1 Corinthians 14:26 – everyone has something

What, then, is it, brethren? Whenever you may be coming together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a language, has a translation. Let all occur to edification.

With this verse, the final part starts with the state of affairs in the meetings at Corinth. They are concluding remarks and conclusions. The meetings of the Corinthians as Paul describes them were certainly not “church services.” No liturgy, no one-man show, but meetings where everyone could contribute informally and improvised. Not that Paul prescribes this state of affairs here, it is the situation as he describes it.

One had a psalm. We do not necessarily have to think of one of the 150 psalms from the Hebrew Bible. The Greek word ‘psalmos’ literally means a song that is accompanied on a string instrument. Paul is not referring here to singing together, but to someone who played a song under accompaniment. Another had something to teach and another had been given something like revelation. One spoke in a foreign language and another translated it.

All brothers could contribute to building the community. The charm of being together with the ecclesia can be that simple!

Delen: