1 Corinthians 14:8
in 1 Corinthians 14Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?
KJV
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
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This verse in 1 Corinthians 14
Commentary
12 notes on this verseFor if the trumpet give an uncertain sound,.... That is not plain and manifest, so as that it cannot be known on what account it is given: who shall prepare himself to the battle? the allusion is to the custom of many nations, Jews and others, who, when about to engage in war, made use of musical instruments, particularly the trumpet, to gather the soldiers together, prepare them for the battle, give them notice of it, and animate them to it (y); the sound of the trumpet was the alarm of war; see Jer 4:
This site's exposition
if I come to you speaking
on 1 Corinthians 14:6-9
Paul turns the argument on himself: tongues without revelation, knowledge, prophecy or teaching would bring them no benefit. Verses 7 and 8 draw on the flute or harp with no distinct notes and the trumpet sounding a muffled call, a garbled battle signal.
This site's exposition
if the trumpet sounds a muffled call
Armies of the day moved by trumpet signals, one call to gather, another to advance, another to retreat. A soldier had to know the call at once. A muffled note left him guessing while the enemy came on.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
The trumpet is a sign of war. Therefore, when the soul perceives itself armed with so many and such important virtues, it necessarily goes forth to the war it has against principalities and powers and against the world rulers.
"For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?" Thus from things merry ornamental he carries on his argument to those which are more necessary and useful; and saith that not in the harp alone, but in the trumpet also one may see this effect produced. For in that also there are certain measures; and they give out at one time a warlike note, and at another one that is not so; and again sometimes it leads out to line of battle and at others recalls from it: and unless one know this, there is great danger. Which is just what he means, and the mischief of it what he is manifesting, when he saith, "who shall prepare himself for war?" So then, if it have not this quality, it is the ruin of all.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Here he shows the same thing with another lifeless thing, namely, the instrument ordained to battle. This likeness is taken from Num. (10:1-10), where it says that the Lord commanded Moses to make two silver trumpets to be used for summoning all the people, for …
From things not necessary he passed to the most necessary, mentioned the trumpet, and says that from it too there come orderly sounds, some preparing for war, and others drawing away from war. If it produces an unclear and indeterminate sound, then the soldiers will …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He advises that worship should be celebrated so that the most ignorant might understand, and join in prayer and praise, and presses the advice by his own example,
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
If the trumpet give an uncertain sound - If, when the soldier should prepare himself for the battle, the trumpet should give a different sound to that which is ordinarily used on such occasions, the soldier is not informed of what he should do, and therefore does not arm himself; consequently, that vague, unintelligible sound of the trumpet, is of no use.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound - The trumpet was used commonly in war. It is a well-known wind instrument, and was made of brass, silver, etc. It was used for various purposes in war - to summon the soldiers; to animate them in their march; to call them forth to battle; to sound a retreat; and to signify to them what they were to do in battle, whether to charge, advance, or retreat, etc. It therefore employed a “language” which was intelligible to an army. An uncertain sound was one in which none of these things were indicated, or in which it could not be determined what was required. Who shall prepare himself ... - The apostle selects a single instance of what was indicated by the trumpet, as an illustration of what he meant. The idea is, that foreign tongues spoken in their assembly would be just as useless in regard to their duty, their comfort, and edification, as would be the sound of a trumpet when it gave one of the usual and intelligible sounds by which it was known what the soldiers were required to do. Just as we would say, that the mere beating on a drum would he useless, unless some tune was played by which it was known that the soldiers were summoned to the parade, to advance, or to retreat.
Modern Voices2 voices
If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for the battle? And what if the remarks of the trumpet take this form, "I charge you as you love your King and country to come to this Council. And I know you won't."
So far from being the age of demagogues, this is really and specially the age of mystagogues. So far from this being a time in which things are praised because they are popular, the truth is that this is the first time, perhaps, in the …
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | Also | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἐὰν | ean | if | G1437 → | 352 times |
| ἄδηλον | adelon | indistinct | G82 → | |
| σάλπιγξ | salpigx | [the] trumpet | G4536 → | |
| φωνὴν | phonen | sound | G5456 → | 139 times |
| δῷ, | do | shall give, | G1325 → | 412 times |
| τίς | tis | who | G5101 → | 563 times |
| παρασκευάσεται | paraskeuasetai | will prepare himself | G3903 → | |
| εἰς | eis | for | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| πόλεμον; | polemon | battle? | G4171 → |
καὶAlso
kaiG2532 →9120 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἐὰνif
eanG1437 →352 times
ἄδηλονindistinct
adelonG82 →
σάλπιγξ[the] trumpet
salpigxG4536 →
φωνὴνsound
phonenG5456 →139 times
δῷ,shall give,
doG1325 →412 times
τίςwho
tisG5101 →563 times
παρασκευάσεταιwill prepare himself
paraskeuasetaiG3903 →
εἰςfor
eisG1519 →1755 times
πόλεμον;battle?
polemonG4171 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 10:9When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 10:18
and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of…
- Judges 2:18
Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was…
- Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.
- Psalms 106:4
Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people; visit me with Your salvation,
- 2 Chronicles 13:14
When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
- 1 Samuel 10:18
Through
Isaiah 27:13And in that day a great ram’s horn will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria will come forth with those who were exiles in Egypt. And they will worship the LORD on…
it leads to
- Matthew 24:31
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
- Leviticus 25:9
Then you are to sound the horn far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land.
- Matthew 24:31
Through
Jeremiah 4:19My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm…
it leads to
- Habakkuk 3:16
I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the…
- Habakkuk 3:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies10
About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the First Epistle to the Corinthians; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians; GK Chesterton, All Things Considered, The Vote and the House (1908); GK Chesterton, All Things Considered, Demagogues and Mystagogues (1908); John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 35; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON NUMBERS 27; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.