There is a verse in Corinthians that has been used to suggest that women should stay silent in church. Is this a Biblical command? “Should Women Be Quiet In Church?”
Let’s read the verse to investigate further.
I Corinthians 14:34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. [KJV]
Well, the verse says that women should stay silent, or does it? Let’s read the next verse to see if we can learn more – remember, you have to be extremely careful not to take verses out of context.
I Corinthians 14:35
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. [KJV]
Now we see something odd here, the verse says that if a woman wants to learn something, she should ask her husband at home. Now, that raises a problem with our first question: should women be quiet in church? From the context, we can see that this is not referring to all women, because what happens if a woman does not have a husband? In other words, what if she is not married?
Now let’s read a few verses before our verse in question to see if we can learn more.
I Corinthians 14:29, 31
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge … For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. [KJV]
So, who is this section of Scripture addressing? We see from these verses that it is addressing the prophets, specifically the prophets in the Corinthian Church. Note verse 33 in the same context,
I Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. [KJV]
And then followed by our verse in question,
I Corinthians 14:34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. [KJV]
So what was going on here in the church at Corinth? Well, the Apostle Paul is addressing the prophets in the church. It appears that while the prophets were delivering their prophecies, they were being interrupted by their wives. Paul, writing by revelation from God, tells them that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. His people, therefore, should do their utmost to ensure that peace is maintained when the church is gathered. To prevent the interruption of prophecy by the wives of the prophets, Paul writes “Let your women…” and who is this referring to? Well, to the wives of the prophets, isn’t it? He tells them that if they have questions, they should not interrupt their husbands – in this case, the prophets – when in a church assembly, but wait until they get home. So, in the context, this is why the next verse says that they can ask their husbands at home.
The words written here, first of all, are not speaking to all women in the church but only to the wives of the prophets, and secondly, it is not speaking to the wives of all prophets, but to this specific situation that had come up in Corinth. So, is this a command that women are to keep silent in the church? Clearly, it is not.