1 Corinthians 14:10

King James Version

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning.

Revised Standard Version
There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Many kyndes of voyces are in the worlde and none of them are with out signification.

Hebrew Names Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning.

International Standard Version
There are, I suppose, many different languagessounds">[fn] in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.

New American Standard Bible
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is incapable of meaning.

New Century Version
It may be true that there are all kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning.

Update Bible Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without significance.

Webster's Bible Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them [is] without signification.

English Standard Version
There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,

World English Bible
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without meaning.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Let there be ever so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them without signification:

Weymouth's New Testament
There are, we will suppose, a great number of languages in the world, and no creature is without a language.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
There ben many kyndis of langagis in this world, and no thing is with outen vois.

English Revised Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without signification.

Berean Standard Bible
Assuredly, there are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.

Contemporary English Version
There are many different languages in this world, and all of them make sense.

Amplified Bible
There are, I suppose, a great many kinds of languages in the world [unknown to us], and none is lacking in meaning.

American Standard Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no kind is without signification.

Bible in Basic English
There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.

Complete Jewish Bible
There are undoubtedly all kinds of sounds in the world, and none is altogether meaningless;

Darby Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of undistinguishable sound.

Etheridge Translation
10 For, behold, there are many kinds of tongues in the world, and not one of them hath not signification; [fn]

Murdock Translation
For lo, there are many kinds of tongues in the world; and there is not one of them without meaning.

King James Version (1611)
There are, it may bee, so many kindes of voices in the world, and none of them are without signification.

New Living Translation
There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning.

New Life Bible
There are many languages in the world. All of them have meaning to the people who understand them.

New Revised Standard
There are doubtless many different kinds of sounds in the world, and nothing is without sound.

Geneva Bible (1587)
There are so many kindes of voyces (as it commeth to passe) in the world, and none of them is dumme.

George Lamsa Translation
For, behold, there are many kinds of speech in the world, yet none of them are without expression.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
There may happen to be so many kinds of languages in the world, and, not one, unspoken: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
There are, for example, so many kinds of tongues in this world: and none is without voice.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
There are so many kyndes of voyces, [as it commeth to passe] in the worlde, and none of them are without signification.

Good News Translation
There are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.

Christian Standard Bible®
There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning.

Lexham English Bible
There are probably so many kinds of languages in the world, and none without meaning.

Literal Translation
So it may be many kinds of sounds are in the world, and not one is without distinct sound.

Young's Literal Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So many kyndes of voyces are in the worlde, and none of them is without significacion.

Mace New Testament (1729)
there are, it may be, as many different languages in the world as there are people, and none of them without signification.

New English Translation
There are probably many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning.

New King James Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.

Simplified Cowboy Version
There's a bunch of different languages out there, and every one of them has meaning.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning.

Legacy Standard Bible
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning.

Contextual Overview

⁶ Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? ⁷ And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? ⁸ For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? ⁹ So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. ¹⁰ There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. ¹¹ 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. ¹² Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. ¹³ Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 11:3
And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Genesis 19:17
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Genesis 19:30
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

Joshua 8:24
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.

Psalms 83:10
Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

Isaiah 24:18
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Jeremiah 48:44
He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices,.... לשנא, "tongues", or "languages", as the Syriac version renders it; that is, as many as there are nations in the world; there may be seventy of them, as the Jews say there were at the confusion of languages at Babel; there may be more or less:

and none of them is without signification: every language, and every word in a language, has a meaning in it, an idea annexed to it, which it conveys to him that understands it, and that cannot be done without a voice ordinarily speaking.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There are it may be ... - There has been considerable variety in the interpertation of this expression. Rosenmuller renders it, “for the sake of example.” Grotius supposes that Paul meant to indicate that there were, perhaps, or might be, as many languages as the Jews supposed, to wit, seventy. Beza and others suppose it means, that there may he as many languages as there are nations of people. Bloomfield renders it, “Let there he as many kinds of languages as you choose.” Macknight, “There are, no doubt, as many kinds of languages in the world as ye speak.” Robinson (Lexicon) renders it, “If so happen, it may be; perchance, perhaps;” and says the phrase is equivalent to “for example,” The sense is, “There are perhaps, or for example, very many kinds of voices in the world; and all are significant. None are used by those who speak them without meaning; none speak them without designing to convey some intelligible idea to their hearers.” The “argument” is, that as “all” the languages that are in the world, however numerous they are, are for “utility,” and as none are used for the sake of mere display, so it should be with those who had the power of speaking them in the Christian church. They should speak them only when and where they would be understood.

Voices - Languages.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 14:10. There are, it may be — ει τυχοι, For example.

So many kinds of voices — So many different languages, each of which has its distinct articulation, pronunciation, emphasis, and meaning; or there may be so many different nations, each possessing a different language, &c.