The Syntactic Flexibility of 1 Corinthians 14:33b

Abstract:This article discusses the syntactical position and function of 1 Cor 14:33b (“as in all the churches of the saints”) in its immediate context. Internal evidence reveals that verse 33b does not have a smooth syntactic connection to either the preceding (“God is a God of peace”) or the following clause (“women should be silent”). The purpose of this study is to illuminate the syntactical function of verse 33b and its place in 1 Cor 14. Verse 33b has been counted by some scholars, for example, Jan Willem Straatman and Johannes Weiss, as the work of a Pauline editor (along with vv. 34–35). I aim to determine whether the hypothesis of Straatman and Weiss can be justified concerning verse 33b. In the first part of the article, I survey the way the critical edition NA28, SBLGNT, and the tools for the syntactic analysis of the Greek New Testament present 1 Cor 14:33b. Next I outline several proposals in the scholarly literature concerning the position of verse 33b, which result in seven different exegetical readings. Finally, I discuss the syntax of verse 33b and compare it with similar phrases found in 1 Corinthians.