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. 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. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35 KJV)
Commentary
Here, the apostle commands women to be silent in public assemblies. They were not to speak or even ask questions for their own understanding during church gatherings but were to ask their husbands at home (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). They were to learn quietly and with full submission, for, as Paul says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man” (1 Timothy 2:11-12).
There is an earlier mention (1 Corinthians 11:5) that women sometimes prayed or prophesied in the assemblies. In that passage, Paul does not condemn the act itself but the manner of it—doing so with the head uncovered, which in that culture disregarded the distinction between men and women. Here, however, he seems to forbid all public speaking by women in the church, whether in praying or prophesying.
Prophesying in this sense means preaching or interpreting Scripture by inspiration, which implies a position of authority and teaching—something inconsistent with the woman’s role of subjection. A teacher has a certain superiority over those taught, which Scripture does not allow a woman to exercise over a man (1 Timothy 2:12).
Praying and uttering inspired hymns were not acts of teaching. Since there were women who had such spiritual gifts in that age (Acts 21:9), some wonder whether they were to suppress them entirely. For this reason, some believe that Paul’s prohibition was general—applying to ordinary circumstances—but that in extraordinary cases, when women were under clear divine inspiration, they might speak. Ordinarily, however, they were not to teach or even debate and ask questions in church but were to learn in silence and, if they needed instruction, ask their husbands at home.
As it is the woman’s duty to learn in submission, it is the man’s duty to be capable of instructing her. If it is her duty to ask at home, it is his responsibility to be able to answer her questions. If it is a shame for her to speak in church when she should be silent, it is equally a shame for him to be silent when he should speak and not be able to guide her spiritually.
The reason for this command is that God’s law requires women to be under obedience (1 Corinthians 14:34). They are placed in subordination to men, and it is improper for them to act as though they were changing ranks by speaking publicly in church. In that time and culture, such behavior implied a disregard for proper order, and public teaching would do so even more. Therefore, Paul concludes that it is shameful for women to speak in the church assembly.
Shame arises from the awareness of having done something indecent. What could be more unbecoming than for a woman to abandon the role assigned to her by God, reject subordination, or behave in a way that appears to do so? Our attitudes and conduct should fit our God-given place in life. Those whom God has placed in subjection should not attempt to rise above it. The woman was made subject to the man (Genesis 3:16), and she should remain content in that position. For this reason, women must be silent in the churches and not set themselves up as teachers, for that would assume authority over men.