1Co 14:33–40—The question frequently asked concerning this portion of Scripture is “Does the Apostle Paul forbid women to speak at all or to pray or prophesy in church?” The main verse that constitutes the foundation of all that Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” The instruction of Paul is found in verse thirty-nine: “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy,” meaning “be zealous about giving forth the word of God.” In verse forty, Paul states, “But let all things be done decently and in order.” This as a principle applies to all the churches (v. 34) although it was born out of a practice existing only in Corinth. When Paul says, “Your women in the churches, let them be silent” (v. 40), it was not an instruction to all the men in general not to permit any women to speak in church, but to husbands to guide and teach their own wives lest they produce confusion and disturbance in a meeting. This may have resulted from the exercising of a gift that they thought they had and were anxious to externalize. One cannot take Paul’s indirect imperative in 1 Corinthians 14:34, “Let the women keep silent in the churches,” as absolute. It must be taken in conjunction with what follows: “for they are not permitted to speak.” The word “speak” should be taken to mean “uttering sounds that are incoherent and not understood by others.” Paul says that instead it is better to have silence. Paul uses the same word “keep silent” to admonish a man who speaks in an unknown tongue without an interpreter (vv. 28, 30). What Paul is saying is that only one man must speak at a time, for if two speak at once, there will be confusion. The phrase, “let him keep silent” is then qualified to the woman (v. 34). Under no circumstances does the injunction of Paul indicate that women should not utter a word at any time during the church service. The issue is not men versus women, but it is confusion versus order. In God’s sight, it makes no difference who causes the confusion. It is a shame for any woman to bring confusion into the local church (v. 35), even as it is for any man to do so. Furthermore, the word gunaíkes (1135) should not be translated “women” in its generic sense, but as “wives” (v. 34). It is wives who should submit (hupotássomai [5293]) to their own husbands (v. 35, from ándras [435]). The whole argument is not the subjection of women to men in general, but of wives to their own husbands in the family unit that has been ordained by God (see note on 1 Tim. 2:9–15). Paul states the principle that the duty of the husbands is to restrain their own wives from outbursts during the worship service. Whenever Paul speaks of submissiveness by a woman, it is always on the part of a wife to her own husband. Copied from The Complete Word Study Bible Dr. Spiros Zodhiates Notes.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 10:47:37 +0000
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