1 Corinthians 14:12

“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of inspirations, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church.”

Several have made the first three words of the verse a separate proposition: Even so ye; that is to say: “Ye also would be as barbarians to one another, if ye spoke in tongues without interpretation.” But the asyndeton which would follow from this construction, in relation to the following proposition, would be without good reason. The οὕτω indicates the inference to be drawn from what precedes: “ So, since distinct language is necessary to your being understood, take care, in view of the Church's good, to develop the spiritual gifts which you love, so as to make yourselves more and more intelligible.” One cannot help feeling that there is something slightly ironical in the words: forasmuch as ye are zealous...; “since ye are so eager for manifestations of this kind.” There is an allusion here, as Edwards says, to the spirit of ostentation which led them to seek gifts.

The plural πνεύματα, spirits, has given commentators much concern. The word cannot be identified with spiritual gifts, πνευματικά in general; it implies something more special. It must be taken as a strong individualizing of the Holy Spirit, not in the sense of many personalities, as Hilgenfeld thinks, who makes a comparison between spirits thus understood and the evil spirits in cases of possession of which the gospel speaks; but in the sense that the one Divine principle spoken of in chap. 12 manifested itself in transient and very various breathings of inspirations in the assemblies of the Church; comp. 1 Corinthians 14:26-27. This extraordinary form of the Spirit's influence, of which tongues were the most emphatic manifestation, was that in which the Corinthians loved above all to enjoy the presence of this Divine principle. The apostle does not absolutely combat this disposition, but he seeks to guide it: “Well and good! Seek inspirations, but such as will always serve the good of the Church, and not the gratification of the curiosity of some or the vanity of others!” To this end prophecy should have the preponderance, or tongues be accompanied with interpretation.

The regimen: for the edification of the Church, is placed first by inversion; it depends, of course, on the verb περισσεύητε. The apostle is fond of this sort of construction, which sets in relief the regimen containing the principal idea; comp. 1 Corinthians 3:5, 1 Corinthians 7:17; 1 Corinthians 9:15, etc. Meyer and others prefer to connect this regimen directly with ζητεῖτε, seek, for the reason that otherwise the regimen should have been placed after this verb, immediately before ἵνα, that. But this reason is not at all decisive, and the meaning is simpler in the former case: “You seek inspirations; let it only be in the interest of the Church, and not in your own, that you seek to abound in this respect” (see Edwards).

This general conclusion, drawn in 1 Corinthians 14:12, is expressed in 1 Corinthians 14:13-15 in a concrete and practical form.