What is Speaking in Tongues?

Today I resume the topic of "speaking in tongues". Linguists call it glossolalia: ""to speak, talk, chat, prattle, or to make a sound" (Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus).

Yesterday's scripture follows:

Acts 10:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."

The Bible says it's "speaking" (verse 4).  Likewise, the same verse indicates that the speaker is uttering things from God whose Holy Spirit is the intermediary. Furthermore, the utterings are "other tongues". The meaning of "other" from the Greek is uncertain, but perhaps is "different" or "altered". "Tongues" from glossa is also uncertain, and is likely a "naturally acquired language". In other words, it is not a faked language as many of us attempted when we were kids! Therefore, "other tongues" is a real language different from what they speaker normally spoke. "Utterance" is "speaking plainly with enunciation". The speaker did not speak garbled nor was it mumbled!

Speaking in tongues has a purpose; it is to transmit "the wonderful works of God" (verse 11). Speaking in tongues therefore are not to self-aggrandize, but to magnify God. Also, it's to show what God can do. God's work, in the case of glossolalia, is a demonstration of God's power and his very existence. Speaking in tongues was a demonstration of the truth that God is real and is there in each of them! (Christians being a new sect, needed to know that God was with them. The speaking in tongues were a confirmation to them that Jesus is real and the Way and still there in spirit).

Continuing on, speaking in tongues is more than mere speaking. It's hearing as well (verse 6); "every man heard them speak in his own language". What was spoken, the "different language" was heard by everyone in their own language. Paul spoke in Corinthians of "unknown tongues" and "diverse kinds of tongues" in several places".  First off, "unknown" was added in the English transliteration. It is NOT in the original Greek! That leaves us with "other tongues" or "diverse tongues" or "diversities of tongues". "Diverse" is not in the original Greek in 1 Corinthians 12:10. However, "diversities of tongues" is in 1 Corinthians 12:28. It means "the different tongues of the nations".

"Unknown tongues" is non-existent in the Greek! It's "other languages" and even if it was "unknown" it could be that it is languages unknown by the hearer. The speaker spoke "other languages"; different languages than that which the hearers were accustomed.

Acts 10:6 says that "every man heard them speak in their own language".  It wasn't that they heard the speakers "other language" but they heard the speaking in their own language! Those in the spirit would hear, but not detect the "other tongue" for what they heard would be Greek if a Greek and Hebrew if they were Jews.

"Every man heard"! Not just some or a few, but ALL heard the speaking in their own language. It was to convince all Christians gathered there of the truth of God, not just a few! They ALL understood! Of course, later Paul said an interpreter should interpret, but that would be for those to hear who weren't yet Christians. The interpreter is a tool to draw others to Jesus (more on that later).

In effect, if a person was there, but failed to understand, they were not in the spirit. If speaking in tongues is extant today, that would indicate that speaking other tongues is a test for being a Christian. I know that a mere few will enter the narrow gate, but this test makes the gate so narrow that hardly any would enter!

Tomorrow I will continue with the "when". When do Christians get the filling of the Holy Ghost. Later, we'll examine what pentecostals refer to as "prayer language".