For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
To prophesy is to speak for God to teach, exhort, build up and encourage the church, and it is not limited to foretelling the future like Isaiah and Daniel. All may do this, but only one by one in turn, with none speaking at once or interrupting another, for God is not the author of confusion. The purpose is that all may learn and all may be comforted, so public speech is to be in a known tongue for the understanding and edification of the whole gathered church. Prophecy is an active spiritual gift that continued in the church for the perfecting of the saints, the best of the gifts for building up believers and to be expected in the closing work that develops a people who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. That liberty belongs to all in turn rather than to one person or a few, and it includes women as well as men when the Spirit directs, while the command for women to keep silence corrects disorderly speech and usurping authority and does not forbid every kind of speaking.
Meaning and Orderly Purpose
To prophesy is to speak for God for comfort and edification of the church, to teach, exhort, build up and encourage so that all may learn and all may be comforted, and it is not limited to predictive work like that of Isaiah and Daniel and need not predict the future. Prophesying in this sense is teaching and speaking for God, a gift of the Holy Spirit that is sure, commended because it profits and builds understanding rather than leaving believers as children in understanding. It grants unbounded liberty to the whole church, females as well as males without any exception when the Spirit directs, to speak in turn when the speech edifies.
The verse belongs to Paul's connected argument about spiritual gifts and love in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14, and separating chapter 14 from chapters 12 and 13 can obscure that connection. That instruction was given to silence boasting and self-exaltation over spiritual gifts, teaching that gifts are received from God and must not lead to thinking more highly of self but to sober thinking about the measure of faith dealt to each person. The gifts of the Spirit in that teaching are needed for the completeness and unity of the church as Christ's body.
The command corrects the confusion at Corinth where those possessing prophecy, tongues, interpretation, psalm, doctrine and revelation all sought to make themselves heard at once, requiring that prophecy in public worship be exercised one by one in turn and not by many speaking at the same time so that everything contributes to edifying and all may learn. The gifts were given for the church's improvement, and their use was subject to the church's responsibility to regulate disorder. Those instructions about spiritual gifts need careful study because the gifts can be abused, and the same kind of abuse occurred in Paul's time and occurs in the present.
All may prophesy, but only one by one in turn in orderly participation rather than competition or preeminence among prophets, with no several speaking at once or interrupting one another. Even one receiving a revelation while another speaks must wait, and this orderly practice applies to men as well as women and keeps meetings edifying and peaceful rather than confused, because God is not the author of confusion. The rule expresses order and submission in worship and joins heartfelt religious feeling with clear teaching, allowing a wise speaker to explain what is being expressed so everyone can understand and be encouraged. The surrounding instructions address interruptions and disorder, not permanent silence, limiting disorderly speech and refusal to submit rather than forbidding every kind of speaking in religious meetings.
The purpose is that all may learn and all may be comforted, with spiritual speech serving the hearers' learning and encouragement through gifts that are intelligible, appropriately used, and given as needs arise. Believers may prophesy in turn for the benefit of the whole church, sharing prayer, Scripture, exhortation and other words that build one another up as the Spirit enables them. Prophesying and praying are enjoined as part of public worship when disciples come together in the church, to be spoken aloud in a known tongue one by one for the congregation's understanding and edification so that all present, believers and unbelievers who come to listen and learn, can understand, learn, be edified and be comforted, including special instruction for particular circumstances, duties and coming events.
Prophecy so given is more important and more beneficial to the gathered community than speaking in a tongue without interpretation, which does not edify the church unless someone interprets it. Sensational speaking in tongues and excited, unscriptural displays stand in contrast to this concern for order and edification, where prophecy is given one person at a time so that others may learn and be encouraged.
Gift in Church Life
Prophecy is a living gift exercised in the church and not only a body of written predictions, continuing after John the Baptist since some if not all of the apostles were prophets. It belongs to the continuing work of ministry for perfecting the saints, helping them learn and be strengthened until that work is complete. It is the best of the gifts of the Spirit because of its use in teaching and building up believers, given so that all may learn and be encouraged. It edifies the church by special instruction under particular circumstances, helping believers understand their duties and prepare for coming events. Its exercise is to be expected in the closing work that develops a people who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
The gift is not confined to one person or a few, but all may exercise it in turn so the whole church can learn and be comforted. This grants unbounded liberty to the whole church for orderly participation, speaking one at a time rather than competing for preeminence among prophets. To prophesy in this sense is to speak and exhort for comfort and edification, serving the building up of the church.
All who may prophesy includes females as well as males without exception when the Spirit directs. Women may therefore pray, prophesy, and speak in an edifying and becoming way in religious, social, and prayer meetings, one by one in order so that all may learn. Such speech builds up, exhorts, and comforts others and is not limited to the predictive work of prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel, nor does it teach or take authority over men when rightly exercised. The permission proves that the command for women to keep silence does not forbid praying or prophesying but only forbids speaking to usurp authority over men, with prophesying commended over speaking in an unknown tongue that does not profit, so believers are not children in understanding.
The command to keep silence corrects a particular abuse in Corinth rather than imposing silence on every kind of speaking. It bars questions and debate in the assembly, disorderly speech, refusal to submit, and speaking to usurp authority over men, while allowing women to pray and prophesy under proper restrictions with order and decorum. The surrounding instructions address interruptions and disorder, requiring speech one at a time so everyone can learn and be encouraged, not permanent silence. The rule of one-by-one public speech in a known tongue expresses order and submission in worship while still permitting women to speak before others in praying or prophesying.
On one understanding, the chapter concerns meetings of church courts for discussion and debate on church matters and election of officers, not the ordinary regular public service. There to prophesy one by one means to speak by two, or at most by three, in turn one after another, so that two or three or many do not speak at once. While the two or three prophets speak the others judge their qualifications and make selections, which prevents confusion because God is not the author of confusion. On this understanding the command for women to keep silence and to ask their husbands at home applies only to speaking in these courts to prevent much discussion there, so it does not forbid women preaching.
Prophesying and praying are enjoined as part of public worship when disciples come together in the church, spoken aloud in a known tongue one by one so all present can understand, learn, be edified, and be comforted. This includes believers and unbelievers who come to listen and learn, and belongs to the regular religious instruction given at Christian worship meetings for the benefit of the church. Worship is thus to be conducted decently and in order, joining heartfelt religious feeling with clear teaching so a wise speaker can explain what is expressed. Believers share prayer, Scripture, exhortation, and other upbuilding words as the Spirit enables, and when the whole church is assembled in one place not several talk at the same time in confusion. Such orderly, understandable worship keeps meetings edifying and peaceful and keeps visitors from thinking the congregation is mad.
Though several may have the gift of prophecy they do not all hold the same position, for prophetic speech is orderly with prophets speaking one by one and other prophets subject to the one who leads. The apostolic regulation of faith, order, and worship shows authority to teach and exercise discipline in church affairs. Yet the verse does not touch the Sabbath or the moral law, gives no hint of authority to change the law of God, and is wholly irrelevant to any change of the Sabbath.
To prophesy is to speak for God to teach, exhort, build up and encourage the church, and it is not limited to foretelling the future like Isaiah and Daniel. All may do this, but only one by one in turn, with none speaking at once or interrupting another, for God is not the author of confusion. The purpose is that all may learn and all may be comforted, so public speech is to be in a known tongue for the understanding and edification of the whole gathered church. Prophecy is an active spiritual gift that continued in the church for the perfecting of the saints, the best of the gifts for building up believers and to be expected in the closing work that develops a people who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. That liberty belongs to all in turn rather than to one person or a few, and it includes women as well as men when the Spirit directs, while the command for women to keep silence corrects disorderly speech and usurping authority and does not forbid every kind of speaking.
Meaning and Orderly Purpose
To prophesy is to speak for God for comfort and edification of the church, to teach, exhort, build up and encourage so that all may learn and all may be comforted, and it is not limited to predictive work like that of Isaiah and Daniel and need not predict the future. Prophesying in this sense is teaching and speaking for God, a gift of the Holy Spirit that is sure, commended because it profits and builds understanding rather than leaving believers as children in understanding. It grants unbounded liberty to the whole church, females as well as males without any exception when the Spirit directs, to speak in turn when the speech edifies.
The verse belongs to Paul's connected argument about spiritual gifts and love in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14, and separating chapter 14 from chapters 12 and 13 can obscure that connection. That instruction was given to silence boasting and self-exaltation over spiritual gifts, teaching that gifts are received from God and must not lead to thinking more highly of self but to sober thinking about the measure of faith dealt to each person. The gifts of the Spirit in that teaching are needed for the completeness and unity of the church as Christ's body.
The command corrects the confusion at Corinth where those possessing prophecy, tongues, interpretation, psalm, doctrine and revelation all sought to make themselves heard at once, requiring that prophecy in public worship be exercised one by one in turn and not by many speaking at the same time so that everything contributes to edifying and all may learn. The gifts were given for the church's improvement, and their use was subject to the church's responsibility to regulate disorder. Those instructions about spiritual gifts need careful study because the gifts can be abused, and the same kind of abuse occurred in Paul's time and occurs in the present.
All may prophesy, but only one by one in turn in orderly participation rather than competition or preeminence among prophets, with no several speaking at once or interrupting one another. Even one receiving a revelation while another speaks must wait, and this orderly practice applies to men as well as women and keeps meetings edifying and peaceful rather than confused, because God is not the author of confusion. The rule expresses order and submission in worship and joins heartfelt religious feeling with clear teaching, allowing a wise speaker to explain what is being expressed so everyone can understand and be encouraged. The surrounding instructions address interruptions and disorder, not permanent silence, limiting disorderly speech and refusal to submit rather than forbidding every kind of speaking in religious meetings.
The purpose is that all may learn and all may be comforted, with spiritual speech serving the hearers' learning and encouragement through gifts that are intelligible, appropriately used, and given as needs arise. Believers may prophesy in turn for the benefit of the whole church, sharing prayer, Scripture, exhortation and other words that build one another up as the Spirit enables them. Prophesying and praying are enjoined as part of public worship when disciples come together in the church, to be spoken aloud in a known tongue one by one for the congregation's understanding and edification so that all present, believers and unbelievers who come to listen and learn, can understand, learn, be edified and be comforted, including special instruction for particular circumstances, duties and coming events.
Prophecy so given is more important and more beneficial to the gathered community than speaking in a tongue without interpretation, which does not edify the church unless someone interprets it. Sensational speaking in tongues and excited, unscriptural displays stand in contrast to this concern for order and edification, where prophecy is given one person at a time so that others may learn and be encouraged.
Gift in Church Life
Prophecy is a living gift exercised in the church and not only a body of written predictions, continuing after John the Baptist since some if not all of the apostles were prophets. It belongs to the continuing work of ministry for perfecting the saints, helping them learn and be strengthened until that work is complete. It is the best of the gifts of the Spirit because of its use in teaching and building up believers, given so that all may learn and be encouraged. It edifies the church by special instruction under particular circumstances, helping believers understand their duties and prepare for coming events. Its exercise is to be expected in the closing work that develops a people who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
The gift is not confined to one person or a few, but all may exercise it in turn so the whole church can learn and be comforted. This grants unbounded liberty to the whole church for orderly participation, speaking one at a time rather than competing for preeminence among prophets. To prophesy in this sense is to speak and exhort for comfort and edification, serving the building up of the church.
All who may prophesy includes females as well as males without exception when the Spirit directs. Women may therefore pray, prophesy, and speak in an edifying and becoming way in religious, social, and prayer meetings, one by one in order so that all may learn. Such speech builds up, exhorts, and comforts others and is not limited to the predictive work of prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel, nor does it teach or take authority over men when rightly exercised. The permission proves that the command for women to keep silence does not forbid praying or prophesying but only forbids speaking to usurp authority over men, with prophesying commended over speaking in an unknown tongue that does not profit, so believers are not children in understanding.
The command to keep silence corrects a particular abuse in Corinth rather than imposing silence on every kind of speaking. It bars questions and debate in the assembly, disorderly speech, refusal to submit, and speaking to usurp authority over men, while allowing women to pray and prophesy under proper restrictions with order and decorum. The surrounding instructions address interruptions and disorder, requiring speech one at a time so everyone can learn and be encouraged, not permanent silence. The rule of one-by-one public speech in a known tongue expresses order and submission in worship while still permitting women to speak before others in praying or prophesying.
On one understanding, the chapter concerns meetings of church courts for discussion and debate on church matters and election of officers, not the ordinary regular public service. There to prophesy one by one means to speak by two, or at most by three, in turn one after another, so that two or three or many do not speak at once. While the two or three prophets speak the others judge their qualifications and make selections, which prevents confusion because God is not the author of confusion. On this understanding the command for women to keep silence and to ask their husbands at home applies only to speaking in these courts to prevent much discussion there, so it does not forbid women preaching.
Prophesying and praying are enjoined as part of public worship when disciples come together in the church, spoken aloud in a known tongue one by one so all present can understand, learn, be edified, and be comforted. This includes believers and unbelievers who come to listen and learn, and belongs to the regular religious instruction given at Christian worship meetings for the benefit of the church. Worship is thus to be conducted decently and in order, joining heartfelt religious feeling with clear teaching so a wise speaker can explain what is expressed. Believers share prayer, Scripture, exhortation, and other upbuilding words as the Spirit enables, and when the whole church is assembled in one place not several talk at the same time in confusion. Such orderly, understandable worship keeps meetings edifying and peaceful and keeps visitors from thinking the congregation is mad.
Though several may have the gift of prophecy they do not all hold the same position, for prophetic speech is orderly with prophets speaking one by one and other prophets subject to the one who leads. The apostolic regulation of faith, order, and worship shows authority to teach and exercise discipline in church affairs. Yet the verse does not touch the Sabbath or the moral law, gives no hint of authority to change the law of God, and is wholly irrelevant to any change of the Sabbath.