Tongue (-s)

is used of (1) the "tongues ... like as of fire" which appeared at Pentecost; (2) "the tongue," as an organ of speech, e.g., Mar 7:33, Rom 3:13, Rom 14:11, 1Co 14:9, Phi 2:11, Jam 1:26, Jam 1:3-6, Jam 3:8, 1Pe 3:10, 1Jo 3:18, Rev 16:10; (3) (a) "a language," coupled with phule, "a tribe," laos, "a people," ethnos, "a nation," seven times in the Apocalypse, Rev 5:9, Rev 7:9, Rev 10:11, Rev 11:9, Rev 13:7, Rev 14:6, Rev 17:15; (b) "the supernatural gift of speaking in another language without its having been learnt;" in Act 1:2-13 the circumstances are recorded from the viewpoint of the hearers; to those in whose language the utterances were made it appeared as a supernatural phenomenon; to others, the stammering of drunkards; what was uttered was not addressed primarily to the audience but consisted in recounting "the mighty works of God;" cp. Act 2:46; in 1 Cor., chapters 12 and 14, the use of the gift of "tongues" is mentioned as exercised in the gatherings of local churches; 1Co 12:10 speaks of the gift in general terms, and couples with it that of "the interpretation of tongues;" chapt. 14 gives instruction concerning the use of the gift, the paramount object being the edification of the church; unless the "tongue" was interpreted the speaker would speak "not unto men, but unto God," 1Co 14:2; he would edify himself alone, 1Co 14:4, unless he interpreted, 1Co 14:5, in which case his interpretation would be of the same value as the superior gift of prophesying, as he would edify the church, 1Co 1:14-6; he must pray that he may interpret, 1Co 14:13; if there were no interpreter, he must keep silence, 1Co 14:28, for all things were to be done "unto edifying," 1Co 14:26. "If I come ... speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you," says the Apostle (expressing the great object in all oral ministry), "unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?" (1Co 14:6). "Tongues" were for a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers, 1Co 14:22, and especially to unbelieving Jews (see 1Co 14:21): cp. the passages in the Acts.

There is no evidence of the continuance of this gift after apostolic times nor indeed in the later times of the Apostles themselves; this provides confirmation of the fulfillment in this way of 1Co 13:8, that this gift would cease in the churches, just as would "prophecies" and "knowledge" in the sense of knowledge received by immediate supernatural power (cp. 1Co 14:6). The completion of the Holy Scriptures has provided the churches with all that is necessary for individual and collective guidance, instruction, and edification.

"language" (Eng., "dialect"), is rendered "tongue" in the AV of Act 1:19, Act 2:6, Act 2:8, Act 21:40, Act 22:2, Act 26:14. See LANGUAGE.

is rendered "strange tongues" in 1Co 14:21, RV (heteros, "another of a different sort," see ANOTHER, and A, No. 1), AV, "other tongues."

(or ebraisti, Westcott and Hort) denotes (a) "in Hebrew," Rev 9:11, RV (AV, "in the Hebrew tongue"); so Rev 16:16; (b) in the Aramaic vernacular of Palestine, Joh 5:2, AV, "in the Hebrew tongue" (RV, "in Hebrew"); in Joh 19:13, Joh 19:17, AV, "in the Hebrew" (RV, "in Hebrew"); in Joh 19:20, AV and RV, "in Hebrew;" in Joh 20:16, RV only, "in Hebrew (Rabboni)."

Note: Cp. Hellenisti, "in Greek," Joh 19:20, RV; Act 21:37, "Greek." See also Rhomaisti, under LATIN.