1 Corinthians 14:21

In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the LORD.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
In	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
law	νόμῳ nomō	G3551	law (through the idea of prescriptive usage) · noun — dative singular masculine
written	γέγραπται gegraptai	G1125	to "grave" · verb — perfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular
With	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
tongues	ἑτερογλώσσοις heteroglōssois	G2084	other- tongued · adjective — dative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
other	ἑτέρων heterōn	G2087	(an- · adjective — genitive plural masculine
lips	χείλεσιν cheilesin	G5491	a lip (as a pouring place) · noun — dative plural neuter
speak	λαλήσω lalēsō	G2980	to talk · verb — future active indicative, 1st person singular
this	τούτῳ toútōi	G5129	to (in
people	λαῷ laō	G2992	a people (in general · noun — dative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
that	οὕτως houtōs	G3779	in this way (referring to what precedes or follows) · adverb
they	εἰσακούσονταί eisakousontai	G1522	to listen to · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 3rd person plural
not	οὐδ᾽ oud᾽	G3761	not however · conjunction — negative
hear	εἰσακούω eisakoúō	G1522	to listen to
me	μοῦ moû	G3450	of me
saith	λέγει legei	G3004	properly · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
Lord	κύριος. kurios	G2962	supreme in authority · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title

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

Isaiah 28:11-12 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Jeremiah 5:15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation who…
Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou sha…
Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the worl…
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25

In this passage the apostle pursues the argument, and reasons from other topics; as, I. Tongues, as the Corinthians used them, were rather a token of judgment from God than mercy to any people (Co1 14:21): In the law (that is, the Old Testament) it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak to this people; and yet for all this they will not hear me, saith the Lord, Isa 28:11. Compare Deu 28:46, Deu 28:49. To both these passages, it is thought, the apostle refers. Both are delivered by way of threatening, and one is supposed to interpret the other. The meaning in this view is that it is an evidence that a people are abandoned of God when he gives them up to this sort of…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:21

In the law--as the whole Old Testament is called, being all of it the law of God. Compare the citation of the Psalms as the "law," Joh 10:34. Here the quotation is from Isa 28:11-12, where God virtually says of Israel, This people hear Me not, though I speak to. them in the language with which they are familiar; I will therefore speak to them in other tongues, namely, those of the foes whom I will send against them; but even then they will not hearken to Me; which Paul thus applies, Ye see that it is a penalty to be associated with men of a strange tongue, yet ye impose this on the Church [GROTIUS]; they who speak in foreign tongues are like "children" just "weaned from the milk" (Isa 28:9),…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:21

In the law it is written - But the passage quoted is in Isa 28:11. Here is no contradiction, for the term תירה torah, Law, was frequently used by the Jews to express the whole Scriptures, law, prophets, and hagiographia; and they used it to distinguish these sacred writings from the words of the scribes. With men of other tongues - Bishop Pearce paraphrases this verse as follows: "With the tongues of foreigners and with the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people; and yet, for all that, will they not hear me, saith the Lord." To enter into the apostle's meaning we must enter into that of the prophet. The Jewish people were under the teaching of the prophets who were sent from God; the…

The Church Fathers

Note that Paul refers to the prophetic writings also as the "law." In this passage he is quoting Isaiah [28:11] according to Aquila's translation, and not according to the Septuagint.
— Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 4.65

The Lord said this about those whom he knew in advance would not believe in the Savior. For to speak in other tongues and with other lips is to preach the New Testament.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

Yet surely it is no where written in the Law, but as I said before, he calls always the whole of the Old Testament, the Law: both the prophets and the historical books And he brings forward his testimony from Esaias the prophet, again covertly detracting from the glory of the gift, for their profit; nevertheless, even thus he states it with praise. For the expression, "not even thus," hath force to point out that the miracle was enough to astonish them; and if they did not believe, the fault was theirs. And wherefore did God work it, if they were not to believe? That He might in every case appear to do His part.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 36

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

Law — A rule of action. (1.) The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human conduct, founded on the moral difference of things, and discoverable by natural light (Rom. 1:20; 2:14, 15). This law binds all…
Language · unless there was an inspired interpreter present — unless there was an inspired interpreter present
Tongues (The Gift) · The miraculous gift granted to — The miraculous gift granted to

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 14:21

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:21

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 14:21

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:21

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:21

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 14:18-25

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25