On 1 Corinthians 14:2

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Sat Sep 21 01:50:54 EDT 2002


> From: waldo slusher [mailto:waldoslusher at yahoo.com]
>
> hO GAR LALWN GLWSSHi OUK ANQRWPOIS LALEI ALLA QEWi,
> OUDEIS GAR AKOUEI, PNEUMATI DE LALEI MUSTHRIA
>
> I am trying to understand OUDEIS GAR AKOUEI.
>
> So far, I have something like, "The one speaking with
> a (particular) tongue or language does not speak to
> men but to (some, a) god."

I would translate this part as:
For the one speaking in tongues is not speaking to (other) people, but to
God.

The initial GAR picks up the thought from v. 1 that speaking prophetically
is the more important gift, compared with speaking in tongues. It is more
important, because people can understand a prophetic message which is using
a language they know, but not a message in tongues which is using a language
they don't know. I am using "speaking in tongues" because that is the
standard rendering of this technical term in English. It basically means
speaking in a language that the speaker has never learned, and it usually is
also a language that other people around do not understand.
That QEWi has no article does not mean that it refers to any god other than
the one and only God.
>
> The next two verbs AKOUEI and LALEI are what I am
> trying to connect. AKOUEI seems to say "he hears..."
> while LALEI says "he speaks..." I am not sure what is
> the meaning of the idea that "he hears OUDEIS."

Not "hear" in the English sense. It is rather "for no one understands
(him/it)" - OUDEIS is subject. The GAR picks up on the previous statement
that such words are not directed towards people, because people don't
understand the words, but the one speaking in tongues is speaking
mysteries/hidden things by means of the Spirit.

Iver Larsen




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