1 Corinthians 14:6

Contextual Overview

⁶Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁶Listen cowboys and cowgirls, is it really doing you any good if I come and talk to you in a language you don't understand? Nope! The only good that can come from talkin' is talkin' that can be understood. ⁶ But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching?⁶But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? ⁶ But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching? ⁶ And now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I shall speak to you either in revelation, or in knowledge, or in prophecy, or in teaching? ⁶ But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁶ But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching? ⁶ Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you, either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophecy, or by doctrine?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what shall I: 1 Corinthians 10:33, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 13:3, 1 Samuel 12:21, Jeremiah 16:19, Jeremiah 23:32, Matthew 16:26, 2 Timothy 2:14, Titus 3:8, Hebrews 13:9

revelation: 1 Corinthians 14:26-30, Matthew 11:25, Matthew 16:17, 2 Corinthians 12:1, 2 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 1:17, Philippians 3:15

knowledge: 1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 Corinthians 13:9, Romans 15:14, 2 Corinthians 11:6, Ephesians 3:4, 2 Peter 1:5, 2 Peter 3:18

prophesying: 1 Corinthians 14:1, 1 Corinthians 13:2

doctrine: 1 Corinthians 14:26, Romans 16:17, 2 Timothy 3:10, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Timothy 4:2, 2 John 1:9

Reciprocal: Acts 20:20 - profitable 1 Corinthians 1:5 - in all 1 Corinthians 13:1 - I speak 1 Corinthians 14:17 - but 1 Corinthians 14:30 - revealed 1 Timothy 4:13 - to doctrine

Cross-References

Genesis 14:20
And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:20
And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:20
And blessed be God Most High,Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."Then he gave him a tenth of all.

Genesis 14:20
And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." He gave him a tenth of all.

Genesis 14:20
And blessed [be] the high God, which hath deliuered thyne enemies vnto thy hande: and Abram gaue him tithes of all.

Genesis 14:20
And we praise God Most High, who helped you defeat your enemies." Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything he had taken during the battle.

Genesis 14:20
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:20
and blessid be hiy God, bi whom defendynge, enemyes ben bitakun in thin hondis. And Abram yaf tithis of alle thingis to hym.

Genesis 14:20
And blessed bee the most high God, which hath deliuered thine enemies into thy hand: and hee gaue him tithes of all.

Genesis 14:20
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues,.... The apostle exemplifies this matter in himself, and supposes it his own case, that should he who was the apostle of the Gentiles, and to be received by them as such, when he came to them, come with this gift of tongues, which he was capable of, as much, or more than any, see 1 Corinthians 14:18 and only make use of that,

what shall I profit you? of what use would my ministry be to you? what instruction, comfort, and edification, could you receive by it?

except I shall speak to you, either by revelation; by the revelation of Jesus Christ, whereby he received the Gospel he preached; or by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, and the mysteries of his grace, by which they were made known unto him at first, or by a fresh immediate revelation from heaven:

or by knowledge; the word of knowledge, one of the peculiar gifts of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:8.

Or by prophesying; the gift of prophecy, another of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, mentioned in the same chapter, 1 Corinthians 12:10 and already explained:

or by doctrine? the same with the word of wisdom, another gift of the same Spirit, in 1 Corinthians 12:8. The apostle intimates, that by the use and exercise of these gifts, he might be profitable to them, to lead them into a clearer view of the doctrines of the Gospel, and for the further improvement of their knowledge in the Scriptures of truth, which could never be done by bare speaking with tongues, and with tongues they understood not.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Now, brethren, if I come unto you ... - The truth which the apostle had been illustrating in an abstract manner, he proceeds to illustrate by applying it to himself. If he should come among them speaking foreign languages, it could be of no use unless it were interpreted to them.

Speaking with tongues - Speaking foreign languages; that is, speaking them “only,” without any interpreter. Paul had the power of speaking foreign languages 1 Corinthians 14:18; but he did not use this power for ostentation or display, but merely to communicate the gospel to those who did not understand his native tongue.

Either by revelation - Macknight renders this, “speak intelligibly;” that is, as he explains it, “by the revelation peculiar to an apostle.” Doddridge, “by the revelation of some gospel doctrine and mystery.” Locke interprets it, that you might understand the revelation, or knowledge,” etc.; but says in a note, that we cannot now certainly understand the difference between the meaning of the four words here used. “It is sufficient,” says he, “to know that these reruns stand for some intelligible discourse tending to the edification of the church.” Rosenmuller supposes the word “revelation” stands for some “clear and open knowledge of any truth arising from meditation.” It is probable that the word here does not refer to divine inspiration, as it usually does, but that it stands opposed to that which is unknown and unintelligible, as that which is “revealed” ἀποκαλύψις apokalupsis stands opposed to what is unknown, concealed, “hidden,” obscure. Here, therefore, it is synonymous, perhaps, with “explained.” “What shall it profit, unless that which I speak be brought out of the obscurity and darkness of a foreign language, and uncovered or explained!” The original sense of the word “revelation” here is, I suppose, intended ἀποκαλύψις apokalupsis, from ἀποκαλύπτω apokaluptō, “to uncover”), and means that the sense should be uncovered, that is, explained or what was spoken could not be of value.

Or by knowledge - By making it intelligible. By so explaining it as to make it understood. Knowledge here stands opposed to the “ignorance” and “obscurity” which would attend a communication in a foreign language.

Or by prophesying - See the note at 1 Corinthians 14:1. That is, unless it be communicated, through interpretation, in the manner in which the prophetic teachers spoke; that is, made intelligible, and explained, and actually brought down to the usual characteristics of communications made in their own language.

Or by doctrine - By teaching (διδαχῇ didachē). By instruction; in the usual mode of plain and familiar instruction. The sense of this passage, therefore, is clear. Though Paul should utter among them, as he had abundant ability to do, the most weighty and important truths, yet, unless he interpreted what he said in a manner clear from obscurity, like “revelation;” or intelligibly, and so as to constitute “knowledge;” or in the manner that the prophets spoke, in a plain and intelligible manner; or in the manner usual in simple and plain “instruction,” it would be useless to them. The perplexities of commentators may be seen stated in Locke, Bloomfield, and Doddridge.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 14:6. Speaking with tongues — Without interpreting.

What shall I profit you? — i.e. I shall not profit you;

Except I shall speak to you either by revelation — Of some secret thing; or by knowledge, of some mystery; or by prophesying, foretelling some future event; or by doctrine, instructing you what to believe and practise.-See Whitby. These four words are taken in different acceptations by learned men. The general sense of the terms is that given above: but the peculiar meaning of the apostle is perhaps not easily discerned.