What was the nature of the tongues Paul mentioned in his first letter to the Corinthians? Was he referring to an ecstatic or angelic unintelligible speech, comparable to that in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, or were the tongues in Corinth foreign languages?
THE CHURCH IN CORINTH
The Corinthian church, founded by Paul some three years prior to the letter, faced many problems: rivalries among various factions (1 Cor 3:3), gross immorality (5:1), court cases among believers (6:1), marital problems (7:1), eating of foods sacrificed to idols (8:1), improper conduct of women in public worship (11:2–16), abuse of the Lord’s Supper (v. 21), and also misunderstanding regarding the proper function of spiritual gifts, particularly the use of the gift of tongues (14:1–5).
THE PROPER USE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Tongues are mentioned only in chapters 12 to 14. These chapters deal with spiritual gifts, one of which is called “[various] kinds of tongues” (12:10, 28) or just “tongues” (v. 30). In addition, there is the gift of translating tongues (vv. 10, 30). Paul ends chapter 12 by pointing to something even better than spiritual gifts—namely, love. In this connection, he states that speaking with human tongues or even angelic tongues is worthless without love (13:1).
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul continues the discussion of spiritual gifts by focusing on speaking in tongues versus prophecy. However, the real issues are: (1) who is to benefit in a worship context, and (2) disorder creates problems in the worship service. The discussion of tongues must be understood against this background. Who is going to benefit from the exercise of this spiritual gift—the gifted person only or others also (14:2–6, 9)? Paul is clear: The goal must be to edify the church (vv. 4–5, 12, 17, 26). Furthermore, for outsiders the impression must be avoided that church members are out of their mind (v. 23). Verses 27–40 discuss the problem of disorder in the worship service in Corinth. Paul points out that since spiritual gifts can be controlled by the recipients, only two or three persons should speak in turn and that an interpretation should be provided. If these rules are not maintained, speaking in tongues has no place in the worship service of the Corinthian church. The same is also true for prophecy (vv. 29–32). Thus, the context makes it clear that the issue is the abuse of spiritual gifts.
IMPORTANT WORDS
To appreciate what 1 Corinthians 14 teaches, we need to understand the meaning of some of the key terms.
Tongue. The Greek term translated as “tongue(s)” stands predominantly for:
• the human organ of the mouth called the tongue (Ps 22:15, Jas 3:5);
• languages (Gen 10:5; Acts 2:4), including nations that speak other languages (Zech 8:23; Rev 5:9); and
• the tongues of fire at Pentecost (Acts 2:3).
Speak. The Greek term translated as “to speak” occurs thirty-four times in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 14, it is used ten times with “tongues” and fourteen times without it. Each time it is used without the word “tongues,” the act of speaking involves a real language that contains content that can be communicated. Because the very same verb “to speak” is used in the phrase “speak in a tongue” (14:2, 4–6, etc.), it is expected to have the same meaning in every text; otherwise language loses its meaning. In the same context, a word should have the same meaning unless it is clearly redefined. In chapter 14, in which the author goes back and forth between prophecy and speaking in tongues, the word translated as “tongue(s)” should always have the same meaning.1
Speaking in Tongues. How are the words “speaking” and “tongue” in the same context and the phrase “speaking in tongues” used in Scripture? (1) In Wisdom Literature: “‘My tongue speaks’” (Job 33:2, NKJV). The tongue of the righteous speaks justice (Ps 37:30;2 LXX3 36:30). “They have spoken against me with a lying tongue” (Ps 109:2, KJV; LXX). (2)
In the Prophets: “‘Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue’” (Isa 28:11, NASB).4 “‘They have taught their tongue to speak lies’” (Jer 9:5, NASB). (3) In the Gospels: “‘They will speak with new tongues’” (Mark 16:17, NASB). (4) In Acts: The early Christians “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:4, NASB). What they spoke were foreign languages: people from different countries said, “‘we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God’” (vs. 11, NASB). Foreign languages are also meant in Acts 10:46 in which Peter, referring to Cornelius and his household, says, “‘Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’” (Acts 11:47, RSV). The same applies to Acts 19:6 in which speaking in tongues and prophesying are attributed to those who received the Holy Spirit. (5) In 1 Corinthians: The phrase “speak with tongues” (RSV) occurs in 12:30 as a description of the spiritual gift. In 1 Corinthians 13:1, it is used to describe human language. The disputed texts are primarily found in 1 Corinthians 14. There the phrase is used with “tongue” in the singular (“speaking in a tongue”) in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 27 and with “tongue” in the plural (“speaking in tongues”) in 1 Corinthians 14:5 (twice), 6, 18, 23, 39. Because “speaking in tongues” refers to foreign languages throughout Scripture, it is hardly conceivable that the phrase in 1 Corinthians 14 should be understood differently from the rest of Scripture, unless there were clear indicators in the text.
Mysteries. The term “mystery” occurs twenty-eight times in the New Testament, and in twenty-one of those times, it refers to the mystery of the kingdom of heaven and related concepts. Other mysteries are “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thess 2:7, KJV), “the mystery of the seven stars” (Rev 1:20, NKJV), or “the mystery of the harlot” in Revelation 17.
Paul uses the Greek word translated as “mystery” in the singular in 1 Corinthians 2:1 (translated as “testimony,” KJV), 2:7, and 15:51. In chapter 2, the mystery is “Jesus Christ crucified” (v. 2)—that is, God’s saving activity in and through Christ. In chapter 15, the mystery is that not all will die and sleep but that they will be transformed at the Second Coming. The plural “mysteries” is used in 4:1 [KJV], 13:2, and 14:2. In Paul’s writings, mysteries are truths revealed by God that are related to Christ and the plan of salvation.
Spirit. In 1 Corinthians, the word translated as “spirit” usually refers to the Holy Spirit, but it can also describe the human spirit or person (1 Cor 2:11; 5:5; 16:18, KJV), the spirit of the world (2:12), or various spirits (12:10), probably true and false prophets or teachers, etc. The highest concentration of the word translated as “spirit” is found in chapter 12. In this chapter, “spirit” is used once in the plural and eleven times in the singular. Always “spirit” in the singular refers to the Holy Spirit. He is the author of the spiritual gifts. Therefore, it is very natural that 1 Corinthians 14:2, which continues the discussion of spiritual gifts, would refer to the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, when Paul speaks of the human spirit, he makes it quite clear. Either he uses qualifiers, such as personal pronouns or appositions, “of the man” (1 Cor 2:11, NKJV), or the context of his letter points clearly to the nature of the spirit. Because there is no qualifier in 1 Corinthians 14:2, it can be assumed that Paul refers to the Holy Spirit. This also makes sense with “mystery” being revealed truth.
1 Raymond F. Collins, First Corinthians, Sacra Pagina 7 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1999), 492.
2 Author’s translation.
3 The Septuagint.
4 The Septuagint of Isaiah 29:24 and 32:4 also talk about stammering tongues that will learn to speak clearly.
Ekkehardt Mueller, ThD, DMin, is a retired associate director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
