Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 14:10

"There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no [kind] is without signification." — 1 Corinthians 14:10 (ASV)

There are, it may be, etc. There has been considerable variety in the interpretation of this expression. Rosenmuller renders it, "For the sake of example." Grotius supposes that Paul meant to indicate that there were, perhaps, or might be, as many languages as the Jews supposed, namely, seventy.

Beza and others suppose it means that there may be as many languages as there are nations of men. Bloomfield renders it, "Let there be as many kinds of languages as you choose." Macknight states, "There are, no doubt, as many kinds of languages in the world as you speak." Robinson (Lexicon) renders it, "If so happen, it may be; perchance, perhaps," and says the phrase is equivalent to "for example."

The sense is, "There are perhaps, or for example, very many kinds of voices in the world, and all are significant. None are used by those who speak them without meaning; none speak them without designing to convey some intelligible idea to their hearers."

The argument is that since all the languages in the world, however numerous they are, are for utility, and none are used for mere display, so it should be with those who had the power of speaking them in the Christian church. They should speak them only when and where they would be understood.

Voices. Languages.