1 Corinthians 14:26–33, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 14:26–33
Participatory Worship Builds through Limits, Testing, and Peace
Many may speak; nothing is exempt from building, taking turns, and peace.
When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. If there is no interpreter, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation comes to someone else sitting there, let the first be silent.
You can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Order here is how love behaves in a crowded room. It is not a ban on the Spirit, and Spirit-led speech does not bypass turn-taking, testing, time limits, consent, or correction. Silence in this unit is a temporary yield for the common good, not a ranking of persons and not a medical claim about anyone's inner state.
How this should shape us
Make room for more than one voice, and put real limits on time, volume, and claims. Weigh prophecy; do not applaud it untested. A peaceful meeting is not deadness. It is the character of God made audible in how you take turns.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 14:26–33 in your own words. Include its place in 1 Corinthians, the unit's logic, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: The identity of 'the others' evaluating prophecy and whether 'all' means every individual or broad distributed participation are debated. Evaluation and self-control are explicit.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
1 Corinthians 14:26–33, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 14:26–33
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 14:26–33 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 14:26–33
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 14:26–33
Supports: Trinitarian gift language, distributed agency, common good, and lexical analysis.
Kukuni, 'An exegetical analysis of 1 Corinthians 12:4-11,' Verbum et Ecclesia 46.1 (2025), complete article, especially pp. 4–7
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 14:26–33, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 14:26–33
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 14:26–33 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 14:26–33
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 14:26–33
Open source ↗peer reviewed open access rhetorical article
Desire Spiritual Gifts That Edify: A Text-Generated Persuasion of 1 Corinthians 14:1-40
T. J. Kukuni
Verbum et Ecclesia 46(1), a3339, 2025
Supports: Trinitarian gift language, distributed agency, common good, and lexical analysis.
Exact location: Kukuni, 'An exegetical analysis of 1 Corinthians 12:4-11,' Verbum et Ecclesia 46.1 (2025), complete article, especially pp. 4–7
Open source ↗