“What is it then?”
The full verse · 1 Corinthians 14:15 · KJV
is ? I will with the , I will with the : I will with the , I will with the .
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church at Corinth, which was "zealous of spiritual gifts" (1 Corinthians 14:12)
Asked to
Corinthians: the believers in the church of God at Corinth, who came together for worship and prized speaking with tongues (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 14:12, 23)
The Scene
Paul has just said that if he prays in an unknown tongue, "my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1 Corinthians 14:14).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPaul pauses to settle a practical question: given what he has just said, how should he pray and sing? Barnes paraphrases the question as "What shall I do? What is the proper course for me to pursue?" Gill reads it the same way: "what is to be done? what is most prudent, advisable, and eligible?" Paul asks it about himself, but he is really showing the Corinthians how to think through their own practice. He does not throw out praying in the spirit; he looks for a way to keep both the spirit and the understanding at work.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPaul answers at once: "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 14:15). He then explains why: if he blesses only with the spirit, the hearer cannot "say Amen" and "is not edified" (1 Corinthians 14:16-17). He sums it up: "in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsSinging and praying aloud were part of the Corinthian gatherings; Paul later mentions that "every one of you hath a psalm" (1 Corinthians 14:26). Barnes notes that a song given in a tongue "might be in a foreign language, and might be unintelligible to others." To pray "with the understanding," Barnes says, means praying "So that others may understand me." Gill takes "pray with the spirit" as using the extraordinary gift of the Spirit, which Paul resolves to use at proper times, while also making sure others understand him.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyPaul's answer refuses a false choice. Spirit and understanding are not rivals. God is worshiped with the whole person, and in the church that worship should also lift others. Barnes says Paul resolves to "blend" all the advantages that come from prayer, for himself and for others.
This fits the rule Paul keeps applying in 1 Corinthians 14: "Let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Corinthians 14:26). Matthew Henry states it simply: "There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood." Prayer and song in the gathered church are shared acts, so they must be understood to be shared.
Look Closer
What does Paul decide to do after asking "What is it then?"
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, I want to worship You with my whole heart and my whole mind; where am I leaving one of them out, and how can my prayers also help others?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Do you lean more toward heartfelt worship or toward understanding? What might you be missing on the other side?
- Tell about a prayer or song that moved you deeply and also helped you understand God better.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
You do not have to choose between a warm heart and a clear mind when you worship. Paul wants both. Pray with feeling, and pray with understanding. Sing from the heart, and pay attention to what the words say.
When you pray or lead singing with others, remember that they are joining you. Choose words they can follow, so that your prayer becomes their prayer too.
This does not mean private prayer must always be put into careful words. Paul says the one who speaks in a tongue speaks "unto God" (1 Corinthians 14:2, 28). His concern here is the gathered church.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“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?”
“Except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?”
“How is it then, brethren?”
“If I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?”