1 Corinthians 14:14

14 For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind.

1 Corinthians 14:14 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 14:14

For if I pray in an unknown tongue
In the Hebrew tongue, which the greatest part of the Jewish doctors insisted ^F1 upon should be only used in prayer; which notion might be borrowed from them, and now greatly prevailed in the church at Corinth; and the custom was used by such as had the gift of speaking that language, even though the body and bulk of the people understood it not:

my spirit prayeth;
I pray with my breath vocally; or else with affection and devotion, understanding what I say myself, and so am edified; or rather with the gift of the Spirit bestowed on me:

but my understanding is unfruitful;
that is, what I say with understanding to myself is unprofitable to others, not being understood by them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Vid. Trigland. de Sect. Kar. c. 10. p. 172, 173.

1 Corinthians 14:14 In-Context

12 So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church.

13 For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense.

14 For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind.

15 What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind.

16 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?