Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25

PROPHECY IS MORE USEFUL THAN TONGUES ALSO FOR UNBELIEVERS

While it is true that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, yet even for them prophecy is more excellent.

1 Cor 14:21. In the law it is written: In other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and neither so will they hear me, saith the Lord.

The law here means the entire Old Testament, as in Rom 3:19; Gal 3:23, 24; 4:5; John 10:34; 12:34, etc. The particular reference is to Isa 28:11-12, cited freely, but more according to the Hebrew than the LXX.

In other tongues, etc. Literally and directly the Prophet is foretelling the coming of the Assyrian conquerors whose barbarous and unknown language the Jews should be constrained to listen to in punishment for having mocked at the utterances of the Prophets and complained of their obscurity (Rickaby).

And neither so will they hear. Better, “And even so they shall not,” etc. The Prophet also foretells that the Jews will not be moved to repentance by this punishment, but will persevere in their incredulity.

Now these incredulous Israelites were a type of the unbelievers of the Christian era who would not be converted in spite of God’s efforts, through the gift of tongues, to lead them to the faith; and the Assyrians were a type of those who in Corinth had the gift of tongues for the purpose of converting the unbelievers. Therefore, concludes the Apostle, just as the unbelieving Jews were not converted to repentance for their sins by the strange language of the Assyrians, so neither will the unbelieving pagans be converted to Christianity by listening to those who speak with strange tongues.

St. Paul deviates considerably from the text of Isaias, as we have it both in the Hebrew and in the LXX, but he is summing up, under divine inspiration, what the Prophet means, and applying it to the question in hand.

1 Cor 14:22. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers; but prophecies, not to unbelievers, but to believers.

There are two explanations of this verse: (a) The gift of tongues is bestowed principally to excite the attention and curiosity of unbelievers, and thus lead them to embrace the faith; prophecy, on the contrary, is primarily for the purpose of instructing, exhorting and comforting the faithful (Le Camus, Van Steenkiste, etc.). (b) The gift of tongues is a sign, i.e., an extraordinary and miraculous phenomenon to unbelievers, inasmuch as it makes manifest their infidelity, without, however, effecting their conversion. As the faithless Hebrews of the time of Isaias were unmoved by the strange tongues of the Assyrians whom God sent to them, so in the time of our Lord the incredulous Jews who heard the strange tongues of the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, instead of being thereby drawn to the faith, rather calumniated the Apostles, saying they were full of wine (Acts 2:13, 14). The Apostle is not saying that the gift of tongues was not at times useful to the faithful (verse 4), but only that it was not primarily intended for the conversion of unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is a sign by which God approves, confirms and manifests the faith of believers, and which, when directed to unbelievers, leads them to conversion (Cornely, Brassac, etc.). This latter explanation is more in agreement with the following verse, which says that the gift of tongues rather caused unbelievers to deride and despise the faithful.

1 Cor 14:23. If therefore the whole church come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in unlearned persons or infidels, will they not say that you are mad?

In this and the two following verses it is shown that prophecy is more useful than tongues even for unbelievers. The Apostle says here that if the whole local assembly of the faithful be gathered together, all speaking to God in tongues at the same time, and unlearned persons (ιδιωται), i.e., catechumens, persons not yet well instructed in the faith, or strangers, who had not before witnessed such an extraordinary phenomenon, or unbelievers were to come in, they would think the faithful beside themselves. The context shows that ιδιωται has not the same meaning here as in verse 16.

1 Cor 14:24. But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or an unlearned person, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all.
1 Cor 14:25. The secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so, falling down on his face, he will adore God, affirming that God is among you indeed.

If all prophesy, i.e., if all exhort and instruct together.  Probably this was done in different sections of the assembly so that there was no confusion.

Unlearned person, i.e., one not yet well instructed in the faith, or a strange Christian who had never before heard speaking with tongues (verse 23).

He is convinced, i.e., he is constrained to admit his sinfulness by force of the preaching of all; he is 

judged, i.e., he is induced to recognize the vanity of the excuses by which he formerly tried to justify himself. Thus the secrets of his heart, i.e., his half-hidden, half-forgotten sins, are brought vividly before his mind, so that, moved by sorrow and sentiments of repentance, he falls on his face, adoring God and proclaiming that God is really in the preachers (εν υμιν) and speaking through them.