1 CORINTHIANS 14:16 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?”
If you are praising God with your spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in an awkward position, say 'Amen' to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? — the outsider (idiótês: unlearned, layperson) cannot ratify uninterpreted ecstatic speech. The congregation's corporate 'Amen' (affirmation) requires comprehension. This is not elitism but functional necessity for communal worship.
Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 14:16
“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” Here he shows that it is in their power to obtain the gift. For, “let him pray,” says he, i.e., “let him contribute his own part,” since if you ask diligently, you will surely receive. Ask accordingly not to have the gift of tongue only, but also of interpretation, that you may become useful unto all, and not…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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