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NASB | 1 Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things]. |
Bible Question: I am still seeking the correct use of the gift of tongues. As part of my study, I have found that one teacher maintains that in this text "does not speak to men but to God" could equally well be rendered "to a god". NASB and Amplified have both chosen "God". Are there strong textual reasons for the translators choosing "God" in preference to "a god"? This question is not at all academic because some maintain that the gift of tongues is not to be used in a private devotional manner, whereas the plain sense of the translation seems to say to me that to use the gift in this manner is perfectly proper. |
Bible Answer: Greetings Chris! In Greek, nouns can be articular or anarthrous (without a article). There is no indefinite article in Greek. So, the mere absence of a definite article does not necessarily mean that 'theos' can be translated as 'a god'. What does the context tell us? 1 Cor. 12:2 speaks of the Corinthians being carried away by dumb idols, but verse 3 contrasts the leading of the Holy Spirit with their previous situation. The phrase 'Spirit of God' in 12:3 is also anarthrous. So, clearly the context of these three chapters has to do with God's gifts. But, if someone were to get to hung up on this anarthrous issue, look at 1 Cor. 14:28 where Paul again repeats that a speaker in tongues should keep quiet and speak to God. However, this time he does use the definite article. My last observation would be that normally, when Paul speaks of 'a god' or 'gods', he includes some sort of disclaimer (like - we know there are no other gods). I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 1 Cor 14:2 | Author | ||
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Ivory313 | ||
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David Yew | ||
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chris moyler | ||
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Morant61 | ||
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PDAL | ||
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BradK | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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Oljato |