course. This does not imply, as is contended by the advocates of the modern theories, that those who spoke with tongues uttered inarticulate sounds. The opposite of cucriy/Aos, is not inarticulate, but unintelligible, i. e. what is not in fact under- stood. Ye shall speak i?ito the air, i. e. in vain. Your words are lost in the air, no ear receives them. In 9, 26, the man who struck in vain is said to smite the air.
10. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them (is) without signifi- cation.
There are, it may he, so many hinds of voices. The words (ci rvxoC), properly rendered, it may he, are often used to ren- der a statement indefinite, where precision is impossible or unimportant. It was no matter, so far as the apostle's object was concerned, whether the " kinds of sound " in the world were more or less. There are so many, or, as we should say, ' There are ever so many, it may be, languages in the world.' Kinds of voices. Calvin understands this of the voices or natural cries of animals. All animated nature is vocal ; no living creature is mute or utters unintelligible sounds : tota igitur naturae series quae est a Deo ordinata, nos ad distinctio- nem invitat. The context, however, shows that the reference is to human speech, therefore the words (yev?; (fxuviov) should be translated ki7ids of languages, Gen. 1, 11. AJnd no one of them is without signification, i. e. inarticulate. The phrase is {^(sivr] a^o)i/os), a la7iguage which is no language, that is, without significancy, which is the essence of a language. The illustration contained in this verse goes to prove that speaking with tongues was to speak in foreign languages. The very point is that as all languages are significant, so the languages used by those who spoke with tongues were significant. The difficulty was not in the language used, but in the ignorance of the hearer. This is still plainer from what follows.
11. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh (shall be) a barbarian unto me.
Therefore, i. e. because the sounds uttered are significant ; because the man does not make a mere senseless noise, but