1 Corinthians 14:10

Weymouth New Testament

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is 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.

King James Version
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,

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Good News Translation
There are many different languages in the world, yet none of them 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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:

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Contextual Overview

⁶ But, brethren, as things are, if I come to you speaking in `tongues,' what benefit shall I confer on you, if the utterance is neither in the form of a revelation nor of additional knowledge nor of prophecy nor of teaching? ⁷ Even inanimate things--flutes or harps, for instance--when yielding a sound, if they make no distinction in the notes, how shall the tune which is played on the flute or the harp be known? ⁸ If the bugle--to take another example--gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? ⁹ And so with you; if with the living voice you fail to utter intelligible words, how will people know what you are saying? You will be talking to the winds. ¹⁰ There are, we will suppose, a great number of languages in the world, and no creature is without a language. ¹¹ If, however, I do not know the meaning of the particular language, I shall seem to the speaker of it, and he to me, to be merely talking some foreign tongue. ¹² Therefore, seeing that you are ambitious for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in them so as to benefit the Church. ¹³ Therefore let a man who has the gift of tongues pray for the power of interpreting them. ¹⁴ For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is barren.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

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.