1 Corinthians 14:11

1 Corinthians 14:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
• New International Version (NIV)If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
• English Standard Version (ESV)but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

Context of 1 Corinthians 14:11

9It is the same for you. You must use your tongue to speak clearly. If not, nobody will understand what you are saying. You will only be speaking words into the air. 10There are many different kinds of languages in this world. They all mean something to the people who speak them. Perhaps somebody may speak to me in a language that I do not understand. Then we are like foreign people to each other. 12So think about what is best for you. You really want the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Most of all, you should want the gifts that will help the whole church to become stronger. 13So, if you speak a message in a different language, you should pray to God about it. Pray that you may be able to explain to people what the message means.

1 Corinthians 14:11 word by word

ἐὰν οὖν μὴ εἰδῶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς φωνῆς, ἔσομαι τῷ λαλοῦντι βάρβαρος καὶ ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ βάρβαρος·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• I knowεἴδωeidō · to perceive: understandG1492
• notμήmē · notG3361
• the meaningὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the meaningδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• of the voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
• I shall beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• that speakethλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• a barbarianβάρβαροςbarbaros · barbarianG915
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• untoἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 14:11

• 1 Corinthians 14:21This is written in the Bible: ‘I will send strangers to speak to my people. They will speak my message to them in strange languages. But even when I do this, my people will not listen to me.’ That is what the Lord God has said.
• Acts 28:2The people who lived on the island were very kind to us. Rain was falling and the weather was cold. So the people lit a fire and they helped all of us.
• Romans 1:14Because God has been kind to me, I must tell his message to all people. I must tell his good news to people who have learned many things, and to those who have never been to school. I must tell it to people who are wise as well as to those who are not very clever.
• Colossians 3:11People have this new nature only because they belong to Christ. That is the important thing. Jews are not different from Gentiles. It does not matter whether someone has circumcised you or not. It does not matter which country you come from or how clever you are. It does not matter whether you are a slave or a free person. Christ is all that matters. He lives in every believer.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 14:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11If I know not the meaning of the voice - , The power and signification of the language. I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian - I shall appear to him, and he to me, as a person who had no distinct and articulate sounds which can convey any kind of meaning. This observation is very natural: when we hear persons speaking in a language of which we know nothing, we wonder how they can understand each other, as, in their speech, there appears to us no…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11The meaning of the voice - Of the language that is uttered, or the sounds that are made. I shall be unto him … - What I say will be unintelligible to him, and what he says will be unintelligible to me. We cannot understand one another any more than people can who speak different languages. A barbarian - See the note at Romans 1:14. The word means one who speaks a different, or a foreign language.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-14Verses 6-14 Even an apostle could not edify, unless he spoke so as to be understood by his hearers. To speak words that have no meaning to those who hear them, is but speaking into the air. That cannot answer the end of speaking, which has no meaning; in this case, speaker and hearers are barbarians to each other. All religious services should be so performed in Christian assemblies, that all may join in, and profit by them. Language plain and easy to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-12A message must be clear to communicate well.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. Therefore--seeing that none is without meaning. a barbarian--a foreigner (Ac 28:2). Not in the depreciatory sense as the term is now used, but one speaking a foreign language.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 14:11

• Barbarian
• Interpretation
• Language
• Preaching
• Tongues (the Gift)

In the dictionaries

• Barbarian
• Confusion
• Desire
• Edification
• Except
• Pipe
• Profit
• Tongues, Gift of
• Barbarian; Barbarous
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings