Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 14:16

“Since if thou bless (God) in spirit”: πνευματι, anarthrous “in spirit ” only without understanding; cf. ἐὰν προσεύχ. γλώσσῃ, 1 Corinthians 14:14. Εὐλογέω (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16; Matthew 14:19) is used elliptically, of praise to God, like εὐχαριστέω (1 Corinthians 14:17; 1 Corinthians 11:24); it bears ref [2088] to the form, as εὐχ. to the matter of thanksgiving; possibly P. alludes to the solemn act of praise at the Eucharist, this ellipsis being peculiar to blessing at meals. ἐπεί (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 7:14) has its “usual causal and retrospective force, introducing the alternative” (El [2089]; so quandoquidem, Bz [2090]; alioqui, Cv [2091]). ὁ ἀναπληρῶν τὸν τόπον τοῦ ἰδιώτου, πῶς ἐρεῖ κ. τ. λ.; “he who fills the position of the unlearned, how will he say the Amen at thy thanksgiving?” P. does not here speak of ὁ ἰδιώτης simply (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:24), as meaning one unversed in Christianity; nor can this word, at so early a date, signify the lay Christian specifically (as the Ff [2092] mostly read it); the man supposed “ holds the place of one unversed” in the matter in question being an ἰδιώτης γλώσσῃ (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:6): Thd [2093] rightly paraphrases by ἀμύητος, uninitiated. In cl [2094] Gr [2095], ἰδιώτης means a private person in distinction from the State and its officers, then a layman as distinguished from the expert or professional man. The ptp [2096] ἀναπληρῶν, filling up (see parls.), represents the ἰδιώτης as a necessary complement of the γλωσσολαλῶν (1 Corinthians 12:30). Hn [2097] and others insist on the literal (local) sense of τόπος, as equivalent to ἕδρα not τάξις, supposing that the ἰδιώται occupied a separate part of the assembly room; but this is surely to pre-date later usage. The united “Amen” seals the thanksgiving pronounced by a single voice, making it the act of the Church “ the Amen,” since this was the familiar formula taken over from Synagogue worship; cf. 2 Corinthians 1:18 ff. On its ecclesiastical use, see El [2098] ad loc [2099], and Dict., of Christian Antiq s.v. ἐπειδή τί λέγεις οὐκ οἶδεν = the οὐδεὶς ἀκούει of 1 Corinthians 14:2. El [2100] observes, “From this ver. it would seem to follow that at least some portions of early Christian worship were extempore”. indeed, it is plain that extempore utterance prevailed in the Cor [2101] Church (cf. 14 f.).

[2088] reference.

[2089] C. J. Ellicott's St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.

[2090] Beza's Nov. Testamentum: Interpretatio et Annotationes (Cantab., 1642).

[2091] Calvin's In Nov. Testamentum Commentarii.

[2092] Fathers.

[2093] Theodoret, Greek Commentator.

[2094] classical.

[2095] Greek, or Grotius' Annotationes in N.T.

[2096] participle

[2097] C. F. G. Heinrici's Erklärung der Korintherbriefe (1880), or 1 Korinther in Meyer's krit.-exegetisches Kommentar (1896).

[2098] C. J. Ellicott's St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.

[2099] ad locum, on this passage.

[2100] C. J. Ellicott's St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.

[2101] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 14:16

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