1 Corinthians 14 · Verse 36

1 Corinthians 14:36

What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1 Corinthians 14:36, King James Version

1 Corinthians 14:36 in other translations

BSBDid the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
WEBWhat!? Was it from you that the word of God went out? Or did it come to you alone?
ASVWhat? was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone?
YLTFrom you did the word of God come forth? or to you alone did it come?
DARBYDid the word of God go out from you, or did it come to you only?
BBEWhat? was it from you that the word of God went out? or did it only come in to you?
WebsterWhat? came the word of God out from you? or came it to you only?

What does 1 Corinthians 14:36 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
36. What!--Greek, "Or." Are you about to obey me? Or, if you set up your judgment above that of other churches. I wish to know, do you pretend that your church is the first church FROM which the gospel word came, that you should give the law to all others? Or are you the only persons In, fro whom it has come?

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 36. What? came the word of God out from you? The meaning of this is, "Is the church at Corinth the mother church? Was it first established; or has it been alone in sending forth the word of God? You have adopted customs which are unusual. You have permitted women to speak in a manner unknown to other churches. See 1Cor 11:16. You have admitted irregularity and confusion unknown in all the others. You have allowed many to speak at the same time, and have tolerated confusion and disorder. Have you any right thus to differ from others? Have you any authority, as it were, to dictate to them, to teach them, contrary to their uniform custom, to allow these disorders? Should you not rather be conformed to them, and observe the rules of the churches which are older than yours?" The argument here is, that the church at Corinth was not the first that was established; that it was one of the last that had been founded; and that it could, therefore, claim no right to differ from others, or to prescribe to them. The same argument is employed in 1Cor 11:16. 1Cor 11:16.

Or came it unto you only? As you are not the first of those who believed, neither are you the only ones. God has sent the same gospel to others, and it is travelling over the world. Others, therefore, have the same right as you to originate customs and peculiar habits; and as this would be attended with confusion and disorder, you should all follow the same rule, and the customs which do not prevail in other churches should not be allowed in yours.

(a) "came it" 1Cor 4:7

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 36 Came the word of God out from you? - Was it from you that other Churches received the Gospel? Are you the mother Church? that you should have rules, and orders, and customs, different from all others; and set yourselves up for a model to be copied by all the Churches of Christ? Or came it unto you only? - Are you the only Church of God? Are there not many others founded before you that have no such customs, and permit no such disorders?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:34-40

When the apostle exhorts Christian women to seek information on religious subjects from their husbands at home, it shows that believing families ought to assemble for promoting spiritual knowledge. The Spirit of Christ can never contradict itself; and if their revelations are against those of the apostle, they do not come from the same Spirit. The way to keep peace, truth, and order in the church, is to seek that…

Read the full comment on 1 Corinthians 14:34-40 →

1 Corinthians 14:36 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.

ἢēOrG2228
ἀφ᾽aph᾽fromG575
ὑμῶνhumōnyouG4771
ὁhotheG3588
λόγοςlogoswordG3056
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouof GodG2316
ἐξῆλθεν,exēlthenhas gone out?G1831
ἢēOrG2228
εἰςeistoG1519
ὑμᾶςhumasyouG4771
μόνουςmonousonlyG3441
κατήντησεν;¶katēntēsenhas it come?G2658

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

Cross references for 1 Corinthians 14:36

  • Zechariah 14:8

    And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

  • Acts 18:1-17

    After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. …

  • 1 Thessalonians 1:8

    For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

  • Isaiah 2:3

    And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

  • Acts 17:1

    Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

  • 1 Corinthians 4:7

    For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

  • 2 Corinthians 10:13-16

    But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand.

  • Acts 13:1-3

    Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

  • Acts 17:15

    And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

  • Acts 16:9-10

    And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

  • Acts 15:35-36

    Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

  • Acts 17:10-11

    And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
came.
Isa 2:3; Mic 4:1,2; Zec 14:8; Ac 13:1-3; 15:35,36; 16:9,10
Ac 17:1,10,11,15; 18:1-17; 2Co 10:13-16; 1Th 1:8
or.
4:7

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

Context

  • 1 Corinthians 14:35

    And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

  • 1 Corinthians 14:36

    What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

  • 1 Corinthians 14:37

    If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 14

1 Corinthians 14:36 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Qué, ¿ha salido de vosotros la palabra de Dios? ¿ó á vosotros solos ha llegado?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
La parole de Dieu est-elle procédée de vous, ou est-elle parvenue à vous seuls?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Oder ist das Wort Gottes von euch ausgegangen? oder ist es zu euch allein gelangt?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
An a vobis verbum Dei processit? aut in vos solos pervenit?