Women’s Ministry 5 – 1 Corinthians 14:34,35

The two main texts that appear to discredit women’s ministry are 1 Timothy 2:11,12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34,35. We will take these one by one and, in the light of the whole of Scripture, aim to supply the reader with an acceptable and sound interpretation of their actual meaning.

1 Corinthians 14:34,35

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 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.”

I have heard many times the argument that these verses are contextual and cultural and therefore do not apply to our present day situation. I certainly questioned that idea that any Scripture could be discounted on a cultural basis because it would mean that we could simply discount the authority of almost any scripture, assigning it to a dead cultural trash can.

In the light of the overall affirmation of women’s ministry however, and reasonable interpretation, one does not have to ‘wrest’ the Scriptures to agree with modernistic trends.

2 Peter 3:16

“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

General Order in the Church

Firstly, this particular Scripture, and much of the letter it comes from, deals with order in church and particularly in gatherings. • Chapter 7 deals with marriage, • Chapter 8 with meat offered to idols and the conduct of Christians regarding this, • Chapter 9 with support for the ministry, • Chapter 11 with acceptable modes of attire in public meetings*(see note) • Chapters 12,13,14 with proper use of the spiritual gifts, and proper order in church meetings • At the end of chapter 14 with talkative wives who disrupt meetings shouting out questions to their husbands in church meetings.

* Note regarding covering of heads: Halleys Bible Handbook (pp596,597) ; “It was customary in Greek and Eastern cities for women to cover their heads in public, except of immoral character. Corinth was full of temple prostitutes. Some of the Christian women, taking advantage of their new-found liberty in Christ, were making bold to lay aside their veils in Church meetings, which thus horrified those of modest type. They are here told not to defy public opinion as to what was considered proper in feminine decorum. ”  As quoted in ‘The Church in the New Testament’ Kevin Conner, p251

The Context of 1 Cor 14:34-35

• First. In Chapter 11 Paul speaks about both men and women praying and prophesying in meetings, so he cannot now be completely contradicting himself and commanding that all women be silent.
• Second. Verse 35 clarifies for us who the ‘your women’ are referred to in the previous verse. They are ‘wives’. So we are not here referring to all women, but specific women, namely the wives of certain men in the congregation. This is a not a general statement silencing all women (who in Chapter 11 are shown to both pray and prophesy (speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) in public meetings.
• Third. The Greek word translated ‘silence’ is sigao (#4601/2) meaning “to be silent, hush”. It is used in 1 Cor 14:28, that if a person speaks in tongues in a public meeting and there is no interpreter, they should instead remain silent. It is used again in 14:30 saying that if someone is speaking and revelation comes to another, the first should “hold his peace” (sigao). Finally it is used in verses 34-35 saying that if a wife wants to ask her husband questions during a public meeting she should rather keep silent and ask her husband later at home. The command in verses 34-35 is not a general silencing of women, any more that the preceding verses are a general silencing of prayers and prophets. Fourth. The word used in verses 34 and 35 for ‘speak’ is not the word generally used to describe the delivery of an ordered discourse, or even ordinary conversation. It is the word ‘Laleo’ which Liddel and Scott’s Lexicon describes as “chatter, babble, to twitter or chirp, inarticulate sound as opposed to articulate speech; but also generally, to talk or to say.”Paul is commanding talkative women not to chatter in the services, disrupting and disturbing the meeting, and not to call out to their (believing) husbands (in synagogue the women would sit on one side the men on the other) asking questions about the discourse.
• Fifth. Paul refers to or possibly quotes someone else when he says “But they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ” First, the women are commanded to be under obedience, not silent, and there is not one verse in all of the law or prophets that commands women to be silent in public meetings. Some expositors believe Paul is here quoting back to the Corinthians the words of Judaizers who were trying to impose Jewish oral law upon the Christian congregation. Although the Scriptures no where demand silence among women, the oral law (not from God but men) says that “it is a shame for a woman to let her voice be heard among men”, almost the very words Paul uses here in the Corinthian letter. Paul is not affirming this error, but highlighting that it is not part of God’s law. In verse 36 Paul exclaims, “What? ” questioning this previous statement, and then asks, “did the Word of God come out from you (Judaziers)? ” The answer is no, it did not!Paul is encouraging the Corinthian church not be shackled with religious law, but acknowledge that what he is saying concerning order and ministry within the church is the command of the Lord, and as part of this that women should be able to speak just as men, the very opposite of chauvinistic interpretations of these verses when they are taken in isolation.

An alternative interpretation of this portion regarding obedience is simply that it is telling wives to be in submission to their husbands, and keep quiet in church, behave in a manner honouring to their husbands in public meetings, and wait to ask questions until they got home.

Although a little verbose, these explanations certainly do not seek to impose an unnatural point of view upon these controversial verses, and overall it seems to be a very reasonable explanation of them in the light of the whole of Scripture, and applying the principle of allowing Scripture itself to interpret Scripture.

The Message Version of the Bible explains 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 this way.

“Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you—both women and men—imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?”

Want to know more? Check out our lesson from the Spirit Life Bible School for a full teaching from the Scriptures concerning ‘Women in Ministry’

Women in Ministry

The area of women in ministry has long been one that has caused controversy and discussion. Certain scriptures, particularly in the Pauline letters appear to bar women from certain roles in the life of the church. However, a broader look at women and ministry in the Scriptures reveals a much more liberated picture. We will be considering the Scriptural proof contending for a definite, sanctioned and anointed place for women to minister within the Body of Christ. Realising that a position contrary to this can be equally validated, we nevertheless choose to take the stand that there is neither male nor female in Christ, but a new creation, and that as such women are validated in their anointing and leadership callings in Christ Jesus and to His Body.

Price: $7.00

Read The series:

What does the Bible say about women’s ministry

The Christian Wife and Mother

Women’s Ministry in the Old Testament

Women’s Ministry in the New Testament

Controversial verses: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Controversial verses: 1 Timothy 2:11-12