A common misinterpretation of this verse is viewing tongues solely as a private, mystical prayer language unintelligible even to God or inherently superior for personal edification, ignoring the Corinthian context where Paul contrasts unregulated tongues, which benefit only the speaker by uttering spiritual mysteries to God, with prophecy that builds up the church through understandable words. Another error treats "unknown tongue" as always a supernatural angelic dialect beyond human learning, whereas Paul refers to any foreign language or ecstatic utterance needing interpretation for congregational use, as clarified later in the chapter; this leads some to dismiss tongues entirely as non-essential or to overemphasize them without the required interpretation that makes them profit others.
I Corinthians 14:2
King James Version (1769)
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
In 1 Corinthians 14:2, Paul highlights a key distinction in the gift of tongues during early church worship: speaking in an unknown language is a private communion with God, incomprehensible to others without interpretation, where the speaker, empowered by the Spirit, expresses divine mysteries beyond human grasp. This underscores the edifying value of tongues for personal spiritual growth but emphasizes its limited benefit to the congregation unless translated, aligning with Paul's broader call for gifts that build up the whole church body in an orderly manner.