1 Corinthians 14:34 Meaning and Explanation
“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul directs that women keep silence in the gathered assemblies, maintaining a quiet and orderly submission, in keeping with Scripture.
What Does 1 Corinthians 14:34 Mean?
Paul applies his concern for order to one more situation in the Corinthian gatherings. Within a chapter wholly devoted to keeping the assembly peaceful and edifying, this instruction belongs to his larger effort to restrain disruptive speech in the meeting.
The whole passage is about a particular setting, the gathered congregation, and about a particular aim, that everything be done decently and in order. Paul roots the call to quietness and submission in Scripture itself. Read within the chapter, it serves the same end as his counsel on tongues and prophecy: that the meeting honor God by its peace. The principle underneath is one of humble, orderly worship that lifts up the whole body rather than any individual.
1 Corinthians 14:34 in the Original Language
sigaō (σιγάω), 'keep silence' -- to be quiet or hold one's peace, the same verb Paul uses for tongue-speakers and prophets in this chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 14:34
What does 1 Corinthians 14:34 mean?
Paul directs that women keep silence in the gathered assemblies, maintaining a quiet and orderly submission, in keeping with Scripture.