Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, on 1Cor 14:2

“For he that speaketh in a tongue, speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man heareth. Yet by the Spirit he speaketh mysteries.”

“speaketh . . . unto God--who alone understands all languages. no man understandeth--generally speaking; the few who have the gift of interpreting tongues are the exception. in the spirit--as opposed to "the understanding" (Co1 14:14). mysteries--unintelligible to the hearers, exciting their wonder, rather than instructing them. Corinth, being a mart resorted to by merchants from Asia, Africa, and Europe, would give scope amidst its mixed population for the exercise of the gift of tongues; but its legitimate use was in an audience understanding the tongue of the speaker, not, as the Corinthians abused it, in mere display.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.