The biblical expression “speaking in tongues” refers to the miraculous use of real, known human languages rather than ecstatic or unintelligible speech. A close study of key Greek terms in passages like Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 shows that the speech involved recognizable dialects understood by listeners, with Paul emphasizing clarity and interpretability in church gatherings. Even when described as “new tongues,” the term indicates languages unfamiliar to the speaker but still meaningful. Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word γλῶσσα consistently denotes either the physical tongue or an actual language, never incoherent utterance, underscoring that the phenomenon served to communicate God’s message intelligibly and constructively.
Introduction
The biblical phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” (Greek: λαλεῖν γλώσσαις) has been a subject of debate throughout Christian history. A close reading of the relevant New Testament texts in their original Greek reveals that the gift of tongues refers to speaking in actual, known human languages, not to unintelligible or ecstatic speech. This article provides a systematic analysis of key passages, focusing especially on Acts and 1 Corinthians, to demonstrate this claim through rigorous exegesis.
Acts 2: Known Human Languages at Pentecost
Greek Text:
καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες Πνεύματος Ἁγίου καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις, καθὼς τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι αὐτοῖς. (Acts 2:4)
Analysis:
1. The phrase ἑτέραις γλώσσαις means “other tongues” or more precisely “different languages.” The noun γλῶσσα (glōssa) is used throughout the New Testament to mean “language” when referring to human speech (cf. Rev 5:9; Rev 7:9).
2. The verb ἀποφθέγγεσθαι (to speak out, declare with clarity and force) is used here and in Acts 2:14 and 26:25 to describe rational, articulate speech—not ecstatic utterances.
3. Acts 2:6 clarifies the meaning: ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν — “each one was hearing them speaking in his own dialect.”
– The word διάλεκτος (dialektos) specifically means a human dialect or language. It is used in Acts 21:40 and 22:2 to describe the Hebrew/Aramaic language spoken by Paul.
4. Acts 2:11 lists specific nations and peoples, concluding: ἀκούομεν λαλούντων αὐτῶν ταῖς ἡμετέραις γλώσσαις τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ — “we hear them speaking in our own tongues the mighty deeds of God.”
– The repetition and specification of linguistic understanding by multiple nationalities argues strongly against the idea of unintelligible glossolalia.
1 Corinthians 14: Order, Intelligibility, and Known Speech
Greek Text:
Ἐὰν γὰρ προσεύχωμαι γλῶσσῃ, τὸ πνεῦν μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν. (1 Cor 14:14)
Analysis:
1. Paul consistently advocates for intelligibility in worship. He writes: ἐὰν μὴ δὲ νόημα δῷ τῷ φωνῇ, πῶς γνωσθήσεται τὸ λαλούμενον; — “if it does not give a clear meaning to the sound, how will what is spoken be understood?” (1 Cor 14:9).
2. In 14:10-11, Paul draws a direct analogy to worldly languages:
Τοσαῦτα, εἰ τύχοι, γένη φωνῶν εἰσὶν ἐν κόσμῳ… ἐὰν οὖν μὴ εἰδῶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς φωνῆς, ἔσομαι τῷ λαλοῦντι βάρβαρος — “There are many kinds of voices in the world… if I do not know the meaning of the voice, I will be a foreigner.”
– This shows that Paul’s point of reference is known languages with meaning. His concern is that speech without interpretation renders worship unintelligible and edification impossible.
3. The command: γινέσθω πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν ἡ ἐκκλησία — “let it be for the edification of the church” (1 Cor 14:12) — reinforces that all speech must be comprehensible.
4. Paul limits uninterpreted tongues (14:28): ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ διερμηνευτής, σιγάτω ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ — “if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church.”
– The verb διερμηνεύω (to interpret) indicates translatable content, which is only possible if the language is structured and meaningful.
Mark 16:17 – “New Tongues”
καινὲς γλῶσσαις — “new tongues” (Mark 16:17) does not imply unintelligible speech, but rather new, unfamiliar languages to the speaker. The adjective καινός (new, fresh) in Koine Greek often indicates something novel in experience, not alien or non-human in nature.
– For instance, καινὴ διαθήκη means “new covenant,” not an unintelligible or nonfunctional covenant.
Semantic Range of γλῶσσα and Consistent Usage
1. In all occurrences of γλῶσσα meaning “tongue” in the sense of speech, it denotes either the physical tongue or a known language.
2. Revelation 7:9 describes a multitude from every γλῶσσα, nation, and people — again meaning human languages, not ecstatic utterance.
3. There is no usage of γλῶσσα in the New Testament where it definitively means incoherent or non-linguistic sound.
Tongues as Real Human Languages
The biblical data, when analyzed in the original Greek and in its narrative and theological context, consistently portrays “speaking in tongues” as the miraculous ability to speak in actual, known human languages previously unknown to the speaker. The purpose was either evangelistic (Acts 2), or required interpretation for edification within the church setting (1 Corinthians 14).
Tongues in Scripture were neither irrational nor aimless but were given to edify, testify, and glorify — always intelligible to at least some hearers, or requiring interpretation to become so. The biblical emphasis is not on ecstatic experience but on meaningful, ordered communication shaped by love and aimed at building up the church.
