1 Corinthians 14:12

Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Even	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
so	οὕτως houtōs	G3779	in this way (referring to what precedes or follows) · adverb
ye	ὑμεῖς hymeîs	G5210	you (as subjective of verb)
as	ἐπεὶ epei	G1893	thereupon · conjunction
are	ἐστέ esté	G2075	ye are
zealous	ζηλωταί zēlōtai	G2207	a "zealot" · noun — nominative plural masculine, a title
spiritual	πνευμάτων, pneumatōn	G4151	a current of air · noun — genitive plural neuter
seek	ζητεῖτε zēteite	G2212	to seek (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
that	ἵνα ina	G2443	compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
excel	περισσεύητε.¶ perisseuēte	G4052	to superabound (in quantity or quality) · verb — present active subjunctive, 2nd person plural
to	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
edifying	οἰκοδομὴν oikodomēn	G3619	architecture · noun — accusative singular feminine
church	ἐκκλησίας ekklēsias	G1577	a calling out · noun — genitive singular feminine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an i…
1 Corinthians 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 14:3-4 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:6-14

In this paragraph he goes on to show how vain a thing the ostentation of speaking unknown and unintelligible language must be. It was altogether unedifying and unprofitable (Co1 14:6): If I come to you speaking with tongues, what will it profit you, unless I speak to you by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? It would signify nothing to utter any of these in an unknown tongue. An apostle, with all his furniture, could not edify, unless he spoke to the capacity of his hearers. New revelations, the most clear explications of old ones, the most instructive discourses in themselves, would be unprofitable in a language not understood. Nay, interpretations of scripture…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:12

zealous--emulously desirous. spiritual gifts--literally, "spirits"; that is, emanations from the one Spirit. seek that ye may excel to--Translate, "Seek them, that ye may abound in them to the edifying," &c.

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:12

For as much as ye are zealous - Seeing ye affect so much to have spiritual gifts, seek that ye may get those by which ye may excel in edifying the Church.

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:12

Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts,.... Gr. "of spirits"; that is, "of the gifts of the Spirit", as the Syriac version renders it; and we rightly, "spiritual gifts"; the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, for which the apostle does not blame them; these being what he had before exhorted them to covet earnestly, and zealously affect and desire: but then he further advises, seek that ye may excel, to the edifying of the church: above all, be desirous of such gifts, and of excelling in them, and abounding in the exercise of them, which may be most profitable and edifying to the members of the church; and what these were, and in what manner to be used, he had before sign…

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The Church Fathers

The soul is stirred and rejoices when it learns something more about the Scriptures. The more it tends in this direction, the more it abandons vices. It is for these reasons that Paul advises that one should make efforts to communicate clearly.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

"What then must be done?" saith he. Why, so far from disparaging, one ought to recommend and to teach it; as indeed himself also doth. Since after he had accused and rebuked it and shown its unprofitableness, he proceeds to counsel them; saying, "So also ye, since as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the Church." Seest thou his aim every where, how he looks to one thing continually and in all cases, the general utility, the profiting the Church; laying this down as a kind of rule? And he did not say, "that ye may obtain the gifts" but, "that ye may abound," i.e., that ye may even possess them in great plenitude. Thus, so far am I from wishing you not to possess them, that I even wish you to abound in them, only so that ye handle them with a view to the common advantage. And how is this to be done? ...
— John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 35

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Edification · Is the object of: Ministerial gifts — Is the object of: Ministerial gifts
Interpretation · Of foreign tongues — Of foreign tongues
Language · unless there was an inspired interpreter present — unless there was an inspired interpreter present
Miraculous Gifts Of The Holy Spirit · Communicated: For the edification of the Church — Communicated: For the edification of the Church
Preaching · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Tongues (The Gift) · The miraculous gift granted to — The miraculous gift granted to
Zeal · Holy — Exemplified: Corinthians — Holy — Exemplified: Corinthians
Zeal, Religious · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 14:12

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:6-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:12

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:12

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 14:12

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:6-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:12

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:12

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 14:7-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 14:12