1 Corinthians 14:1-2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 14
Prophecy Greater than Tongues. 1 [a]Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy.(A) 2 [b]For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit.
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- 14:1–5 1 Cor 14:1b returns to the thought of 1 Cor 12:31a and reveals Paul’s primary concern. The series of contrasts in 1 Cor 14:2–5 discloses the problem at Corinth: a disproportionate interest in tongues, with a corresponding failure to appreciate the worth of prophecy. Paul attempts to clarify the relative values of those gifts by indicating the kind of communication achieved in each and the kind of effect each produces.
- 14:2–3a They involve two kinds of communication: tongues, private speech toward God in inarticulate terms that need interpretation to be intelligible to others (see 1 Cor 14:27–28); prophecy, communication with others in the community.
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