1 Corinthians 14 · Verse 16

1 Corinthians 14:16

Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?

1 Corinthians 14:16, King James Version

1 Corinthians 14:16 in other translations

BSB	Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
WEB	Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, seeing he doesn’t know what you say?
ASV	Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest?
YLT	since, if thou mayest bless with the spirit, he who is filling the place of the unlearned, how shall he say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, since what thou dost say he hath not known?
DARBY	Since otherwise, if thou blessest with the spirit, how shall he who fills the place of the simple Christian say Amen, at thy giving of thanks, since he does not know what thou sayest?
BBE	For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying?
Webster	Else, when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?

What does 1 Corinthians 14:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

16. Else ... thou--He changes from the first person, as he had just expressed his own resolution, "I will pray with the understanding," whatever "thou" doest. bless--the highest kind of prayer. occupieth the room of the unlearned--one who, whatever other gifts he may possess, yet, as wanting the gift of interpretation, is reduced by the speaking in an unknown tongue to the position of one unlearned, or "a private person." say Amen--Prayer is not a vicarious duty done by others for us; as in Rome's liturgies and masses. We must join with the leader of the prayers and praises of the congregation, and say aloud our responsive "Amen" in assent, as was the usage of the Jewish (De 27:15-26; Ne 8:6) and Christian primitive churches [Justin Martyr, Apology, 2. 97].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 16. Else. επει. Since; if this is not done; if what is said is not intelligible, how shall the unlearned be able appropriately to express his assent, and join in your devotions?

When thou shalt bless. When thou shalt bless God, or give thanks to him. If thou shalt lead the devotions of the people in expressing thanksgiving for mercies and favours. This may refer to a part of public worship, or to the thanks which should be expressed at table, and the invocation of the Divine blessing to attend the bounties of his providence. Paul had illustrated his subject by prayer and by singing; he now does it by a reference to the important part of public worship expressed in giving thanks.

With the spirit. In the manner referred to above; that is, in an unknown tongue, in such a way that your own heart may be engaged in it, but which would be unintelligible to others.

He that occupieth the room. Is in the place, or the seat of the unlearned; that is, he who is unlearned. On the meaning of the word room, Lk 14:8. To fill a place means, to occupy a station, or to be found in a state or condition.

Of the unlearned, τουιδιωτου. On the meaning of this word, Acts 4:13. Here it means, one who was unacquainted with the foreign language spoken by him who gave thanks. It properly denotes a man in private, in contradistinction from a man in public life; and hence a man who is ignorant and unlettered, as such men generally were.

Say Amen. This word means truly, verily; and is an expression of affirmation (Jn 3:6) or of assent. Here it means assent. How can he pronounce the AMEN; how can he express his assent; how can he join in the act of devotion? This might have been, and probably was, expressed aloud; and there is no impropriety in it. It may, however, be mental--a silent assent to what is said, and a silent uniting in the act of thanksgiving. In one way or the other, or in both, the assent should always be expressed by those who join in acts of public worship.

(d) "giving of thanks" 1Cor 11:24

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 16 He that occupieth the room of the unlearned - One who is not acquainted with the language in which you speak, sing, or pray. Say Amen - Give his assent and ratification to what he does not understand. It was very frequent in primitive times to express their approbation in the public assemblies by Amen. This practice, soberly and piously conducted, might still be of great use in the Church of Christ. This response was of the highest authority and merit among the Jews; they even promised the remission of all sins, the annihilation of the sentence of damnation, and the opening of the gates of paradise, to those who fervently say Amen. And it is one of their maxims that "greater is he who says Amen than he who prays." See many testimonies of this kind in Schoettgen. Now, allowing that this was of so much consequence in the time of St. Paul, it was a very serious matter for a person to be in a congregation where prayer was offered, who could not say Amen, because the prayers were in a language which he did not understand.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:15-25

There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskilful as to the word of…

Read the full comment on 1 Corinthians 14:15-25 →

1 Corinthians 14:16 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐπεὶepeiOtherwiseG1893

ἐὰνeanifG1437

εὐλογῇςeulogēasyou shall blessG2127

ἐνenin [the]G1722

πνεύματι,pneumatispirit,G4151

ὁhothe [one]G3588

ἀναπληρῶνanaplērōnfillingG378

τὸνtontheG3588

τόπονtoponplaceG5117

τοῦtouof theG3588

ἰδιώτουidiōtouuninstructedG2399

πῶςpōshowG4459

ἐρεῖereiwill he sayG4483

τὸtotheG3588

ἀμὴνamēnAmenG281

ἐπὶepiatG1909

τῇtēa<the>G3588

σῇsēayourG4771

εὐχαριστίᾳ;eucharistiathanksgiving?G2169

ἐπειδὴepeidēsinceG1894

τίtiwhatG5101

λέγειςlegeisyou say [is that]G3004

οὐκouknotG3756

οἶδεν·oidenhe knows;

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 14:16

1 Chronicles 16:36
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
Psalms 106:48
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.
Revelation 5:14
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Deuteronomy 27:15-26
Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. …
Nehemiah 8:6
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
1 Corinthians 11:24
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Jeremiah 28:6
Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the Lord do so: the Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the Lord’s house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.
Revelation 7:12
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Numbers 5:22
And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
Mark 16:20
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Isaiah 29:11-12
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

bless.
2,14
unlearned.
23,24; Isa 29:11,12; Joh 7:15; Ac 4:13
Amen.
11:24; 16:24; Nu 5:22; De 27:15-26; 1Ki 1:36; 1Ch 16:36; Ps 41:13
Ps 72:19; 89:52; 106:48; Jer 28:6; Mt 6:13; 28:20; Mr 16:20
Joh 21:25; Re 5:14; 22:20
at.
1:4-8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Corinthians 14:15
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:16
Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
1 Corinthians 14:17
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 14

1 Corinthians 14:16 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Porque si bendijeres con el espíritu, el que ocupa lugar de un mero particular, ¿cómo dirá amén á tu acción de gracias? pues no sabe lo que has dicho.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Autrement, si tu as béni avec l’esprit, comment celui qui occupe la place d’un homme simple dira-t-il l’amen à ton action de grâces, puisqu’il ne sait ce que tu dis?
German Elberfelder 1871	Sonst, wenn du mit dem Geiste preisen wirst, wie soll der, welcher die Stelle des Unkundigen einnimmt, das Amen sprechen zu deiner Danksagung, da er ja nicht weiß, was du sagst?
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Ceterum si benedixeris spiritu, qui supplet locum idiotæ, quomodo dicet: Amen, super tuam benedictionem? quoniam quid dicas, nescit.