be used correctly.

2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

The man with the gift of tongues does not have this gift for men, but for God. Men do not understand or hear what he is saying. But, in the spirit he is speaking the unknown things.

3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

However, the prophet speaks the education of, encouragement in, and relief of the scripture to men.

4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Speaking in tongues educates ones self, but prophecy educates everyone in the church.

5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Paul then says it would be good if everyone spoke with tongues, but even better if everyone was a prophet. The prophet is better than speaking of tongues, unless the speaking in tongues also interprets the tongues. Basically, the education of the church is better than the education of the individual.

6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?

Speaking in tongues is not enough because it wont help anyone else. But, speaking of revelation, knowledge, prophesying, and teaching will help the whole church.

7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?

For example, instruments make certain sounds in order to tell what instrument is being played. This is the same idea as speaking in tongues. If you don’t understand the sounds coming out of the mouth, you do not know how to interpret those sounds. How does that benefit anyone?

8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

The trumpet is used to signal for battle. If the trumpet makes a different sound, no one will get ready to go to war and will ultimately have problems.

9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

Unless your speaking in tongues is easily understood by others, no one will know what is being said by you. Basically, you will be speaking only to yourself. This seems to be a big problem within the church of Corinth.

10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.

All the languages in the world have their significance, and there are many languages within the world.

11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

If you speak in tongues, and others in the church do not know the language in which you speak, he is basically a foreigner to you.

12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

Being zealous for the spiritual gifts is a good thing, just be sure your gifts are being used for the education of the Word to others in the church.

13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

Any who speaks in tongues should pray for the ability to interpret the words he speaks.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

Praying in tongues is fruitful for your spirit, but your understanding does not advance.

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

These men should pray in the spirit and also pray with understanding, sing with the spirit, and sing with understanding. Use the interpreters for understanding. Rely on each other for edification.

16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

Blessing in tongues, which only plays a role in the spirit if there is no interpreter, does not benefit the uniformed. If they do not understand what you are saying, they cannot ask God to make it come to pass.

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

Just because you are doing well in giving thanks, does not mean you are helping others in their understanding.

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Paul thanks God for his gift of speaking in tongues, but in the church he prefers to speak with the language he understand because he can edify others.

20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

You should do all you can to understand in your heart and mind and not be ignorant of the word of God. Avoid the understanding of wickedness, but in the understanding of truth, be mature.  

21 In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 28:11-12

For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

Paul quotes from the prophets concerning the actions of the church of Corinth. They speak in tongues about the rest, but the church do not, and cannot hear or understand.

22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

The speaking of tongues, Paul concludes are for signs for the unbelievers. Prophesying however, is for those who do believe.

23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

If everyone in the church are speaking in different tongues and no one can understand each other, then a non-believer walks in, they will think everyone had gone mad.

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.

On the other hand, if everyone in the church is speaking prophecy and a non-believer comes in, he would be convinced by everyone because they are speaking to each other, and edifying each other. The non-believer will be convicted by all.

25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

With prophesying in front of a non-believer and each man understanding the next, edifying one another, the non-believer will see his secrets be revealed and fall down to worship God and make claim that God is truly among the church.

26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

Not everyone can come in to the church and tell their own Psalm, teaching, tongue, revelation, or interpretation. This causes a lot of distraction and confusion.

27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.

There should be only a small number of speakers at a time, each taking their own turn, and using an interpreter to help with understanding.

28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.

If there is no man in the church who can interpret someone’s tongue, that man with the tongues should just be quiet. He can speak with God by himself.

29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

Deuteronomy 19:15

One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

Only two or three prophets should speak and the rest of the church shall judge. This same idea can be found also in the Law of God.

30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.

If something is revealed to one of the two or three, let that man speak and the other(s) be quiet.

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

Each can prophecy, but do it one at a time so everyone can hear, understand, learn, and be encouraged.

32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

The spirits of the prophets are subjected to the prophets understanding. This is why there should only be two or three at a time and the rest judge accordingly.

33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

YHWH does not write, and teach instability, but rather of peace.  

34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.

Genesis 3:16

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

The women in the church, from looking into the issue through multiple different commentaries on this particular verse, seem to have been causing much disruption during the teaching. They were interrupting and contradicting what men were saying and doing so publicly causing embarrassment to their husbands. This is a violation of God’s law given at the fall of man.

35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.

This verse is the main reason I believe what I stated above. The woman should be asking her “own” husband at “home”.

36 Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?

Did the word of God originally come from women or men? Does the word of God stop at the woman?

37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

Anyone who think he is a prophet or even spiritual should understand that what Paul writes are the commandments of God. With this verse we can see that Paul absolutely teaches the commandments, a.k.a. the Law of God. He is not giving new commandments. He is a man and has no authority to change God’s Law. We don’t see anywhere in the prophets where God says we will give new laws, and we don’t see Jesus giving new laws. Therefore, when we read this from Paul, we can determine he only teaches what he knows from the Torah.

38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.

If anyone is does not understand what Paul teaches, let him continue to ignore that Paul teaches the Law of God.

39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

You should desire to obtain the gift of prophecy, but you should not forbid the gift of tongues.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

All things should be done graciously and in their prescribed order.