Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
Let two or three prophets speak one by one in turn in the gathered church, yielding when another receives a revelation, and let the others weigh what is said rather than accept it without examination. This keeps the meeting from confusion and impatient interrupting so that all may learn and be comforted and peace be preserved, requiring only a temporary silence while another is speaking. Prophecy here means speaking by God's inspiration to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, including foretelling future events, and it is the best of the gifts because it builds up the church and was not abolished but is expected in the closing work of the gospel. This weighing of prophecy does not forbid women to pray or prophesy with proper decorum and submission, since all may prophesy one by one, while the command to keep silence restrains disruptive, unsubmissive and confusing speech such as questioning and disputing. The church therefore has the responsibility to limit, assess and regulate claims made through the gifts by careful study, because gifts can be abused and excitement alone does not prove a movement scriptural.
Setting and Wording
The verse stands within a chapter aimed against particular evils, wrongs and irregularities reported from the Corinthian church. It is part of Paul's correction of errors reported from Corinth, showing that even men were at times to refrain from speaking when speech would be out of order and produce confusion. That correction belongs to a connected argument about spiritual gifts beginning in chapter 12, setting forth the greater way of love in chapter 13, and continuing in chapter 14. The division between these chapters can hide how the teaching on love and the desire for spiritual gifts leads into the instructions in chapter 14.
It gives directions for worship when the church is gathered together, with surrounding instructions about tongues and interpretation requiring public speech to be understandable and to edify those listening. The passage in 1 Corinthians 14:23-40 is an example of apostolic authority in church affairs, yet it supplies no evidence that the apostles possessed authority to change God's law or the Sabbath. Prophecy here means speaking to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, not only the prophetic ministry of figures such as Isaiah and Daniel. It includes both foretelling future events by God's inspiration and teaching, and speaking for God in a way that edifies the church, which makes it greater for that purpose than uninterpreted tongues.
On one reading held by some, the verse does not describe an ordinary regular public religious service but a church court meeting for discussion and debate on church matters and for election of church officers. On that reading, letting two or three prophets speak means candidates for positions were to be heard in turn one after another to prevent two or three or many speaking at once. Letting the other judge means all the other members were to judge the qualifications of each candidate and make their selections accordingly. The command for women to keep silence and ask their husbands at home then belongs to these church courts to prevent much discussion, not to preaching in regular meetings.
Orderly Speaking and Judging
Only two or three prophets are to speak before the church, and the rest are to judge what is said. They are to speak one by one in turn, not three or four at once in confusion, and if a revelation comes to another the first is to yield and give way. This shows that prophetic speaking is governed in order and submission, and that prophets remain able to govern their own speaking. The gift is not confined to one person or a few, and no prophet is to claim preeminence over the others. Since the whole church assembled embraces the sisters, all may prophesy one by one in a becoming and orderly way.
The others are to judge or discern what is spoken rather than accept it without reflection. The congregation’s accredited teachers are to examine claimed inspiration for agreement with the truth and the analogy of faith, after the manner of questioning, objecting, judging and refuting. A wise elder may explain what is being said, so that earnest and even noisy worship is joined with understanding and the gathering remains orderly. The church in this way has responsibility and authority to judge claims made through gifts and to regulate disorder, because gifts can be abused and must be carefully studied.
The rule guards against confusion from impatient interrupting, so that all may learn and be comforted and peace be preserved. The silence required is temporary silence while another is speaking, not permanent silence from all prophetic speech. Even men were at times not to speak, as in the directions about tongues and prophecy, so the command for silence concerns speech out of order that causes confusion. Prophecy here means speaking to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, not only the ministry of figures such as Isaiah and Daniel.
Gifts are to be intelligible and used appropriately as need arises according to God’s will and the church’s needs, not exercised on personal whim or choice. A tongue is a real earthly language understood by its speaker though not by the hearers, and speaking in tongues is of little value to the church unless someone interprets. Prophecy, as speaking for God and teaching, edifies the church and is greater for that purpose. All public speech in the meeting is to be done with understanding to edification, where believers and unbelievers come to listen and learn.
This requires audible public prayer in the assembly, not only silent communion of the spirit with God. Praying is as public as prophesying unto men to edification, and both are to be done openly with understanding. Prayer must not be made in an unknown tongue without an interpreter, because listeners who do not understand cannot be edified; if all prayer were secret it might as well be in an unknown tongue.
Gifts, Women, and Testing
Prophecy stands as the best of the spiritual gifts because of its purpose and use for the church, exercised in the apostolic time when prophets spoke and others judged, and expected to be exercised in the closing work of the gospel, which shows the gifts including prophecy were not abolished but remain part of God's plan. Prophets existed after John, since at least some of the apostles were prophets. The various gifts of the Spirit are necessary for the completeness and unity of the church as a body, and the instruction of 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 was given to silence boasting over them.
The gifts are pounds and talents, coins of the highest value coming from God, and even the lowest gift is of inestimable value when used rightly. Knowing they are received from God must keep Christians from self-exaltation and being puffed up and from glorying as if the gift was not received, and must lead to sober self-estimate according as God has dealt the measure of faith. The orderly speaking and weighing of prophecy, with two or three speaking in turn and the others judging so the church may learn and be comforted without confusion, does not forbid women to pray or prophesy. Since the whole church assembled embraces the sisters, all may prophesy one by one, and women may speak publicly with proper decorum and modest reserve and submission and without taking authority over others.
The following restriction on women to keep silence limits disruptive, unsubmissive and confusing speech such as asking questions, disputing or dictating in the assembly, not every word, prayer or song. Even men were at times not to speak, for only two or three prophets were to speak while others judged, which shows the silence concerns speaking out of order that causes confusion. Prophetic speech in the meeting is to be assessed by others rather than accepted without reflection, so passionate or noisy worship is to be joined with understanding and a wise elder may explain what is being said to keep the gathering orderly. The church has responsibility and authority to limit, assess and regulate claims made through gifts after careful study, rather than accept every claimed spiritual influence without examination, because the gifts can be abused and tongues with excitement alone do not prove a movement scriptural and such manifestations may be unscriptural.
Let two or three prophets speak one by one in turn in the gathered church, yielding when another receives a revelation, and let the others weigh what is said rather than accept it without examination. This keeps the meeting from confusion and impatient interrupting so that all may learn and be comforted and peace be preserved, requiring only a temporary silence while another is speaking. Prophecy here means speaking by God's inspiration to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, including foretelling future events, and it is the best of the gifts because it builds up the church and was not abolished but is expected in the closing work of the gospel. This weighing of prophecy does not forbid women to pray or prophesy with proper decorum and submission, since all may prophesy one by one, while the command to keep silence restrains disruptive, unsubmissive and confusing speech such as questioning and disputing. The church therefore has the responsibility to limit, assess and regulate claims made through the gifts by careful study, because gifts can be abused and excitement alone does not prove a movement scriptural.
Setting and Wording
The verse stands within a chapter aimed against particular evils, wrongs and irregularities reported from the Corinthian church. It is part of Paul's correction of errors reported from Corinth, showing that even men were at times to refrain from speaking when speech would be out of order and produce confusion. That correction belongs to a connected argument about spiritual gifts beginning in chapter 12, setting forth the greater way of love in chapter 13, and continuing in chapter 14. The division between these chapters can hide how the teaching on love and the desire for spiritual gifts leads into the instructions in chapter 14.
It gives directions for worship when the church is gathered together, with surrounding instructions about tongues and interpretation requiring public speech to be understandable and to edify those listening. The passage in 1 Corinthians 14:23-40 is an example of apostolic authority in church affairs, yet it supplies no evidence that the apostles possessed authority to change God's law or the Sabbath. Prophecy here means speaking to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, not only the prophetic ministry of figures such as Isaiah and Daniel. It includes both foretelling future events by God's inspiration and teaching, and speaking for God in a way that edifies the church, which makes it greater for that purpose than uninterpreted tongues.
On one reading held by some, the verse does not describe an ordinary regular public religious service but a church court meeting for discussion and debate on church matters and for election of church officers. On that reading, letting two or three prophets speak means candidates for positions were to be heard in turn one after another to prevent two or three or many speaking at once. Letting the other judge means all the other members were to judge the qualifications of each candidate and make their selections accordingly. The command for women to keep silence and ask their husbands at home then belongs to these church courts to prevent much discussion, not to preaching in regular meetings.
Orderly Speaking and Judging
Only two or three prophets are to speak before the church, and the rest are to judge what is said. They are to speak one by one in turn, not three or four at once in confusion, and if a revelation comes to another the first is to yield and give way. This shows that prophetic speaking is governed in order and submission, and that prophets remain able to govern their own speaking. The gift is not confined to one person or a few, and no prophet is to claim preeminence over the others. Since the whole church assembled embraces the sisters, all may prophesy one by one in a becoming and orderly way.
The others are to judge or discern what is spoken rather than accept it without reflection. The congregation’s accredited teachers are to examine claimed inspiration for agreement with the truth and the analogy of faith, after the manner of questioning, objecting, judging and refuting. A wise elder may explain what is being said, so that earnest and even noisy worship is joined with understanding and the gathering remains orderly. The church in this way has responsibility and authority to judge claims made through gifts and to regulate disorder, because gifts can be abused and must be carefully studied.
The rule guards against confusion from impatient interrupting, so that all may learn and be comforted and peace be preserved. The silence required is temporary silence while another is speaking, not permanent silence from all prophetic speech. Even men were at times not to speak, as in the directions about tongues and prophecy, so the command for silence concerns speech out of order that causes confusion. Prophecy here means speaking to edify, exhort, comfort and teach, not only the ministry of figures such as Isaiah and Daniel.
Gifts are to be intelligible and used appropriately as need arises according to God’s will and the church’s needs, not exercised on personal whim or choice. A tongue is a real earthly language understood by its speaker though not by the hearers, and speaking in tongues is of little value to the church unless someone interprets. Prophecy, as speaking for God and teaching, edifies the church and is greater for that purpose. All public speech in the meeting is to be done with understanding to edification, where believers and unbelievers come to listen and learn.
This requires audible public prayer in the assembly, not only silent communion of the spirit with God. Praying is as public as prophesying unto men to edification, and both are to be done openly with understanding. Prayer must not be made in an unknown tongue without an interpreter, because listeners who do not understand cannot be edified; if all prayer were secret it might as well be in an unknown tongue.
Gifts, Women, and Testing
Prophecy stands as the best of the spiritual gifts because of its purpose and use for the church, exercised in the apostolic time when prophets spoke and others judged, and expected to be exercised in the closing work of the gospel, which shows the gifts including prophecy were not abolished but remain part of God's plan. Prophets existed after John, since at least some of the apostles were prophets. The various gifts of the Spirit are necessary for the completeness and unity of the church as a body, and the instruction of 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 was given to silence boasting over them.
The gifts are pounds and talents, coins of the highest value coming from God, and even the lowest gift is of inestimable value when used rightly. Knowing they are received from God must keep Christians from self-exaltation and being puffed up and from glorying as if the gift was not received, and must lead to sober self-estimate according as God has dealt the measure of faith. The orderly speaking and weighing of prophecy, with two or three speaking in turn and the others judging so the church may learn and be comforted without confusion, does not forbid women to pray or prophesy. Since the whole church assembled embraces the sisters, all may prophesy one by one, and women may speak publicly with proper decorum and modest reserve and submission and without taking authority over others.
The following restriction on women to keep silence limits disruptive, unsubmissive and confusing speech such as asking questions, disputing or dictating in the assembly, not every word, prayer or song. Even men were at times not to speak, for only two or three prophets were to speak while others judged, which shows the silence concerns speaking out of order that causes confusion. Prophetic speech in the meeting is to be assessed by others rather than accepted without reflection, so passionate or noisy worship is to be joined with understanding and a wise elder may explain what is being said to keep the gathering orderly. The church has responsibility and authority to limit, assess and regulate claims made through gifts after careful study, rather than accept every claimed spiritual influence without examination, because the gifts can be abused and tongues with excitement alone do not prove a movement scriptural and such manifestations may be unscriptural.