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Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Good News Translation

1 Corinthians 14:8

And if the one who plays the bugle does not sound a clear call, who will prepare for battle?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Preaching;   Tongues (the Gift);   Trumpet;   Thompson Chain Reference - Instruments, Chosen;   Music;   Musical Instruments;   Trumpets;   The Topic Concordance - Prophecy and Prophets;   Tongues;   Understanding;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Language;   Music;   Trumpet;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Horn;   Tongues;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Worship of God;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Tongues, Gift of;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bugle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Corinthians, First Epistle to the;   Ethics;   Spiritual Gifts;   Tongues, Gift of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Edification;   Trump Trumpet ;   Voice;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Army;   Edification;   Tongues, Gift of;   Trumpets;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Battle;   Uncertainly;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Synagogue;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Uncertain;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
And in a war, if the trumpet does not sound clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting.
Revised Standard Version
And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And also if the trope geve an vncertayne voyce who shall prepare him silfe to fyght?
Hebrew Names Version
For if the shofar gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war?
International Standard Version
For example, if a bugle doesn't sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
New American Standard Bible
For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
New Century Version
And in a war, if the trumpet does not give a clear sound, who will prepare for battle?
Update Bible Version
For if the trumpet gives an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?
Webster's Bible Translation
For if the trumpet shall give an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
English Standard Version
And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
World English Bible
For if the trumpet gave an uncertain voice, who would prepare himself for war?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for the battle?
Weymouth's New Testament
If the bugle--to take another example--gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For if a trumpe yyue an vncerteyn soune, who schal make hym silf redi to batel?
English Revised Version
For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?
Berean Standard Bible
Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
Contemporary English Version
If a bugle call isn't clear, how would you know to get ready for battle?
Amplified Bible
And if the [war] bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
American Standard Version
For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?
Bible in Basic English
For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight?
Complete Jewish Bible
And if the bugle gives an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?
Darby Translation
For also, if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for war?
Etheridge Translation
And if the trumpet call a voice which is not distinguished, who will prepare for the battle ?
Murdock Translation
And if the trumpet shall give an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for the battle?
King James Version (1611)
For if the trumpet giue an vncertaine sound, who shall prepare himselfe to the battell?
New Living Translation
And if the bugler doesn't sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?
New Life Bible
If a horn does not make a good sound, how will men know they are to get ready to fight?
New Revised Standard
And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
Geneva Bible (1587)
And also if the trumpet giue an vncertaine sound, who shall prepare himselfe to battell?
George Lamsa Translation
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for the battle?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, if also, an uncertain sound, a trumpet, should give, who shall prepare himself for battle?
Douay-Rheims Bible
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And also yf the trumpe geue an vncertayne sounde, who shall prepare him selfe to the warre?
Christian Standard Bible®
In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?
King James Version
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
Lexham English Bible
For indeed, if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare for battle?
Literal Translation
For also if a trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will get himself ready for war?
Young's Literal Translation
for if also an uncertain sound a trumpet may give, who shall prepare himself for battle?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf the trope geue an vncertayne sounde, who wil prepare himselfe to the battayll?
Mace New Testament (1729)
for if the trumpet give an undistinguish'd sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
New English Translation
If, for example, the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?
New King James Version
For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?
Simplified Cowboy Version
If a bugler can't play the notes to attack, how will the soldiers know when to charge?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
Legacy Standard Bible
For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

Contextual Overview

6 So when I come to you, my friends, what use will I be to you if I speak in strange tongues? Not a bit, unless I bring you some revelation from God or some knowledge or some inspired message or some teaching. 7 Take such lifeless musical instruments as the flute or the harp—how will anyone know the tune that is being played unless the notes are sounded distinctly? 8 And if the one who plays the bugle does not sound a clear call, who will prepare for battle? 9 In the same way, how will anyone understand what you are talking about if your message given in strange tongues is not clear? Your words will vanish in the air! 10 There are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 But if I do not know the language being spoken, those who use it will be foreigners to me and I will be a foreigner to them. 12 Since you are eager to have the gifts of the Spirit, you must try above everything else to make greater use of those which help to build up the church. 13 The person who speaks in strange tongues, then, must pray for the gift to explain what is said. 14 For if I pray in this way, my spirit prays indeed, but my mind has no part in it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 10:9, Joshua 6:4-20, Judges 7:16-18, Nehemiah 4:18-21, Job 39:24, Job 39:25, Isaiah 27:13, Amos 3:6, Ephesians 6:11-18

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 18:16 - blew the trumpet Mark 13:14 - let him 1 Corinthians 13:1 - as 1 Corinthians 14:7 - except

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
Lot looked around and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water, like the Garden of the Lord or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Genesis 14:2
went to war against five other kings: Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (or Zoar).
Genesis 14:3
These five kings had formed an alliance and joined forces in Siddim Valley, which is now the Dead Sea.
Genesis 14:10
The valley was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah tried to run away from the battle, they fell into the pits; but the other three kings escaped to the mountains.
Genesis 19:20
Do you see that little town? It is near enough. Let me go over there—you can see it is just a small place—and I will be safe."
Genesis 19:22
Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you get there." Because Lot called it small, the town was named Zoar.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound,.... That is not plain and manifest, so as that it cannot be known on what account it is given:

who shall prepare himself to the battle? the allusion is to the custom of many nations, Jews and others, who, when about to engage in war, made use of musical instruments, particularly the trumpet, to gather the soldiers together, prepare them for the battle, give them notice of it, and animate them to it y; the sound of the trumpet was the alarm of war; see Jeremiah 4:5. And particularly the allusion may be to the two silver trumpets, ordered by God to Moses for the Jews, which were to be made of a whole piece, and to be used for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps, and to blow an alarm with when they went to war against the enemy, Numbers 10:1 and were a lively emblem of the Gospel, whose use is to gather souls to Christ, to direct saints in their journeying, and to prepare and animate them for battle, with their spiritual enemies; and of which use it is, when it gives a certain and even sound, as it does when clearly and rightly blown; and that is, the sound of love, grace, and mercy, to the sons of men, through a bleeding Saviour; salvation alone by a crucified Jesus, peace and pardon by his blood, justification by his righteousness, and atonement by his sacrifice; when it is blown aright, it blows a blast on all the goodliness of man, it magnifies the grace of God, exalts the person of Christ, debases the creature, shows its impurity, imperfection, and inability; and expresses the nature, use, and necessity of efficacious grace; and puts believers on doing good works for necessary uses, but not for life, righteousness, and salvation; and so its sound is equal, even, and certain: and when it is so, it is a means of gathering souls to Christ, the standard bearer and ensign of the people; and of engaging them to enlist themselves as volunteers in his service; and of animating them to fight under his banner the battles of the Lord of hosts: but if this trumpet gives an uncertain sound, as it does when grace and works are blended together in the business of salvation; and faith or works put in the room of, or joined with the righteousness of Christ in justification; when particular election and general redemption, or the salvability of all men, are put together; the covenant of grace represented as conditional, and preparations for grace, and offers of grace, and days of grace talked of, that may be past and lost; then who can prepare himself for the battle? persons must be thrown into, and left in the utmost uncertainty and confusion: when this is the case, they know not what side to take on, but halt between two opinions; they know not what that faith is they are to fight and earnestly contend for; they are not able to discern an enemy from a friend; they have no heart to fight and endure hardness, as good soldiers of Christ; nor can they promise themselves, or be assured of victory, which the certain sound of the Gospel gives them.

y Vid Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 4. c. 2. p. 178.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound - The trumpet was used commonly in war. It is a well-known wind instrument, and was made of brass, silver, etc. It was used for various purposes in war - to summon the soldiers; to animate them in their march; to call them forth to battle; to sound a retreat; and to signify to them what they were to do in battle, whether to charge, advance, or retreat, etc. It therefore employed a “language” which was intelligible to an army. An uncertain sound was one in which none of these things were indicated, or in which it could not be determined what was required.

Who shall prepare himself ... - The apostle selects a single instance of what was indicated by the trumpet, as an illustration of what he meant. The idea is, that foreign tongues spoken in their assembly would be just as useless in regard to their duty, their comfort, and edification, as would be the sound of a trumpet when it gave one of the usual and intelligible sounds by which it was known what the soldiers were required to do. Just as we would say, that the mere beating on a drum would he useless, unless some tune was played by which it was known that the soldiers were summoned to the parade, to advance, or to retreat.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 14:8. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound — If, when the soldier should prepare himself for the battle, the trumpet should give a different sound to that which is ordinarily used on such occasions, the soldier is not informed of what he should do, and therefore does not arm himself; consequently, that vague, unintelligible sound of the trumpet, is of no use.


 
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