1 Corinthians 14:10

Speaking of vocal utterance, the Ap. is reminded of the multitude of human dialects; this suggests a further proof of his contention, that there must be a settled and well-observed connexion between sound and sense. “Ever so many kinds of voices, it may chance, exist in the world.” On εἰ τύχοι (if it should hap = τυχόν, 1 Corinthians 16:6), which removes all known limit from the τοσαῦτα, see note of El [2058] For the anarthrous ἐν κόσμῳ, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:19; “in the world ” a sphere so wide. καὶ οὐδὲν (sc. τῶν γενῶν) ἄφωνον, “and none (of them) voiceless”: not tautologous, but asserting for every “kind of voice” the real nature of a voice, viz., that it means something to somebody; “nullum genus vocum vocis expers” (Est.); “aucune langue n'est une non-langue”; the Greeks love these paradoxical expressions cf. βίος ἀβίωτος, χάρις ἄχαρις (Gd [2059], Hn [2060]). The Vg [2061] and Bz [2062] miss the point in rendering, “nihil est mutum”.

[2058] C. J. Ellicott's St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.

[2059] F. Godet's Commentaire sur la prem. Ép. aux Corinthiens (Eng. Trans.).

[2060] C. F. G. Heinrici's Erklärung der Korintherbriefe (1880), or 1 Korinther in Meyer's krit.-exegetisches Kommentar (1896).

[2061] Latin Vulgate Translation.

[2062] Beza's Nov. Testamentum: Interpretatio et Annotationes (Cantab., 1642).