Women–silent in the church? Are you sure about that? (Part 2)

The Scripture is quite plain, women are to keep silent in the church!



These verses have been used to keep women silent in church meetings–in some cases an absolute silence. Obviously there are many exceptions, but often women are permitted to sing, pray and prophesy, but any kind of teaching or authoritative word is forbidden.

The word “silent” used here is the Greek word sigao, and the word for speak is laleo. What many people don’t realize is that two other sets of people are told to be silent in this chapter, both in the context of speaking (laleo). In verse 27, a person speaking in tongues is to be silent (sigao) if no interpreter is present. In verse 30, if a person is prophesying and another person hears from the Lord, the first person is to be silent (sigao) and let the second one speak.

In neither of these two situations are people silenced for all time within a church gathering. It’s easy to see that the silence applies under certain conditions only.

Here’s the likely scenario for these passages. Paul is answering questions the Corinthians have asked in a previous letter (1 Corinthians 7:1). In the first two instances, the question the Corinthians asked is obvious.



The answer to both involves silence, but within those proscribed circumstances..


“Paul, what should we do if women disrupt the meetings by asking a lot of questions.”

As with the other situations where people are to be silent, it’s under certain conditions only. If women have a lot of questions– and remember, women in those days were uneducated–then let them ask their husbands at home.

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