Q&A: “Women Keep Silent”?
Q:
“May a woman say, “Amen” in the church worship assembly since the Bible says that women are to “keep silence in the churches”?
A:
The word translated “silence” in 1 Corinthians 14:34 is the normal word for absence of sound—to stop talking, be silent (sigao).1 It refers in this context to female participation in the church worship assembly in Corinth under the following circumstances: (1) exercising a leadership role and (2) conveying inspired utterances (i.e., tongue-speaking, prophesying, etc.). So Paul enjoined silence for women only in the specific matter of using their miraculous gift in the mixed assembly of the church. The use of the gift, by its very nature, would have entailed an act of leadership.
Notice, however, that Paul did not forbid women to use their voices at all in the worship assembly. To do so would contradict Ephesians 5:19 where women are commanded to participate audibly in singing: “speaking (lalountes) to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” It would also mean that a woman could not orally confess Christ in the presence of men prior to her baptism (Romans 10:9-10). What’s more, the same word for “silence” in verse 34 is used in verses 28 and 30 to enjoin silence on male tongue-speakers and prophets. Again, this absence of sound in context applied only to the specific act under consideration: the exercise of a spiritual/miraculous gift.
It follows, then, that verse 34 may not be used to forbid a woman from saying “Amen” (vs. 16) during the worship assembly of the church.2 The principle of male leadership and female subordination in worship forbids women from leading men in worship. Saying “Amen” hardly qualifies as leading the men who are present in the assembly, even as a woman singing while sitting in the pew does not mean that she is leading others in singing. Both the males and females are biblically addressing their words directly to the other men and women in the assembly as required by the reflexive pronoun used reciprocally in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (translated “one another).” As noted above, her singing is “teaching” those around her (didaskontes in Colossians 3:16). Yet, such teaching is not deemed by Scripture to consist of leading the men or exercising authority over them.
It is certainly conceivable that a woman could become so vocal in her reactions to the sermon that she is perceived as asserting herself improperly, drawing undue attention to herself, or infringing on the preacher’s role. A man could be guilty of the same. Similarly, a woman’s singing voice might be so developed/cultivated that she naturally projects her voice and may be heard over the rest of the worshippers, thereby appearing to some that she is asserting herself inappropriately. However, we must be very careful that we are not unjustly suppressing the genuine, unassuming expressions of a genuinely spiritual worshiper.
When the Israelites gathered in a religious assembly, both the men and the women (“all the people”) were required to audibly express “Amen” as confirmation of the truth being read to them (Deuteronomy 27:15-26). This practice was repeated in David’s day (1 Chronicles 16:36), as well as Nehemiah’s day when the exiles returned from captivity (Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6). Psalm 106 concludes with this admonition: “And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the LORD!” (vs. 48). Even in the context of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul notes that improper exercise of miraculous gifts will retard the understanding of the uninformed outsider, preventing him from saying, “Amen”—a reference that surely includes the uninformed females as well as males.
Nor may 1 Corinthians 14:34 be used to forbid women from speaking during Bible classes. The context of the passage is the worship assembly and the exercise of spiritual gifts in that assembly. Women can ask questions and make comments in a mixed adult Bible class because they are not assuming a position of leadership when they do so. The male teacher is the designated and recognized leader. The class is composed of students who, by definition, are under the authority of the teacher. Merely making comments or asking questions does not constitute assuming authority over the class. In contrast, a woman could not lead a prayer in an adult Bible class since leading prayer is inherently an act of authority over those who participate in the prayer that she is leading. The prayer leader provides the wording to which those being lead acquiesce.
The word “silence” in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 is a broader term than the one in 1 Corinthians 14. It includes “a state of quietness without disturbance,”3 a quiet attitude, disposition, and manner, “a quiet, tranquil life”4 (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:12—“quietness”). In this context, Paul discussed a broader setting than the church worship assembly (3:15) and simply urged women to submit to male leadership in worship settings.
Endnotes
1 Frederick Danker (2021), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago), fourth edition, p. 819.
2 For a discussion of the use of “Amen” in Scripture, see Dave Miller (1996), Piloting the Strait (Pulaski, TN: Sain Publications), pp. 235ff.
3 Danker, p. 389.
4 Samuel Bagster (no date), The Analytical Greek Lexicon (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons), p. 189.
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