<p>14:11 <i>If then I do not know the meaning of the voice, I shall be to him that speaks a barbarian and he that speaks will be a barbarian to me- </i>&quot;The meaning<i>&quot; </i>translates<i> dunamis</i>, which has the sense of 'power'. The suggestion surely is that their speaking in ecstatic utterances was not at all by the power of the Spirit; remember that the Corinthians were without the Spirit (3:1). If speaker and hearer do not understand each other, then they will be set apart from each other. For &quot;barbarians&quot; and those within the Roman empire were seen as deeply opposed to each other, if not in conflict. The practice of unintelligible speaking was in fact a re-creation of Babel, acting as if under Divine curse rather than His blessing, and would result in division rather than the unity which would upbuild. The Greek <i>barbaros</i> comes from the word <i>barbar</i>, which was a reference to the perceived harshness and coarseness of language amongst those outside the empire- they were said to speak <i>bar-bar</i>. This kind of tension would be introduced within the church by talking to each other in unintelligible sounds.</p>