1 Corinthians 14:23

1 Corinthians 14:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
• New International Version (NIV)So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
• New Living Translation (NLT)Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.

Context of 1 Corinthians 14:23

21In the Law it is written, "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." 22Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

1 Corinthians 14:23 word by word

ἐὰν οὖν συνέλθῃ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὅλη ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ πάντες λαλῶσιν γλώσσαις, εἰσέλθωσιν δὲ ἰδιῶται ἢ ἄπιστοι, οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ὅτι μαίνεσθε;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• the wholeὅλοςholos · allG3650
• churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577
• be come togetherσυνέρχομαιsunerchomai · to assembleG4905
• intoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• one placeαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• speakλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• with tonguesγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• andδέde · thenG1161
• there come inεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• unlearnedἰδιώτηςidiōtēs · unlearnedG2399
• orἤē · orG2228
• unbelieversἄπιστοςapistos · unbelievingG571
• will theyἐρῶereō · to sayG2046
• notοὐou · noG3756
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• ye are madμαίνομαιmainomai · to raveG3105

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 14:23

• 1 Corinthians 11:18For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,
• Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
• John 10:20Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"
• Acts 2:13But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."
• Acts 26:24And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 14:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Will they not say that ye are mad? - So they well might, finding a whole assembly of people talking languages which those who had most need of instruction could not understand.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Be come together into one place - For public worship. And all speak with tongues - All speak with a variety of unknown tongues; all speak foreign languages. The idea is, that the church would usually speak the same language with the people among whom they dwelt; and if they made use of foreign languages which were unintelligible to their visitors, it would leave the impression that the church was a bedlam. And there come in - those that are “unlearned.”…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-25Verses 15-25 There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskilful as to the word of righteousness, but only as…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-25Paul used this quotation from Isaiah 28:11–12 to show that speaking in tongues is a sign for unbelievers, not believers. However, in 1 Corinthians 14:23–25, Paul argues that unbelievers are more likely to be convinced by prophecy than by speaking in tongues. He emphasizes that, in public worship, prophecy is more useful than speaking in tongues.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. whole ... all ... tongues--The more there are assembled, and the more that speak in unknown tongues, the more will the impression be conveyed to strangers "coming in" from curiosity ("unbelievers"), or even from a better motive ("unlearned"), that the whole body of worshippers is a mob of fanatical "madmen"; and that "the Church is like the company of builders of Babel after the confusion of tongues, or like the cause tried between two deaf men before…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 14:23

• Church
• Language
• Tongues (the Gift)

In the dictionaries

• Confusion
• Desire
• Edification
• Except
• Madness
• Pipe
• Profit
• Tongues, Gift of
• Corinthians, First Epistle to the
• Holy Spirit

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