I Cor 14:34 And The “Not/But” Construction

I Corinthians 14:34 says women “in the churches” are “not permitted … to speak; but they are command to be under obedience.” This passage teaches women are not to speak to the assembly, which would forbid her from helping with the announcements, saying “Amen” publicly, and confessing her faith or her sins publicly.

Some reject this truth by saying the “not/but” construction in the just quoted fragment does not mean she is not to speak at all, but that it is only emphasizing the second (her obedience) over the first (her not speaking). They say it is similar to I Cor 1:17 where Paul is not saying Christ sent him not to baptize at all (verse 16 shows he did baptize some), but that Christ desired Paul’s emphasis to be preaching rather than baptizing. After all, anybody can baptize. They reason that a woman may speak in the assembly, as long as she doesn’t do so in a way that would take her out of her submissive role. But try sticking the word “only” in verse 34 – “it is not permitted unto them to speak only; but they are commanded to be under obedience.” That doesn’t make any sense (what would it mean?), and it contradicts what came just before it – “Let your women keep silence in the churches.”

Unlike I Cor 1:17, there is nothing in the context of I Cor 14:34-35 (or elsewhere) that shows women are allowed to speak at all in the assembly. The “not/but” meaning in I Cor 14:34 is more like the following parallels (which are absolutes):

· Matt 5:17 Jesus was not destroying the old law at all (in the sense he is using the word "destroy" here)

· Matt 5:33 Jesus is saying old testament people were never to forswear themselves, no exceptions

· Matt 6:13 we are to ask God not to lead us into any temptation whatsoever

So I Cor 14:34 is saying a woman is not to speak at all, but instead she is to be in obedience. How do I know that? A woman asking a question in order to learn (which verse 35 censures) is not getting out of obedience, yet it is forbidden, therefore the understanding under review is not the correct one. Also, a woman is not to get out of obedience at home, but verse 35 says she can do at home what she can’t do in this setting. So we know women “getting out of submission” is not all this passage is forbidding. In verse 34, it is not the “not/but” meaning that emphasizes the second over the first, but it is the “not/but” meaning that says don’t do this at all (period), but instead do this.

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