New American Standard Bible 1995
1 Corinthians 14:20
201Brethren, 2do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil 3be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
1 Corinthians 14:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
- New International Version (NIV)Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
Context of 1 Corinthians 14:20
18I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 21In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. 22So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 141 Corinthians 14:20 word by word
Ἀδελφοί, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσίν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε.Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 14:20
- 1 Corinthians 3:1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 13:11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
- Psalms 119:99I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
- Isaiah 11:3And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
- Romans 16:19For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
- Ephesians 4:14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
- Philippians 1:9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
- Hebrews 5:12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
- Hebrews 6:1Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
- 2 Peter 3:18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
- Psalms 131:1O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
- Matthew 11:25At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
- Matthew 18:3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 19:4And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,
- Mark 10:15Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”
- 1 Peter 2:2like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 14:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Be not children in understanding - There are three words here to which we must endeavor to affix the proper sense. 1. signifies children in general, but particularly such as are grown up, so as to be fit to send to school in order to receive instruction; 2. , from , not, and , I speak, signifies an infant; one that cannot yet speak, and is in the lowest stage of infancy; 3. , from , I complete or perfect, signifies those who are arrived at perfect…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Brethren, be not children in understanding - Be not childish; do not behave like little children. They admire, and are astonished at what is striking, novel, and what may be of no real utility. They are pleased with anything that will amuse them, and at little things that afford them play and pastime. So your admiration of a foreign language and of the ability to speak it, is of as little solid value as the common sports and plays of boys. This, says…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. 20To understand these matters maturely, consider the purpose of spiritual gifts. Do not treat them as ends for personal enjoyment.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Brethren--an appellation calculated to conciliate their favorable reception of his exhortation. children in understanding--as preference of gifts abused to nonedification would make you (compare 1Co 3:1; Mt 10:16; Ro 16:19; Ep 4:14). The Greek for "understanding" expresses the will of one's spirit, Ro 8:6 (it is not found elsewhere); as the "heart" is the will of the "soul." The same Greek is used for "minded" in Ro 8:6. men--full-grown. Be childlike…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 14:20
In the dictionaries
Notes
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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries