1 Corinthians 14:34-40
As in all of the churches of the holy ones, let the women
say nothing trivial about this. For it
has not been permitted to speak for them.
But let them submit, just as the Law also says. And if they desire to learn anything, let
them ask the husband in their own home.
For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or did the Word of God go out from you
all? Or did it come into you all
only? If anyone thinks to be a prophet
or a spiritual person, let him acknowledge that which I write to you all
because it is a command of the Lord. And
if anyone refuses to think about it, he is not to be thought about. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, deeply
commit to prophesy and do not prevent speaking in tongues. And let all things become properly and
according to good order.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought
There is an incredibly important understanding to get out 1
Corinthians 14:34. Most translations
have Paul saying, “Let the women be silent.”
As if Paul is saying that they are not permitted to speak at all! This teaching goes grossly against what we
know about Paul’s life experience. When
Paul went to Philippi, it was the women to whom he first proclaimed the
Gospel! In fact, it was Lydia’s house
that was used as the first church in Philippi!
When Paul went to Corinth he met up with Priscilla and Aquila, who were
a husband and wife team who then came to Ephesus. Paul trained them to both make
disciples. Paul sends Phoebe to Rome to
deliver his letter to them – the book of the Bible we now call Romans. Paul’s life experience does not say anything
about muzzling women in the church to keep them silent! But when we actually look at the Greek text,
we discover that the word doesn’t mean “to be silent.” The word means “to preserve a secret.” You can translate it as “to keep quiet about
a particular topic.” But it is really an
admonition against gossiping and idle chatter.
Paul isn’t saying that women shouldn’t talk. Paul is saying that when women are talking
about the church and its teachings that they shouldn’t do it in a manner that takes
away the honor and respect that it truly deserves. The teachings of the church are not trivial
and should not be spoken about frivolously!
That’s Paul’s point. He never
says that women are not allowed to speak.
He says women should be about preserving the respect and honor that the
teachings deserve.
If you would like to see another place in scripture where
this same verb is used, look at Luke 9:36.
There you see the three inner disciples “saying nothing” after the
transfiguration. Clearly this verb doesn’t
mean to not speak, but rather to not speak frivolously or trivially. You can also see Luke 20:26, which is a place
where the religious leaders “keep silent” about Jesus because they cannot
refute what He is teaching. Clearly they
do not stay silent against Jesus. They
just choose to not speak trivially about that which they cannot win the argument. They pick their places and topics about which
they speak because that is where they are knowledgeable. That’s Paul’s point here.
Why is it important to understand the intent of the Greek
verb in 1 Corinthians 14:34? How has
this sentence been abused in the church?
Knowing what the verb actually means, does it make sense for Paul to say
this?
Second Thought:
Now we need to talk about what Paul says in 1 Corinthians
14:35. I have to ask the question, “Does
Paul really think it is shameful for a woman to speak in church?” Again, remember the examples of Lydia,
Phoebe, and Priscilla that I’ve lifted up earlier. Furthermore, remember that 1 Corinthians 11:5
has already implied that Paul doesn’t mind women praying or prophesying in
church so long as their heads are covered.
So to interpret this verse as saying that it is shameful for women to speak
at all in church would put 1 Corinthians 11:5 and 1 Corinthians 14:35 in direct
conflict. Rather, I believe 1
Corinthians 14:35 is speaking about the general context of the passage, which
if we will remember is about speaking in tongues and interpreting
prophecies. These can be highly
emotional moments where confusion is easily stumbled upon. This, then, pairs nicely with what we learned
about the verb in 1 Corinthians 14:34.
Paul isn’t prohibiting speech as much as he is giving advice to keep away
from confusion. If someone has a
question or needs clarification, let that be handled in the home where a
serious and deep conversation can be had at length. Let the public gatherings be times of
concrete teaching where truth is stated and accepted. Everyone knows that people learn better in
smaller groups where questions can be asked, answered, and handled more
precisely anyways. That is just how it
should be. So what Paul is saying in 1
Corinthians 14:35 isn’t that certain people cannot speak ever. He is saying that if there are questions or
distracting thoughts, they should not be handled in the gathering space for
everyone as such things usually only breed confusion.
Do you agree with this point? In general, are questions better handled in
the small group or in one-on-one meetings?
Third Thought:
Paul ends this passage with a point of grace, which further
enforces everything said in this post and in the past few posts. Paul is concerned most with prophesy and
order. Remember that in the Biblical
world a prophet is a forth-teller, not a fore-teller. A prophet in the Bible is not a person who
predicts the future but a person who brings God’s truth to others. This whole chapter is about paying attention
to truth and allowing truth to be brought about in a space free of
confusion. In Corinth, it would seem that
when the gathering was happening that confusion was occurring from two main
sources: people speaking in tongues and women muddying the time with too many
questions or unhelpful assertions. As we
end this chapter, we hear Paul again reiterate that we are not to be legalists
who condemn certain behavior. Rather, we
are to be realists who intentionally create time and space for certain things
to happen. Paul wants to reinforce with
the Corinthians that their community gathering time should have a place for truth-telling. That space for truth-telling needs to be free
of distractions. It needs to be proper
and in good order.
Do you have a space in your life for truth telling to
happen? Are you always the truth teller
or do you receive truth?
Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
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