The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 14:36 Explained

1 Corinthians 14:36

KJV: What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

YLT: From you did the word of God come forth? or to you alone did it come?

Darby: Did the word of God go out from you, or did it come to you only?

ASV: What? was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

What?  came  the word  of God  out  from  you?  or  came it  unto  you  only? 

What does 1 Corinthians 14:36 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In this verse Paul reminded the Corinthians that they did not set the standard for how the church meetings should proceed. Their arrogance evidently drew this warning. The Corinthian church was not the mother church nor was it the only church to which the gospel had come (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:16; 1 Corinthians 14:33 b). Therefore the Corinthian readers should submit to the apostle"s direction (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:1-23).

Context Summary

1 Corinthians 14:26-40 - Order Of Church Services
Again the Apostle sums up his directions in two simple rules: 1. Let all things be done unto edifying; that is, to building up individual character, and to fitting each member as a brick or stone into the rising fabric of the Church. Hence the stress laid on prophesying or speaking under the impulse of God's Spirit. All who had that gift should certainly have a chance to use it, because the whole Church would be thereby profited and enriched. 2. Let all things be done decently and in order: decently, so as not to interrupt the dignity and gravity of the services; in order, not by hazard or impulse, but by design and arrangement.
The Apostle's ideal is that of the calm and simple majesty which should mark all solemn assemblies, as distinct from fanatical and frenzied excitement. Hence he discountenances the disuse of the Eastern veil (the badge of modesty), the speaking of women in public, and the interruption of speakers by each other. That the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets is a truth of universal application. It condemns every impulse of a religious character which is not under the intelligent control of those who display it. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Corinthians 14

1  Prophecy is commended,
2  and preferred before speaking in tongues,
6  by a comparison drawn from musical instruments
12  Both must be referred to edification,
22  as to their true and proper end
26  The true use of each is taught,
27  and the abuse rebuked
34  Women in the churches

What do the individual words in 1 Corinthians 14:36 mean?

Or from you the word - of God has gone out to you only has it come
ἀφ’ ὑμῶν λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς ὑμᾶς μόνους κατήντησεν

λόγος  word 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐξῆλθεν  has  gone  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
μόνους  only 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: μόνος  
Sense: alone (without a companion), forsaken, destitute of help, alone, only, merely.
κατήντησεν  has  it  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: καταντάω  
Sense: to come to, arrive.