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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Corinthians 14:10

It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Interpretation;   Language;   Preaching;   Tongues (the Gift);   The Topic Concordance - Prophecy and Prophets;   Tongues;   Understanding;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Language;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Tongues;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Worship of God;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Tongues, Gift of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Corinthians, First Epistle to the;   Ethics;   Spiritual Gifts;   Tongues, Gift of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Chance;   Edification;   Voice;   World;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Edification;   Tongues, Gift of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Synagogue;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chance;   Spiritual Gifts;   Tongues, Gift of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning.
King James Version (1611)
There are, it may bee, so many kindes of voices in the world, and none of them are without signification.
King James Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
English Standard Version
There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,
New American Standard Bible
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is incapable of meaning.
New Century Version
It may be true that there are all kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning.
Amplified Bible
There are, I suppose, a great many kinds of languages in the world [unknown to us], and none is lacking in meaning.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning.
Legacy Standard Bible
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning.
Berean Standard Bible
Assuredly, there are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
Contemporary English Version
There are many different languages in this world, and all of them make sense.
Complete Jewish Bible
There are undoubtedly all kinds of sounds in the world, and none is altogether meaningless;
Darby Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of undistinguishable sound.
Geneva Bible (1587)
There are so many kindes of voyces (as it commeth to passe) in the world, and none of them is dumme.
George Lamsa Translation
For, behold, there are many kinds of speech in the world, yet none of them are without expression.
Good News Translation
There are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
Lexham English Bible
There are probably so many kinds of languages in the world, and none without meaning.
Literal Translation
So it may be many kinds of sounds are in the world, and not one is without distinct sound.
American Standard Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no kind is without signification.
Bible in Basic English
There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.
Hebrew Names Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning.
International Standard Version
There are, I suppose, many different languagessounds
">[fn] in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
Etheridge Translation
10 For, behold, there are many kinds of tongues in the world, and not one of them hath not signification; [fn]
Murdock Translation
For lo, there are many kinds of tongues in the world; and there is not one of them without meaning.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
There are so many kyndes of voyces, [as it commeth to passe] in the worlde, and none of them are without signification.
English Revised Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without signification.
World English Bible
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without meaning.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Let there be ever so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them without signification:
Weymouth's New Testament
There are, we will suppose, a great number of languages in the world, and no creature is without a language.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
There ben many kyndis of langagis in this world, and no thing is with outen vois.
Update Bible Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without significance.
Webster's Bible Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them [is] without signification.
New English Translation
There are probably many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning.
New King James Version
There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.
New Living Translation
There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning.
New Life Bible
There are many languages in the world. All of them have meaning to the people who understand them.
New Revised Standard
There are doubtless many different kinds of sounds in the world, and nothing is without sound.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
There may happen to be so many kinds of languages in the world, and, not one, unspoken: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
There are, for example, so many kinds of tongues in this world: and none is without voice.
Revised Standard Version
There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Many kyndes of voyces are in the worlde and none of them are with out signification.
Young's Literal Translation
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So many kyndes of voyces are in the worlde, and none of them is without significacion.
Mace New Testament (1729)
there are, it may be, as many different languages in the world as there are people, and none of them without signification.
Simplified Cowboy Version
There's a bunch of different languages out there, and every one of them has meaning.

Contextual Overview

6 Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No, it will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching. 7 This is true even with lifeless things that make sounds—like a flute or a harp. If the different musical notes are not made clear, you can't understand what song is being played. Each note must be played clearly for you to be able to understand the tune. 8 And in a war, if the trumpet does not sound clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting. 9 It is the same with you. If you don't speak clearly in a language people know, they cannot understand what you are saying. You will be talking to the air! 10 It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning. 11 But if I don't understand the meaning of what someone is saying, it will just be strange sounds to me, and I will sound just as strange to them. 12 That's why you who want spiritual gifts so much should prefer those gifts that help the church grow stronger. 13 So those who have the gift of speaking in a different language should pray that they can also interpret what they say. 14 If I pray in a different language, my spirit is praying, but my mind does nothing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 11:3
Then they said to each other, "Let's make some bricks of clay and bake them in the fire." Then they used these bricks as stones, and they used tar as mortar.
Genesis 19:17
So after the two men brought Lot and his family out of the city, one of the men said, "Now run to save your life! Don't look back at the city, and don't stop anywhere in the valley. Run until you are in the mountains. If you stop, you will be destroyed with the city!"
Genesis 19:30
Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave.
Joshua 8:24
During the fighting, the army of Israel chased the men from Ai into the fields and into the desert. So the army of Israel finished killing all the men from Ai in the fields and in the desert. Then the Israelites went back to Ai and killed all the people who were still alive in the city.
Psalms 83:10
You destroyed the enemy at Endor, and their bodies rotted on the ground.
Isaiah 24:18
People will hear about the danger, and they will be afraid. Some of them will run away, but they will fall into holes and be trapped. Some of them will climb out of the holes, but they will be caught in another trap. The floodgates in the sky above will open, and the floods will begin. The foundations of the earth will shake.
Jeremiah 48:44
People will be afraid and run away, and they will fall into the deep holes. Anyone who climbs out of the deep holes will be caught in the traps. I will bring the year of punishment to Moab." This is what the Lord said.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices,.... לשנא, "tongues", or "languages", as the Syriac version renders it; that is, as many as there are nations in the world; there may be seventy of them, as the Jews say there were at the confusion of languages at Babel; there may be more or less:

and none of them is without signification: every language, and every word in a language, has a meaning in it, an idea annexed to it, which it conveys to him that understands it, and that cannot be done without a voice ordinarily speaking.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There are it may be ... - There has been considerable variety in the interpertation of this expression. Rosenmuller renders it, “for the sake of example.” Grotius supposes that Paul meant to indicate that there were, perhaps, or might be, as many languages as the Jews supposed, to wit, seventy. Beza and others suppose it means, that there may he as many languages as there are nations of people. Bloomfield renders it, “Let there he as many kinds of languages as you choose.” Macknight, “There are, no doubt, as many kinds of languages in the world as ye speak.” Robinson (Lexicon) renders it, “If so happen, it may be; perchance, perhaps;” and says the phrase is equivalent to “for example,” The sense is, “There are perhaps, or for example, very many kinds of voices in the world; and all are significant. None are used by those who speak them without meaning; none speak them without designing to convey some intelligible idea to their hearers.” The “argument” is, that as “all” the languages that are in the world, however numerous they are, are for “utility,” and as none are used for the sake of mere display, so it should be with those who had the power of speaking them in the Christian church. They should speak them only when and where they would be understood.

Voices - Languages.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 14:10. There are, it may be — ει τυχοι, For example.

So many kinds of voices — So many different languages, each of which has its distinct articulation, pronunciation, emphasis, and meaning; or there may be so many different nations, each possessing a different language, &c.


 
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