1 Corinthians 14:13

Contextual Overview

⁶ Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No, it will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching. ⁶ Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁶ Now brehren if I come vnto you speakige wt tonges: what shall I profit you excepte I speake vnto you other by revelacio or knowledge or prophesyinge or doctrine. 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 Indeed, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what good will I be to you unless I speak to you in some revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or teaching?1 Corinthians 14:26;">[xr] ⁶ But now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophecy, or of teaching? ⁶ Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No! It will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some new knowledge, or prophecy, or teaching. ⁶ But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall 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 in languages, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? ⁶ Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

pray: 1 Corinthians 14:27, 1 Corinthians 14:28, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:30, Mark 11:24, John 14:13, John 14:14, Acts 1:14, Acts 4:29-31, Acts 8:15

Reciprocal: 1 Corinthians 14:5 - except

Cross-References

Genesis 10:16
and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

Genesis 10:16
and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,

Genesis 10:16
He was also the father of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

Genesis 10:16
the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

Genesis 10:16
And the Jebusite, and the Emorite, and the Girgasite,

Genesis 10:16
the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,

Genesis 10:16
and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite

Genesis 10:16
and Amorrei, Gergesei,

Genesis 10:16
and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,

Genesis 10:16
the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue,.... The Hebrew, or any other, the gift of speaking with which is bestowed upon him:

pray that he may interpret; that he may have also the gift of interpretation of tongues; for as has been before hinted, these two gifts were distinct; and a man might have the one, and not the other; a man might speak in an unknown tongue, so as to understand himself, what he said, and be edified, and yet not be capable of translating it at once into the common language of the people; and if he could not do this, he would not excel in his gift to the edification of the church; whereas if he could interpret he would, and therefore, above all things, he should pray to the Father of lights, the giver of every good and perfect gift, that he might be furnished with this also.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Pray that he may interpret - Let him ask of God ability that he may explain it clearly to the church. It would seem probable that the power of speaking foreign languages, and the power of conveying truth in a clear and distinct manner, were not always found in the same person, and that the one did not of necessity imply the other. The truth seems to have been, that these extraordinary endowments of the Holy Spirit were bestowed upon people in some such way as “ordinary” talents and mental powers are now conferred; and that they became in a similar sense the “characteristic mental endowments of the individual,” and of course were subject to the same laws, and liable to the same kinds of abuse, as mental endowments are now. And as it now happens that one man may have a special faculty for acquiring and expressing himself in a foreign language who may not be by any means distinguished for clear enunciation, or capable of conveying his ideas in an interesting manner to a congregation, so it was then.

The apostle, therefore, directs such, if any there were, instead of priding themselves on their endowments, and instead of always speaking in an unknown tongue, which would he useless to the church, to “pray” for the more useful gift of being able to convey their thoughts in a clear and intelligible manner in their vernacular tongue. This would be useful. The truths, therefore, that they had the power of speaking with eminent ability in a foreign language, they ought to desire to be able to “interpret” so that they would be intelligible to the people whom they addressed in the church. This seems to me to be the plain meaning of this passage, which has given so much perplexity to commentators. Macknight renders it, however, “Let him who prayeth in a foreign language, pray so as some one may interpret;” meaning that he who prayed in a foreign language was to do it by two or three sentences at a time, so that he might be followed by an interpreter. But this is evidently forced. In order to this, it is needful to suppose that the phrase ὁ λαλῶν ho lalōn , “that speaketh,” should be rendered, contrary to its obvious and usual meaning, “who prays,” and to supply τις tis, “someone,” in the close of the verse. The obvious interpretation is that which is given above; and this proceeds only on the supposition that the power of speaking foreign languages and the power of interpreting were not always united in the same person - a supposition that is evidently true, as appears from 1 Corinthians 12:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 14:13. Pray that he may interpret. — Let him who speaks or reads the prophetic declarations in the Old Testament, in that tongue in which they were originally spoken and written, pray to God that he may so understand them himself, and receive the gift of interpretation, that he may be able to explain them in all their depth and latitude to others.