1 Corinthians 14:29

14:26-33 Religious exercises in public assemblies should have this view; Let all be done to edifying. As to the speaking in an unknown tongue, if another were present who could interpret, two miraculous gifts might be exercised at once, and thereby the church be edified, and the faith of the hearers confirmed at the same time. As to prophesying, two or three only should speak at one meeting, and this one after the other, not all at once. The man who is inspired by the Spirit of God will observe order and decency in delivering his revelations. God never teaches men to neglect their duties, or to act in any way unbecoming their age or station.

1 Corinthians 14:29-33 . Let the prophets speak — In succession; two or three — And not more, at one meeting; and let the others judge — And compare one doctrine with another for the further improvement of all. Or, the sense may be, Let the others, who have the gift of discerning spirits, διακρινετωσαν , discern whether they have spoken by inspiration or by private suggestion. If any thing be revealed to another — If to another, who sitteth by, hearing a prophet speak, any thing be revealed, let the first finish his discourse and be silent, before the other attempts to speak. For in this way ye may all prophesy — Who have that gift; one by one — That is, one after another; that all may learn — Both by speaking and by hearing; which you could not do if many were speaking at once. The apostle supposes here, that when a spiritual man was speaking in the church by inspiration, something relating to the same, or to a different subject, might be revealed to another prophet who was sitting by, hearing him. In such a case, the rule to be observed was, the first was to be silent, that is, was to finish what he had to say before the other began to speak, as is plain from the reason of the rule given in the next verse.

For the spirits of the prophets — Or the spiritual gifts bestowed on them, as the word πνευματα is rendered, 1 Corinthians 14:12 , and ought certainly to have been rendered here; are subject to the prophets — the meaning of the apostle is, that the impulses of the Holy Spirit, even in men really inspired, so suited themselves to their rational faculties, as not to divest them of the government of themselves, as was the case with the heathen priests and priestesses under their diabolical possessions; whom evil spirits often threw into such ungovernable ecstasies, as forced them to speak and act like mad persons. “Few of them,” says Bishop Potter, ( Antiq., 1 Corinthians 2:12 ,) “that pretended to inspiration, but raged after this manner, foaming and yelling, and making a strange, terrible noise, sometimes gnashing their teeth, shivering and trembling, with a thousand antic motions. In short these rapti and Deo pleni, (persons enrapt and full of the god,) were beside themselves, and absolutely mad during the time of their inspirations.” But the Spirit of God left his prophets the clear use of their judgment, when and how long it was fit for them to speak, and never hurried them into any improprieties, either as to the matter, manner, or time of their speaking. Let all enthusiasts consider this!

{14} Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. (14) The manner of prophesying: let two or three propound, and let the others judge of that which is propounded, whether it is agreeable to the word of God or not. If in this examination the Lord indicates that nothing was wrong, let them give him leave to speak. Let every man be admitted to prophesy, severally and in his order, so far forth as it is required for the edifying of the church. Let them be content to be subject to each other's judgment.

29 . Let the prophets speak two or three ] The same rule was to hold good of preaching. Those who felt that they had something to communicate must notwithstanding be governed by the desire to edify their brethren. The Church was not to be wearied out by an endless succession of discourses, good indeed in themselves, but addressed to men who were not in a condition to profit by them. It would seem that two or three short discourses, either in the vernacular, or, if there were any one present who could interpret, in some foreign tongue, took the place in Apostolic times of the modern sermon. “Let the presbyters one by one, not all together, exhort the people, and the Bishop last of all, as the commander.” Apostolical Constitutions (circ. a.d. 250) ii. 57. and let the other judge ] Either (1) the other prophets, or (2) the whole congregation. If the former be the correct interpretation, it refers to the gift of discerning of spirits (ch. 1 Corinthians 12:10 ). The latter may be defended on the ground that St Paul constantly (ch. 1 Corinthians 10:15 , 1 Corinthians 11:13 ) appeals to the judgment of his disciples, and that he considered (ch. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 , cf. 1 John 2:20 ; 1 John 2:27 ) that all the people of God had the faculty of discerning the spiritual value to themselves of what they heard in the congregation. For the word translated judge see ch. 1 Corinthians 11:29 ; 1 Corinthians 11:31 , and note.

(29) Let the prophets speak. —Here follows the application, to those who had the gift of prophecy, of the general principle, Let all be done to edification. Only two or three prophets are to speak in each assembly on each occasion; the others (not “other,” as in English version) who had the gift are to sit by silent and judging, i.e., determining whether the utterances were from the Spirit of God. (See 1Corinthians 12:3 , and 1John 4:1-3 .) If, however, while one prophet was standing speaking there came a sudden revelation of truth to some other prophet who was sitting by, the speaker would pause, and the other prophet give utterance to the inspiration which had come to him. The suddenness of the revelation would show that it was a truth needed there and then, and so should find utterance without delay.

1 Corinthians 14:29 . Προφῆται δὲ , but let the prophets ) An Antithesis to those who speak in an unknown tongue . Prophecy, strictly so called, is opposed to revelation , 1 Corinthians 14:6 ; prophecy , used in a wider sense, (as well as revelation ) is opposed to knowledge: ibid . Again, comprehending knowledge , it is opposed to tongues , 1 Corinthians 14:4 .— λαλείτωσαν , let them speak ) supply ἀνὰ μέρος , one by one , 1 Corinthians 14:27 .— οἱ ἄλλοι , the rest ) viz., of the prophets.— διακρινέτωσαν , decide [ judge ]) even by word of mouth.

29. two or three—at one meeting (he does not add "at the most," as in 1Co 14:27, lest he should seem to "quench prophesyings," the most edifying of gifts), and these "one by one," in turn (1Co 14:27, "by course," and 1Co 14:31). Paul gives here similar rules to the prophets, as previously to those speaking in unknown tongues. judge—by their power of "discerning spirits" (1Co 12:10), whether the person prophesying was really speaking under the influence of the Spirit (compare 1Co 12:3; 1Jo 4:13).

Verse 29. - Two or three. If more than two or three preached, the congregation would get weary. Let the other judge; rather, let the rest discriminate the value of what is said. "Prophesyings" are not to be despised, but we are only to hold fast what is good ( 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21 ), and we are "to try the spirits" ( 1 John 4:1 ). St. Paul is not encouraging the Corinthians to the consoriousness of conceited and incompetent criticism, but only putting them on their guard against implicit acceptance of all they hear; which was a very necessary caution at a place where so many teachers sprang up. 1 Corinthians 14:29