Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Corinthians 14:26

τί οὖν ἐστίν; Not ‘how is it,’ as A.V., but (see 1 Corinthians 14:15 and note) what is it? what then is the state of the case? i.e. to what condition has your self-seeking brought you?

ψαλμὸν ἔχει. The Apostle here reproves another fault. Not only are the Corinthians ambitious rather of the gifts which attract attention than of those which do good to others, but in the exercise of those gifts the same spirit of self-assertion creeps in to the utter destruction of all Church order. Each member of the teaching body (ch. 1 Corinthians 12:29 forbids us to include the whole Church) had his own special subject to bring before the Church; some hymn of praise, unpremeditated or otherwise, some point of Christian doctrine to enforce, some hidden mystery to reveal, some utterance in a foreign tongue, or some interpretation peculiar to himself of such utterance. This he desired to deliver just when the impulse seized him to do so, and all with a view of claiming prominence for himself, rather than of promoting the common welfare. The consequence was an amount of disorder which prevented the striking picture of the true effects of Christian prophecy in the last verse from being realized. For the various gifts mentioned in this verse see 1 Corinthians 14:2; 1 Corinthians 14:6; 1 Corinthians 14:13, and notes. The word psalm must be understood of a song of praise addressed to God, such as the Psalms of David, though it is by no means to be confined to them. Cf. Ephesians 5:19.

πρὸς οἰκοδομήν. See ch. 1 Corinthians 6:12; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 10:23; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Corinthians 12:19; 2 Corinthians 13:10. The Apostle corrects two errors in this section: (1) the disorderly manner in which the services of the Church were carried on; (2) the practice of women speaking in the public assembly.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Corinthians 14:26

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