ELSE WHEN THOU SHALT BLESS WITH THE SPIRIT

how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearn-

ed say Amen at thy giving of thanks [eucharisteo],

seeing he understandeth not what thou

sayest? For thou verily givest thanks [eucharisteo]

well, but the other is not edified. I thank my [eu-

charisteo] God, I speak in tongues more than ye all:

Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with

my understanding, that by my voice I might teach

others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown

tongue (I Cor. 14:16-19).

Paul sums up praying in the Spirit and singing in the Spirit by saying, "Else

when thou shalt bless with the spirit..." The purpose, then, of tongues and

interpretation is blessing with the Spirit, through prayer or through praise. But if

you bless with the Spirit (in tongues), how is the person going to say "Amen" at

your giving of thanks if you do not interpret your blessing or offering of thanks? In

this very interesting passage of scripture, the Apostle Paul is stating how we offer

thanks by the Spirit.

From the Greek word eulogeo, translated bless, we derive our word eulogy.

A eulogy presented at a funeral pronounces a blessing on the departed one. From

the Greek word eucharisteo, translated giving of thanks, we derive our word

eucharist or the Communion, a time for the offering of thanks. When we bless or

eulogize by speaking in tongues by the Spirit, how can the unlearned man who

does not understand what we are speaking by the Spirit say "Amen" at our

eucharist or offering of thanks?

Then Paul implies, "Now do not get upset at me for what I said because you

offer thanks (eucharist) very well." Certainly, if we are offering thanks by the

Spirit (in tongues), we have to be doing it very well, because we are offering our

thanks by the Spirit. However, Paul says that the other person is not edified

because he cannot understand our offering of thanks (in tongues). In a variant

reading of the Greek text, Paul affirms that he offers his thanks to God in the same

manner:

I offer thanks [eucharisteo] to my God by speaking in

tongues more than ye all (I Cor. 14:18).

In the King James text, we find this reading:

I thank my God that I speak in tongues more than ye

all (I Cor. 14:18).

The only difference in the Greek manuscript used in the King James transla-

tion and the variant reading is an "n" on the end of the Greek word for "speak." If

Paul wrote, "glossais lalon," it may be translated "by speaking with tongues." If

he wrote, "glossais lalo," it may be translated, "I speak with tongues." I believe

the variant reading fits the context more appropriately, which would make the

passage of scripture read:

Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall

he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say

Amen at your offering of thanks, seeing he under-

standeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily offer-

est thanks well, but the other is not edified. I offer

thanks to my God by speaking with tongues more

than you all. Yet in the church, I had rather speak

five words with my understanding, that by my voice I

might teach others also, than ten thousand words in

an unknown tongue

(I Cor. 14:16-19).

Whichever translation we choose, blessing the people by words they under-

stand is paramount to Paul. That is why he has spoken of edification and under-

standing so many times in these scriptures. Yet, Paul offers his thanks to God by

speaking with tongues more than anyone else. He admonishes the Corinthians to

"forbid not to speak with tongues" (I Cor. 14:39), because he understands the

value of speaking in tongues in order to edify one's self even if there is no inter-

pretation.