Bible Study on 1 Corinthians 14:34 ("Women should remain silent")
1 Corinthians 14:34
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” (NIV)
Welcome to the Bible Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 14:34, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
APPLY
Yield: What personal, cultural, or religious bias and assumptions do you bring to 1 Corinthians 14:34? For example: Some may have been taught that women can’t speak or teach in a church or that women can’t teach men.
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s)? Start small and work your way out like the ripples caused by a pebble thrown in a pond:
Start with the paragraph and read 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Does it provide clarity on what 1 Corinthians 14:34 means? Likely not, so let’s keep moving out farther in context to see what else we can learn.
Now read 1 Corinthians 14:29-40 and skip verses 34-35 to see how seamless the theme continues before and after? Context tells us that the author was referring to a specific kind of speech when he instructed women to remain silent in the church. How does this help you understand what type of speech the author Paul had in mind?
Now read 1 Corinthians 14:26-28, which adds 3 verses to the front of our reading. By including these verses, we’ve now seen the word “silent” repeated three times (vs 28, 30,34)? Who else is instructed to remain silent? And what is the purpose of this instruction?
Context tells us that the author is giving instruction for orderly worship and that all church members need to practice self-control, which at times may include remaining silent in order to promote peaceful worship. How does this help your understanding of expectations for both men and women within the church?
Read 1 Corinthians 14. What is the theme or main idea found in the overall chapter? Hint: Look for repetition for words like “built up” to help grasp the main idea. Based on this chapter, what is the purpose of spiritual gifts?
RESEARCH
Translations: Does another Bible translation (or version) add perspective or clarity on what the original language was trying to communicate in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 39? (Hint: Check out translations like the NIV, CSB, NLT, or NASB). Who was the author addressing? How does the audience provide clarity on how both men and women are given the same spiritual gifts and are encouraged to use them?
AUTHOR
Structure: What is emphasized by the amount of space devoted to a subject (person, theme, or circumstance)? Based on what we’ve read so far in 1 Corinthians 14, what is the main thing our author Paul is trying to communicate based on the amount of space he gives to the subject?
Purpose/Point: What was the author's purpose, why was it written, and what insight does it provide into the passage? Based on the amount of space devoted, it doesn’t appear that Paul’s purpose in 1 Corinthians 14 is to define the role of women in the church. So what is the purpose of 1 Corinthians 14?
CONTEXT
Book: Is the theme repeated throughout the book and how does it fit within the overall purpose of the book? Does any spot in 1 Corinthians give clarity on whether women should remain silent in church? (Hint: Check out cross references and Study Bible notes, which should lead you to verses like 1 Corinthians 11:4-5).
RESEARCH
Original Language: What does a word mean in the original language? (Hint: Check out a Hebrew/Greek lexicon, such as blueletterbible.org or biblehub.com). You’ll notice that the Greek word for woman/wife are the same, and man/husband are the same. Reading 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 again, you’ll notice that the Greek for woman/wife uses “women” but the Greek for man/husband uses “husband.” But how would an unmarried woman or widow ask their husband questions at home as verse 35 suggests? Do verses 34-35 make more sense if Paul is giving guidance within a husband/wife relationship instead of a husband/women relationship?
CONTEXT
Bible: Does my interpretation hold true throughout the rest of the Bible? What Bible passages can you find that speak to submission as it relates to women? (Hint: Check out cross references and Study Bible notes, which should lead you to verses like Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18). Is submission used for women with all men, or just her husband?
If you run across a verse like 1 Timothy 2:11-12, that has similar language to 1 Corinthians 14:34, apply the same CHARA in Action principles. What do you learn based on looking at the Context and Researching the original Greek words for “quietness” and “woman”?
Can you find examples in the Bible of women who didn’t stay silent and were commended for it? (Hint: Check out Priscilla in Acts 18, Romans 16:7, or the prophet Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22-28)
APPLY
Respond: What was expected of the original audience and what principles make sense for us now (is it a cultural or timeless truth)? Keep in mind that the Bible cannot mean now what it didn’t mean then. So if it didn’t mean that women were to remain silent (and not use their God given spiritual gifts) back then, then it doesn’t mean that today. Consider the overall theme of 1 Corinithians 14 as you look for principles to apply to your life today.
Note: some scholars suggest that the “law” mentioned in verse 34, could be referring to a local law in the Greek culture, since there is no Old Testament law that speaks of women being silent, and Greeks traditionally held a stance that women should not speak in public where men other than her husband were present.
Yield: Based on the bias and assumptions we brought into 1 Corinthians 14:34, what do you need to surrender, if anything, to be in harmony with the Bible?
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Join the Chara Project team as they study 1 Corinthians 14:34 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.