Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 14:22

The real point of the above citation from Isaiah comes out in ὥστε αἱ γλῶσσαι εἰς σημεῖόν κ. τ. λ., “And so the tongues are for a sign not to the believing, but to the unbelievers” sc. to “those who will not hear,” who having rejected other modes of instruction find their unbelief confirmed, and even justified (1 Corinthians 14:23 b), by this phenomenon. This interpretation (cf. Matthew 16:4; and for εἰς σημεῖον in the judicial sense, Isaiah 8:18) is dictated by the logical connexion of 1 Corinthians 14:21-22, which forbids the thought of a convincing and saving sign, read into this passage by Cm [2130] and many others. P. desires to quench rather than stimulate the Cor [2131] ardour for Tongues. ἡ δὲ προφητεία κ. τ. λ., “while prophecy on the other hand” (δέ) serves the opposite purpose it “(is for a sign) not to the unbelievers, but to the believing”. οἱ πιστεύοντες implies the act continued into a habit (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:21); οἱ ἄπιστοι, the determinate character. For ὥστε with ind [2132], see note on 1 Corinthians 3:7.

[2130] John Chrysostom's Homiliœ († 407).

[2131] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[2132] indicative mood.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 14:22

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