1 Corinthians 14:31-35

Vers. 31-33a. “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33a. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”

Ver. 31 might be understood in this sense: “Thus it may happen that those who prophesy to-day will in their turn be taught and exhorted to-morrow.” Each member will alternately play an active and a passive part. But in that case Paul would have said: καὶ οὕτω, and so, rather than γάρ, for. The true meaning seems to me to be this: “For you must all have it in your power to fill the prophet's function one after another” (of course: those who have the gift of prophecy); now this is what could not be done except by observing the rule given in 1 Corinthians 14:30. Supposing, indeed, that a prophet had spoken indefinitely, he would have prevented the others from declaring what God revealed to them for the instruction or comfort of the Church. And thus is explained the second part of the verse: many members of the Church would have been deprived of the light and strength God wished to communicate to them by means of those other prophets who had been prevented from uttering their message. But this arrangement, of course, rested on a supposition: to wit, that the prophet was able to exercise the control necessary to restrain, if it was needed, the outburst of the prophetic inspiration which animated him. And this supposition the apostle now lays down as a reality in 1 Corinthians 14:32.

Vv. 32. The καί here signifies: and indeed. The terms: of the prophets and to the prophets, have sometimes been referred to different persons, as if Paul meant that the prophets should be humble enough to subordinate themselves to the other prophets, either by accepting their judgment (1 Corinthians 14:29), or by consenting to give place to them (1 Corinthians 14:30). So Calvin, Bleek, Rückert, etc. But it would be impossible to explain on this view why Paul should say: “ the spirits of the prophets,” rather than the prophets themselves. And instead of are subject or subject themselves, it would require to run: should subject themselves. Hofmann also justly remarks that Paul would have said in this sense simply ἀλλήλοις : “should subject themselves to one another. ” It is not without purpose that he brings the term prophets in the Greek into immediate contact with itself, as if to describe the reaction which every prophet is capable of producing on himself. The fact here enunciated by the apostle is of a psychological nature. He declares that the prophetical breathings or inspirations do not carry the prophet away without his consent or against his will. In chap. 1 Corinthians 12:2, he began by reminding the Corinthians of the state of passivity to which they were formerly accustomed when, in the midst of heathenism, they were carried away blindly by diabolical inspirations. It is not so with the operation of the Divine Spirit; this does not deprive the prophet of his liberty. Consequently he has no right to make inspiration a pretext for refusing to submit to the rules laid down by the apostle. The plural πνεύματα, spirits, here denotes, as in 1 Corinthians 14:12, the particular impulses and revelations granted to the prophets. Heinrici and Holsten contrast the prophet with the glossolalete, who, according to them, did not enjoy the same liberty in regard to his inspirations. This surely is a mistake; for 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 would be unintelligible if he did not enjoy his full liberty in relation to the Spirit. Divine inspiration differs from diabolical, in the fact that the latter takes man from himself, it is a possession, whereas the former restores him to himself. The present ὑποτάσσεται signifies, not are subject, but subject themselves, and that at the very moment when the prophet wills it.

Vv. 33a. The general maxim stated in this verse is the foundation of all the preceding injunctions. The term ἀκαταστασία denotes the disorder of a whole whose parts are at strife with one another, and εἰρήνη, peace, harmony of a whole, all whose parts act in concert. God dwells only in a whole of this second kind. The axiom justifies the rules which Paul has been giving, for without them the Church could only present a spectacle of complete disorder, which would banish God out of it.

There remains a last injunction, also essential, in the apostle's view, to the good order of the Church, that regarding the speaking of women in the assemblies. Paul has purposely reserved this point for the last. For it was not till after imposing silence conditionally on the prophets that he could think of imposing it on women.

Vers. 33b-35. “As in all the Churches of the saints, 34. let your women keep silence in the Churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35. If they will learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the Church.”

The last words of 1 Corinthians 14:33 are joined, by many commentators, to what precedes. But how could Paul say: “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the Churches of the saints”? He would have required to say: “God is among you a God...,” or: “God is a God...as is seen in all the Churches...” As they stand, the words: as in all the Churches..., cannot evidently depend on the preceding clause, which is a general maxim regarding the character of God. Besides, this clause is in close logical relation to the argument of 1 Corinthians 14:36: “Did the Word go forth from you, or did it come to you only?” And it is this very thing, probably, which has led several Latin copyists to transpose 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, putting them after 1 Corinthians 14:40, in order thus to connect more directly the last words of 1 Corinthians 14:33 with 1 Corinthians 14:36. The addition of the verb διατάσσομαι, I ordain, to the end of 1 Corinthians 14:33, in two of the Greco-Lat. MSS. which have made this transposition, is due to the same cause. From this point of view the clause was read as follows: “So I ordain in all the Churches of the saints;” then the text continued with 1 Corinthians 14:36: “Or did the Word of God come out from you...?” In other terms: Do you think you have the right to put yourselves above the rules followed by all the other Churches? Thus the words of 1 Corinthians 14:33 b and of 1 Corinthians 14:36 were put as referring to all the rules given in this chapter regarding the use of glossolalia and prophecy; and as the injunction relative to women broke this connection, some Greco-Lat. documents were led to transpose 1 Corinthians 14:33-34 after 1 Corinthians 14:40. But it is to be remarked that no document rejects these verses, which guarantees their authenticity, wrongly suspected by Heinrici and positively attacked by Holsten. Moreover, the latter himself recognises the impossibility of connecting the last words of 1 Corinthians 14:33 with the preceding context. Only he does not find the connection with the sequel much more tenable: because, says he, the word Churches in 1 Corinthians 14:33 denotes the communities of believers, whereas in 1 Corinthians 14:34 it can only designate their assemblies for worship. But these two meanings are so closely connected with one another, that they may perfectly well be used here side by side. “All the assemblies (groups of believers) have their customs; and to these customs belong the silence of women in the assemblies (meetings for worship).” This meaning is perfectly suitable. Holsten again asks why, if these words are really Paul's, we have here: “the Churches of the saints,” and not, as in 1 Corinthians 11:16: “the Churches of God. ” The answer is easy: The saints, distributed in Churches, locally speaking, yet form only one great spiritual whole; the Corinthians should not isolate themselves from this community of saints by adopting customs rejected by all the rest of the body, such as the speaking of women in the assemblies. The term ἅγιοι, saints, expresses the venerable character which belongs to such customs.

Vv. 34. Here we have the principal proposition, on which depends the ὡς..., as..., of 1 Corinthians 14:33 b. The pronoun ὑμῶν, of you (if it is authentic), must form an antithesis to τῶν ἁγίων, of the saints. It may be made dependent on the ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, in the assemblies, which follows; in this sense: “Your assemblies should resemble those of the other saints.” But it is more natural, seeing the position of the pronoun, to connect it with αἱ γυναῖκες, women. “Let your women behave like those of the saints in all the Churches.” The authenticity of the word appears to me guaranteed by the combined authority of two of the three families of MSS., and by the support of the Peschito. Not being necessary to the clause, it was easily omitted.

There is a touch of irony in the following clause, if, with the T. R., we read the infinitive, ὑποτάσσεσθαι, to be subject: “It is not allowed to them to speak, but to be subject.” This irony is in keeping with the context. It disappears if, with the Alex., we read the imperative: ὑποτασσέσθωσαν, let them be subject!

The words. as saith the law, refer to Genesis 3:16: “Thy husband shall rule over thee.” It is obvious that the apostle regards speaking in public as an act of authority exercised over the congregation which listens; comp. 1 Timothy 2:12. And as the attitude of authority over the man is contrary to that of obedience which was imposed on the woman during the present economy, he draws the conclusion that the speaking of the woman in public is in contradiction to the position assigned to her by the Divine will expressed in the law. It is easy to see why the apostle substitutes the general idea: to be subject, which relates to the whole life of women, for that of not speaking in the assemblies; it is because the silence of women in worship is only an application of the general condition of subordination which is imposed on them in relation to man. Of course the law contained nothing regarding the part of women in the assemblies; but, by determining the character of their life in general, it had, according to Paul's view, indirectly settled the question. Comp. Colossians 3:18; Ephesians 5:22. The καί, also, puts on the same level the apostle's precept (1 Corinthians 14:34 a) and God's declaration in Genesis, so certain is Paul that he speaks as he does in virtue of the will of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Here, as tacitly in 1 Corinthians 14:19, the ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ, in Church, is opposed to ἐν οἰκῷ, at home, in private. The word αἰσχρόν, shameful, misbecoming, seems very strong. Paul sees in the public speaking of woman a mode of acting contrary to the attitude enjoined on her both by nature and the command of the Creator; comp. 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. He does not say criminal, immoral; it is a question of propriety or modesty.

Vv. 35. Several commentators, Heinrici for example, draw from this verse the conclusion that the speaking forbidden to women, 1 Corinthians 14:34, is neither teaching, nor prophecy, nor discoursing in tongues, but solely the mania of raising questions in the assembly, and so posing as teachers under pretence of asking explanations. If they have questions to put, they should reserve them for the house, and address them to their husbands. But, even in this sense, the right to teach in the Church would be none the less denied to them by the apostle. For if women cannot put questions without going out of their sphere and shocking decorum, much less can they teach without committing an impropriety. But more than this: the meaning thus sought to be given to 1 Corinthians 14:35, by restricting it by 1 Corinthians 14:36, is contrary to the true relation between the two verses. The particle εἰ δέ, and moreover if, which begins 1 Corinthians 14:35, introduces, not a simple explanation, but a gradation: “And even if they would learn something, they ought to abstain from asking in the congregation; they should reserve their questions to be submitted to their husbands in private.” The form εἰ δέ, and if, is therefore founded on the fact that questioning was the case of least gravity, the one which seemed most naturally to admit of exception. But this very exception Paul rejects; for he knows how easily, under pretext of putting questions, women could elude the prohibition which forbade their public speaking. Woman belongs to the domestic hearth, so that a simple public question on her part would alone be an impropriety; for by putting her on a public stage, as it were, such an act would go contrary to the modesty of her destined sphere. To be remarked is the adjective ἰδίους, their own husbands; they ought to do nothing to affect the bond of dependence which unites each of them to her husband. Holsten asks how this applies to those who have husbands insufficiently instructed, or to those who have husbands yet heathen (chap. 7), we may add: or to those who have no husband at all. But these last are regarded as living in the house of their parents, to whom they can naturally turn; and as to the others, they are special cases which will find their solution in practice, without Paul's needing to point it out. It is enough for him to settle in a summary way woman's moral position and duty.

Conclusion as to the preaching of women.

In chap. 11 we have already treated of the relation of this prohibition to the authorisation granted to women to prophesy or pray, implicitly contained in 1 Corinthians 14:5 of this chapter. Our study of chap. 14 confirms the idea that the word λαλεῖν, to speak, in this chapter, cannot apply merely to simple questions, or vain gossiping, in which women might indulge with one another during worship. The term speaking in the Church, especially in a chapter where it is applied throughout to the glossolaletes and prophets, can only designate a public speaking, which has for its end to teach and edify. Thus, then, while referring to the observations presented on the subject in chapter xi., we think we shall not be far from the apostle's view if we thus state the result of the two passages taken together: “As to women, if, under the influence of a sudden inspiration or revelation, they wish to take the word in the assembly to give utterance to a prayer or prophecy, I do not object; only let them not do so without having the face veiled. But in general, let women keep silence. For it is improper on their part to speak in church.”