BIBLE-WORLD

D. Examples of 1 Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians, “γλῶσσα” was written in plural six times (Chapter 12, 4 times; Chapter 13, 2 tiems) except for 14. Chapter 14 was used 16 times. It was written eight times in verses 5(x2), 6, 18, 21, 22, 3, 39, and eight times in verses 2, 4, 9, 13, 14, 19, 26, 27. The peculiarity is that in verse 9 “οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς διὰ τῆς γλώσσης ἐὰν μὴ εὔσημον λόγον δῶτε, πῶς γνωσθήσεται τὸ λαλούμενον; ἔσεσθε γὰρ εἰς ἀέρα λαλοῦντες” (1 Cor. 14:9, NA28) is written as a singular number (τῆς γλώσσης) and should be translated as “the tongue” with a definite article attached. In the English version, the words “the tongue words” (KJV) and “ your tongue ” (NIV, ESV) are written, so that if “as part of the body, tongue” cannot be attached to the definite article, so it should be viewed as “tongue” (an unknown tongue). The Korean version is divided into “tongue as a body part” (NKRV, DKV) and “tongue (s)” (NKSV, NCTB).

On the other hand, KJV says that 7 of the 8 verses (2; 4; 9; 13; 14; 19; 27) excluding the 26 verses used in the singular is “an unknown tongue”. On the other hand, in verse 26 it is written with “a tongue”. This is a different expression from the other verses used in the singular. This is because verse 26 is written with listing " a psalm ", " a doctrine ", " a tongue ", " a revelation ", and " an interpretation ". For rhetorical reasons, it seems to have been omitted to balance the other words.

In 1 Corinthians, "tongue (s)" is written with only one word; " γλῶσσα ". Also, when “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is used in conjunction with a verb, it is written as “speak in tongues”. There is only one verse in 1 Corinthians 14:14 that says "prayer in tongue (s)." However, even in 14:14, it is difficult to make evidence of the existence of “tongue (s) prayer” because it was used as a subjunctive, “if you pray in tongue (s)”. For this reason, in practice, the definite usage of verb phrase relevant to "tongue (s)" should only be “to utter in tongue(s)”, not “to pray in tongue (s).” [36]

Here, since the subjunctive phrase of 1 Corinthians 14:14 has decisive clues regarding “praying in tongues”, it must be interpreted accurately. Kim Dong-chan claims that 1 Corinthians 14:14 is not a "subjunctive", but a "simple conditional clause." That's because in the English grammatical structure, an auxiliary verb is not used in the main clause in the phrase. In order for 14:14 to become “subjunctive”, the future verb “προσεύξομαι” must be written as used in 14:15. Therefore, 14:14 is a simple conditional clause. That's why we have to interpret that Paul was actually “praying in tongues.”[37] It may seem reasonable when interpreted using English grammar. However, this seems to be a mistranslation from a poor understanding of the Greek “subjunctive”. “Subjunctive” is more versatile in Greek than in English. The verb used as “subjunctive” has no meaning of “time,” only the meaning of “aspect.” Whether in the "aorist" or "present" tense, the Greek "subjunctive" has no concept of absolute time. Therefore, in 14:14, there are subjunctive conjunction “ἐὰν” and lengthend verb “προσευχωμαι”, so the Greek present subjunctive conditions are met. The interpretation of how to interpret it, that is, whether the speaker sees the conditional clause as actually happening or simply presupposes the possibility, must be judged by context.[38]

Another important point is to quote Isaiah 28: 11, 12 from 1 Corinthians 14: 21 and 22. The "tongue" in Isaiah 28: 11 of the Old Testament is clearly a foreign language in context. However, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word “Rashon” (לָשׁוֹן) is written in singular. LXX also writes “γλώσσης ἑτέρας” (another tongue) in singular, whereas Paul uses plural in 1 Corinthians 14:21 (ἑτερογλώσσοις, other tongues). When used in singular in LXX, it seems to be due to the rules of grammar that singular nouns must come after "another" in English. However, it seems that Paul intentionally changed the expression and used it as a plural (ἑτερογώσσοις, other tongues). It is an attempt to clearly distinguish it from “γλῶσσα” as a singular.

However, as mentioned in Chapter 1, there is “heteroglossolalia” among the types of “tongue (s)” (γλώσσαις) classified by Stanley Mr. Brugess.

“Heteroglossolalia” is a “tongue (s)” (γλώσσαις) that enables listeners to understand the content in their own language when the other person speaks a foreign language. If you look at the word “ἑτερογλώσσοις”, which is a retranslated (γλώσσαις), you can translate it as “heteroglossolalia” as a plural noun. If such a new interpretation is attempted, the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 21-25, which can be said to be the representative verse of the New Testament Bible Difficulty, must be interpreted completely differently from the previous interpretation. In other words, “as recorded in the Old Testament, even if God sent another nation to prove to the North Israel people who mocked and did not listen to the prophets, they would not listen.” (Verse 21). As you can see from the quoted Old Testament verse, “tongue (s)” is used to express a one-time miracle (σημεῖον) to unbelievers”(v. 22). For this reason, verse 23 can be interpreted as “If all the church members are talking in these “tongues”, wouldn’t unbelievers or new believers say that all people in the church are crazy?” On the other hand, the prophecy of preaching the word of God strengthens the faith of believers, and if everyone in the church speaks of this prophecy, unbelievers and new believers will be moved to repent and worship it (verses 24-25). As such, Paul in verses 21-25 does not condemn “foreign tongues” as a gift, but argues that it is irrational to do collectively in the church, judging by the usage of “foreign tongues”. For this reason, it is nevertheless recommended not to stop speaking in “tongues”, a foreign language as a gift (verse 39).

To understand what the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of 1 Corinthians 14 means, we must first accurately analyze the usages in Chapters 12 and 13. First, in Chapter 12, the Holy Spirit gives nine examples (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, interpretation in tongues) as gifts to the common good. These are all spiritual gifts and are given to each member (12:11). Paul "does not want church members to be uninformed" (12: 1). And he recommends them to "eagerly desire the greater gifts" (12:31). It is clear that the four uses of 1 Corinthians 12 “tongue (s)” (γλώσσαις) (12:10; 2 times, verse 28, verse 30) are all used in plural and are “foreign languages ​​as gifts” as in Acts. Judging from this, the “foreign language tongues” used in plural in 1 Corinthians should be regarded as the ability to “mostly have not learned at all” as a gift of the Holy Spirit, rather than just “a good ability to speak foreign languages.” But in verse 14:18, Paul says, "Thank God for saying "tongues"(γλώσσαις) more than others (μᾶλλον γλώσσαις λαλῶ). Given this, Paul's brilliant foreign language proficiency implies that some of his foreign language skills were received as gifts and would have been used in his wide range of missionary activities, although much of his knowledge was acquired through his own learning.

Paul places 13 Chapters preaching love between Chapter 12, which discusses the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Chapter 14, which can be called the “Chapter of tongue (s)”. The members of the Corinthian church seemed to be facinated and enthusiastic about gifts such as “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), which seemingly brilliant, perhaps a common sight in worship. It was a childish sense of superiority to show off to others and another sign of no love. Paul set the example of his self-sacrificing love and service in Chapter 9, between Chapter 8 and 10. This was to show Paul to the Corinthians that the strong and the weak were fighting for the problem of eating idol offerings, because there was no love and service. Likewise, Paul put Chapter 13 of praise for love between Chapter 12 and 14, which deals with the proper use of the gifts. In doing so, all gifts are taught to be used to serve neighbors and build communities in a spirit of love.^[39]

Paul emphasizes love by saying, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13: 1, NIV). The people thought that the gift of tongues was the language spoken by angels, and they valued and boasted the gift of the tongue, and they exercised indiscriminately at every service, causing chaos. “A resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” was a tool used in the frenzy of hell in Greek mysterious religions. Paul's use of this expression here is to remind the Corinthian Christians of their past experiences in Greek mystery religion, to say that speaking in tongues without love is no different from the worship of their past Gentile religions.^[40] It is said here, “even if I speak the languages ​​of people and angels” (Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων). “People” and “angels” become “peoples languages” and “angels languages” because they are linked together to “languages”. This can be viewed as the basis of the modern church's “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) or as “a kind of exaggerated expression”. However, “tongues” (γλῶσσα) at ​​this time were used in plural. In view of this, Paul seems to have thought that there are also “religious ecstasy” in the “foreign language tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as the gifts he is doing. It was said that Paul would have admitted to "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα) as a gift, as well as "religious ecstasy" as well as "foreign language tongues." Kim Dongchan said, '' tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is not a gift given to all believers. Therefore, it is wrong to teach that anyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit can receive the gift of ‘tongue (s)’ (γλῶσσα), and it can hurt the believer.”[41] Many influential and spirit-filled workers around the world often fail to "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα) but acknowledge that "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα) is a gift from God. In this case, however, it also refers to ecstasy as “a foreign language as a gift” or “an angel's language”, not as an “repeated unknown sound” as a negative aspect.

These “foreign language tongues as gifts” are not whole, but partial, so “when everything comes will disappear” (13: 8, 10). There is also the theory that “the whole thing” is the Second Coming of Jesus, and that the New Testament was completed as the canon (about A.D. 90). If we take “the theory of completion of the canon,” these “tongues (s)” (γλῶσσα) should have disappeared in modern times. On the other hand, if we take “the theory of the Second Coming of Jesus,” there will still be partially “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in modern times. Considering various evidences, it can be seen that “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) still exists in the modern church. Therefore, in this paper, “the theory of the Second Coming of Jesus” is taken.[42]

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Ⅱ. Examples of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the New Testament

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Whether “tongue (s)” means “foreign language” or “repeated unknown sound”, the word is expressed in the New Testament as “γλῶσσα” and “διάλεκτος”. Both are used to mean “word” and “language,” but there are differences in nuances. "tongue (s)" is 31 verses in the entire New Testament except Revelation, of which "διάλεκτος" is written in 2 verses (Acts 2: 6 and 2: 8) and " γλῶσσα " in the other 29 verses. These two words are synonymous with “language,” but the usage is different. “γλῶσσα” is a language that the listener does not know, and “διάλεκτος” is used to mean the language that the listener knows. In Acts 2: 6, 11, are “διάλεκτοs.”

Examples of Mark

Mark 16:17 says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;” (KJV 1900). Here, "new tongues" (γλώσσαις λαλήσουσιν καιναῖς) was used in plural and was used in the meaning of “foreign languages as a gift”, as is the case in the book of Acts.

However, the last part of Mark's Gospel (Mark 16: 9-20) is included in the old Latin translations or the Synoptic Gospels of Arabic, and many scholars believe that this verse was added by someone later to the original text for a variety of reasons.[33] Because of this, I think of this as a passage that does not serve the purpose of demonstrating the biblical “tongue (s)”. It seems unreasonable to explain this as the basis of “tongue (s)” as an example. Therefore, in this paper, it is classified as “foreign languages” and is not analyzed separately.

Examples of Acts

There are four uses of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the book of Acts, and the use here is “foreign languages as gifts” in connection with the giving of the Holy Spirit. These are: Pentecostal events on Pentecost (Chapter 2); events that gave the Holy Spirit to Cornelius and friends (Chapter 10); events that gave the Holy Spirit to the twelve of Ephesus (Chapter 19).

All were used in plural in Acts, but Thomas R. Schreiner said, “It seems that the gift of Acts 2 was the language of man. This is because people from various regions are listening to what the apostles are saying. Also, there is no evidence anywhere else in the book of Acts that the nature of speaking in tongues is different. Luke doesn't provide a sign that a change has occurred since the first tongue (s) event.” [34]

Here is one thing to point out. Luke was a doctor and accompanied Paul for a long time. However, Paul wrote "1 Corinthians" eight years before Luke wrote "Luke Gospel" and "Acts of the Apostles." Therefore, when writing the book of Acts, it should be considered that Luke understood the meaning of "tongue" (an unknown tongue) as well as "tongues (foreign languages)" prevalent in the Corinthian church. It is also evident that he had discussed this issue several times with Paul. However, Luke recorded only "foreign languages" as a gift without saying a word about this "unknown tongue". Had Luke mentioned only one verse in "Luke's Gospel" or "Acts of the Apostles", there would have been a theologically significant conclusion in the "tongue (s)" study. This is a very sad part. On the other hand, all four uses of “γλῶσσα” in Acts are used in plural and are “foreign languages ​​as gifts”. Therefore, “γλῶσσα” in 1 Corinthians 14, which is used in the singular, must be regarded as different from “foreign languages ​​as gifts.” [35]

C. Examples of Revelation

In general, most “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) research books or papers do not extend the use of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) to “Revelation”. However, this paper includes the use of “Revelation”. This is because this paper attempts to clearly distinguish the use of plural and singular by analyzing all the uses of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the entire New Testament.

In relation to the singular and plural use of this “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), there are eight places in Revelation (5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 16:10; 17:15) Among them, except for 16:10, which was used as the meaning of ‘tongue’, the rest was written as the people (s) and used as the meaning of language (s). However, in 5: 9 and 14: 6, γλῶσσα is used as a singular, but this is used as a singular because “πᾶς” in front of it means “every” and cannot be used in plural. In fact, it is a plural noun. Many English translations (KJV, NIV, ESV, NIT) also use every tongue (language). Therefore, when “γλῶσσα” is used in plural in the entire New Testament except for 1 Corinthians, it is used as “a foreign language (languages) as a gift” or “an angel's language”. We can see that it is written as “unknown sound” only when it is used in singular.

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In 1 Corinthians, Paul gives counsel and advice with considerable weight to the disordered “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the church, among the many problems arising in the Corinthian Church at that time. Judging from the context of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does not appear to have grasped the exact reality of what the Corinthian church “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is. He thought that the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) prevalent in the Corinthian Church was not only “foreign language tongues as gifts” or “the language of angels”, but also “an unknown tongue” in the negative. This is because Paul does not appear to have made a clear and consistent claim to “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14. So, if they want to speak in tongues, they are asked to do it in an orderly way through verification procedures such as interpretation. So, unfortunately, it doesn't remain, but the third letter, "Written with mourning in agony," is probably the answer to this problem.

With regard to the four epistles Paul sent to the Corinthian Church, an analysis of the time, place, and purpose of writing plays an important role in the interpretation of 1 Corinthians' “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα). This is because Paul's attitude toward “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians is quite ambiguous and it is rarely easy to understand its meaning. So, for an accurate analysis of Paul's point of view, the chart is summarized below.[32]

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Table 1. Paul's Corinthian Ministry and Letters in Charts

CHAPTER 3. Study of 1 Corinthians “γλῶσσα”

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Ⅰ. Corinthian Church Analysis

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In order to understand what “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians is, we first need to understand the basic cultural characteristics of Corinth and the social, political, and economic characteristics, and then sincerely translate various versions, including the original Greek manuscripts. You should make a sharp contrast and analyze the verse, and any problems with the translation of the verse should be thoroughly criticized and corrected. What matters is the facts about what happened in the Corinthian Church and how Paul viewed it.

A. Corinthian city of Rome and its cultural characteristics

Greece's Corinth has always been crowded with travelers as a strategic hub for commerce and trade between the north and south and east and west of the Greek Peninsula. It was an international trade center and a city sensitive to business and economic prosperity. Corinth could not have been such an easy mission district to a man like the apostle Paul, who lives a life of self-humble under the cross among those who are so successful. Combined with 2 Corinthians, the epistle of Corinthians is the longest book in the entire New Testament, not just in Paul's letter. With regard to the subject of this paper, “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), we must have a good understanding of Corinthian cultural background in order to properly analyze the purpose of Paul's letter writing, especially because the interpretation of the usage in 1 Corinthians is difficult. [26]

Meanwhile, before becoming a member of the church, Corinthian Christians brought many of the characteristics of their culture into the church. This was likely to occur in a mixed culture. Considering Corinth at the time when there was a huge floating population from east to west and from north to south, the influx of churches of this complex culture would have been enormous. This situation allows us to understand many of the problems in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.

Here we must infer the situation surrounding the Corinthian Church in relation to the subject of this paper, “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα). In various parts of 1 Corinthians, Paul is grateful for the gifts of church members in foreign languages. Paul, who was fluent in multilingualism, would have hoped that Corinthians, especially those who were good at foreign languages, could spread to various parts of the Roman Empire through them in the future to be able to actively evangelize.

The members of the Corinthian churches, according to their Greek background, especially liked the gifts of tongue (s) and prophecy. They seem to have regarded and valued the tongue (s), the utterance of ecstasy among the tongue (s) and the gifts of prophecy, as the most prominent manifestation of the Holy Spirit. However, Paul evaluated the gifts not in terms of their apparent appearance, but in terms of whether they benefit all (12: 7), or whether they are useful in building up the church. Because for Paul, the Holy Spirit expresses himself with love to serve others.^[27]

The socio-economic atmosphere of the Corinthian Church

By the time Paul arrived in Corinth for his missions, many Jews probably lived in Corinth. There are records of eight million Jews scattered around the world in diaspora only in the middle of the Old and New Testaments, beginning from the time they were already taken captive to Babylon. At that time, many Jews lived in famous Greek cities, such as Alexandria, Rome, and Corinth. As we can see in Acts 18, there were also synagogues in Jews.[28]

Corinth was a city of many races and ethnic groups because of its geographical location. In this atmosphere, Corinthians would have been confused with a large number of languages mixed with languages from all regions. Examples of this can be found in modern Singapore and Hong Kong. There are many cases where English, Chinese standard language, Cantonese, etc. are mixed to make it difficult to know which language it is. Also, as all idolatry was practiced under the influence of the religions of other countries, their “unknown sound” must have been prevalent.

In the Corinthian epistle, the apostle Paul said, “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),” (1 Corinthians 8:5, NIV). This means that there were many religions in Corinth at that time. In Greek and Roman myths and other myths, there are dozens of pages of tables listing the genealogy of the gods.[29] They would have focused their attention on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially those that are prominent, such as tongue (s), boasting to each other the gifts they received, creating an atmosphere of pride and contempt, envy and conflict. In this situation, it seemed that the worshiper used the tongue (s) and prophecy competitively to create chaos (1 Corinthians 12-14).^[30] Therefore, Paul needed to establish order by criticizing the problems of the Corinthian church.

C. Background of the Apostle Paul's 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians

One of the most important things in examining the background and purpose of 1 Corinthians' writing is the number of letters sent to Corinth. It is also necessary to understand exactly where and under what circumstances Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians. Various views on this have been widely presented. Paul seems to have written at least four letters to the church in Corinth. The first letter is the now-disappeared “old letter” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5: 9, followed by our 1 Corinthians. The third letter was Paul's “sorrowful letter” (2 Corinthians; 7: 8; 12) for the Corinthians by writing “with anguish and mourning and tears” (2 Corinthians 2: 3; 4). The fourth letter is 2 Corinthians we have.^[31]

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Ⅲ. The theory that two meanings are mixed

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According to this theory, Paul saw positive evaluations of foreign languages and negative evaluations of an unknown tongue. The representative English version, KJV (King James Version) fits this theory. The term “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14 is separately used as “an unknown tongue” and “foreign languages”. As is well known, KJV is a translation based on “TR1550MR” (Textus Receptus). TR1550MR is a Bible based on the translation of the Latin translation (Vulgate) into Greek. In 1 Corinthians 14: 2, 13, 14, 19, 27 used as a singular form in KJV, it is translated with “an unknown” that is not found in the original Greek text. When “tongue” (γλῶσσα) is written in singular, it is translated as “an unknown tongue” and when used in plural form, it is translated into foreign languages.

Abbott Smith understood that the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) used in the New Testament was relatively broad. In other words, it took a more comprehensive position than other views by defining as "the incomprehensible sounds spoken in the spiritual selflessness" along with the language organs (tongues) and the human language (foreign languages).[23]

No Uho said, “Paul uses 'tongue (s)', which is used in 1 Corinthians 14, in two categories. One thing is used in singular, it is an unknown sound that the Corinthian speaks to God alone that no one can understand. Another is written in plural form, meaning the foreign languages of Paul himself. ”[24] There is an opinion that dividing the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian church into singular and plural forms is an irrational interpretation. However, KJV (King James) clearly interprets singular and plural separately, and it seems to be quite a reasonable translation compared to other contexts. This is because many other opinions have an error in interpretation due to assuming that the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian Church is all the same concept. Therefore, we have to interpret this by dividing it into “foreign language as a gift” (12:10), “angel's language” (13: 1), and “unknown sound” (14: 2).

What is unusual is that Paul said, “In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:21, KJV 1900)

It is an example that "tongues" is clearly interpreted as "foreign languages." In this context, it is foreign languages when it is used as a plural noun in all cases of “γλῶσσα” in the New Testament, including the examples of Isaiah 28:11 in 14:21. And when it is used as a singular noun, it should be considered as “the utterance of an ecstasy” or “repeated unknown sound.”

So far, we have reviewed previous studies on the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the New Testament. Through this, it can be seen that the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), which the apostle Paul speaks, was clearly divided into plural and singular. Each theory has its own logic and argument, but none of the theories provide a solid argument for the meaning of the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) phenomenon of the modern church. Therefore, in Chapter 3, we will look at the use of the entire New Testament (including some Old Testament Bibles) and draw conclusions on this, especially in 1 Corinthians 14.[25]

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Inquiries about partnerships such as missionary activities: usedslr@gmail.com, YouTube: Multilingual Bible Research Institute

This post (posting) is a personally copyrighted article (including photos) from the Multilingual Bible Institute. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, and processing are not allowed, but can be used when specifying the source and URL of the material. This institute is an organization that supports the multilingual Reading the Bible movement for missionary activities and the Bible translation work of unreached minorities. In addition to the Bible Hebrew and Bible Greek classes for reading the Bible, the lectures of classical Latin are available (online and offline available). We also offer English courses through the BIBLE ENGLISH system, which is aimed at children and adults. This post (posting) is translated into four languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and is serviced all over the world, actively supporting the mission of Christian missionaries.

Inquiries about partnerships such as missionary activities: usedslr@gmail.com, YouTube: Multilingual Bible Research Institute

CHAPTER 2. Academic preceding study on “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα)

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Scholars have been arguing over the interpretation of “γλῶσσα”. At the heart of the debate is whether the modern church "tongue (s)" is the same as the "tongue (s)" in the Corinthian church. The controversy stems from the premise that 1 Corinthians “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) was used in one sense. In the Old and New Testaments 1 Corinthians 14 is the only case that the term “tongue(s)” (γλῶσσα) is used together in singular and plural nouns with different meanings. Even the use of 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 is used only in plural nouns. Therefore, here we will concentrate on the use of 1 Corinthians 14 to examine the relationship between the “tongue (s)” of the modern church and the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian church.

Was the “tongue (s)” of the Early Church era “foreign language tongues as a gift”, or was it an unknown tongue? Or both? Is the “tongue (s) phenomenon of the modern church” “foreign languages”, “a fascinating sound in a religious extactic state” or “repeated unknown sound”?

This judgment is at the heart of the “tongue (s)” debate. A study of the nature or language of the "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα) is necessary to gain an appreciation of the phenomenon itself and to give an adequate assessment of the modern "tongue (s) movement.” 1

[10]

Ⅰ. Theory seeing as “unknown sound”

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This theory is based on 1 Corinthians 14: 2, not "foreign language tongues as a gift”, but "fantasy of ecstasy" (language of angels or religious ecstatic) in a positive sense, or "repeated unknown sound"(tongue) in a negative sense. According to this theory, "tongues" in 1 Corinthians 12 does not mean "foreign languages." Because the context of I Corinthians 12–14 makes this impossible. They also argue that "1 Corinthians 14: 2 means to speak to God in mysterious language during prayer, that is, to pray in words that the world does not understand, so that others cannot understand it at all."[11] This theory states that the "tongue" (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14: 2, as well as the "tongues" (γλῶσσα) in Chapter 12, is "religious ecstatic (including ‘repeated unknown tongue’)." This argument seems to be misinterpreted because tyhe considered the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians as all the same thing.

Pastor Kim Dongchan, who received his Ph.D. from Oral Roberts University for the first time in Korea, considered that “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the entire book of 1 Corinthians is “unintelligible utterance”. And he asserted that it is not "foreign languages as a gift." He said, “If translating 'tongues' (plurals) in 1 Corinthians into ‘foreign languages,’ it is nonsense judging from biblical or ecclesiastical cases. It is because Paul repeated five times in 1 Corinthians 14, over and over again explaining that “tongue (s)” has incomprehensible attributes.” [12] However, if we interpret the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of 1 Corinthians as “unintelligible utterance”, there are too many parts that cannot be interpreted contextually. For example, in 1 Corinthians 13: 1 there is no way to explain a phrase that is obviously foreign languages, such as “all 'tongues’ of men”. Nor can we interpret portions of 1 Corinthians 14 that speak positively and sometimes negatively.

J. Oswald Sanders also views the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian church in a negative sense as “an unknown sound”. In addition, he tried to compare the "tongues" of Acts 2 with the "tongue (s)" of 1 Corinthians 14 to prove that the two "tongue (s)" were completely different phenomena. The “tongues of Pentecost spoke to man (Acts 2: 6). But the “tongue (s)” of the Corinthian church was speaking only to God. (1 Corinthians 14: 2; 9). The “tongue (s)” of the Corinthian church was a sign for unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). The “tongues of Pentecost was in perfect harmony (Acts 2: 1-4), but the “tongue (s) ”of the Corinthian church caused confusion.” [13] He sees the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian church as the main cause of extreme confusion in the church. But according to his theory, we cannot explain not only the "tongue (s) as a gift" in Chapter 12, but also to interpret Paul's expression of "don't stop speaking in tongues" in 14:39.

Lee Sanghoon argues that “tongues” in Acts 2 and “tongue (s)” in 1 Corinthians 14 are two different things. First, Peter supported the "tongues" of Pentecost as "the fulfillment of the Old Testament" (Joel 2:28), but the "tongue (s)" of 1 Corinthians 14, on the contrary, Paul did not support but prohibit it. Secondly, he interpreted “tongue (s)” as “interpretation” rather than “translation”, so that he considered “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) throughout 1 Corinthians was “an unknown tongue.”[14] But Paul said only negatively in the case of “an unknown tongue” (repeated unknown sound). Judging from the cases of “foreign language tongues as a gift” and “languages of angels” in 1 Corinthians 12 and 13: 1, it is clear that Lee's argument is a fragmentary view, not overall view. He also expressed Greek “ἑρμηνεία” as an interpretation, but his argument is unreasonable because “ἑρμηνεία” can be seen not only as “interpretation” but also as “translation”. Lee Sanghoon also insists on the premise that “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians has only one meaning.

In the United States, academic research on “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) was actively conducted in the 1960s, leading to a re-evaluation of “tongue (s)” from an academic point of view. From a linguistic point of view, the "tongue (s)" study has attempted to determine whether "tongue (s)" is a known foreign language or not. One study found that “tongue (s)” is more active in the right brain, which is responsible for emotion, willpower, imagination, and spatial perception than the left brain, which is responsible for language and thinking. "Tongue (s)" is not a language, because the right brain is used mainly.[15] It is not a language that can be learned. "Tongue (s)" is not a language because it does not have the attributes of natural language. But that does not mean that it is not entirely language. Thus, the term "similar language" is also used, and "angel's language" and "celestial language." Yoo Myongbok argues that "some people think that 'tongue (s)' is to be learned, but it must be seen as a gift from the Holy Spirit, and it must be impressed with the Holy Spirit rather than trying to receive it through learning." [16] He sees this as "the utterance of ecstasy."

In 1 Corinthians 13: 1, there is a possibility to interpret “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as “angelic language”. “Even if I say the words “tongue (s)” of humans and angels, but without love, it becomes a sounding copper and a ringing connoisseur.” This is a very important expression. For it seems that the apostle Paul admits that "tongue (s)" is not only "foreign languages as a gift" but also "religious ecstasy" such as an angelic language. In other words, this verse is an evidence that he thought “tongue(s)” (γλῶσσα) have a variety of meanings. It is clear that “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as singular in 1 Corinthians 14 is different from “tongues” in Acts 2. This is because “tongues” in Acts is a clear “foreign languages as a gift”, but “tongue (s)” in 1 Corinthians does not speak to people.[17]

Examining the above theories, the "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα) of the Corinthian church have at least over two meanings. First, there are positive aspects that are used in plural, such as “foreign languages as gifts” or “languages of angels.” Second, it is “an unknown tongue” that contains negative and positive meanings in singular. KJV explained when “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is used as a singular by adding “an unknown” that is not in the original Greek text (1 Corinthians 14:2, 13, 14, 19, 27). However, in the case of 14:26, it is peculiar not to have "an unknown" even though it is used in singular form. This point will be discussed from point from point in Chapter 3.

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Ⅱ. Method and scope of research

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A. Term definition of "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα)

"Tongue(s)" are called “bangun” in Korean, which means in the meaning of plural and singular. In 1 Corinthians 14, the singular and plural forms are used together. More technically, the word Glossolalia(tongue) is a composite of two Greek words. This word is a compound word for “tongue (s)” created in the 19th century, it is a combination of the word “γλῶσσα” (tongue) and the word “λαλέω” (to speak).[5]

In the Life Bible vocabulary, it is said, “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as a “word” is the language of each province (Ne. 13:24; Isa. 36:13; Zech. 8:23; Revelation 7: 9), that is foreign language. (Acts 2:4–11) and ② the mysterious language spoken in the state of being ecstatic by the work of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit that God gives to a special person (1 Corinthians 14:2, 21–22). Therefore, not all people who are converted have the "tongue (s)" phenomenon.” [6]

Stanley Mr. Bruges studied the examples of the Middle Ages and categorized “tongue (s)”: “xenolalia,” which refers to a foreign language he himself do not know; “Heteroglossolalia,” which is “people hear in their own language when someone speaks a foreign language”; “Akolalia” with no sound heard; There is also a “glossolalia” that is spoken in a language that is not generally understood.[7] His theory of “heteroglossolalia” would play a decisive role in the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:21 in the main text.

Many believers today misunderstand that only the Holy Spirit is the source of the “tongue (s). Looking at the various literatures on the “tongue (s), it is surprising that the source of the “tongue (s)” is not just the Holy Spirit. There are also “tongue (s)” given by evil spirits, and psychologically, “tongue (s)” can be caused by multiple personality phenomena due to dissociation.[8] Thus, in this paper, we will infer the situation when the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 14 to confirm whether the “tongue (s)” phenomenon of the Corinthian church came from the Holy Spirit or not.

In the New Testament, the term “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) are seen about 50 times, meaning “tongue,” “foreign languages,” “languages of angels,” and “religious extasy” (an unknown tongue). The general controversy is that scholars have different views of what “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14 means. Therefore, this paper will focus on understanding the meaning of 1 Corinthians 14 from the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) found in the New Testament.

B. Research method

In this paper, to understand the Biblical meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), we will first examine the cases of the preceding studies and the original intentions of the Apostle Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, especially in 1 Corinthians. Secondly, we will analyze in depth the meaning of the controversial 1 Corinthians "tongue(s)" (γλῶσσα) in relation to the "tongue(s)" (γλῶσσα) of the modern church, especially the exact Biblical meaning shown in 1 Corinthians 14.

First of all, 1 Corinthians is a valuable letter that contains the very specific and sincere Apostle Paul's Christian philosophy of how to deal with the many problems arising in the Corinthian church. Perhaps most of the problems encountered in modern churches would have occurred, and there are many ways to deal with them there. It is also hard to understand that so many problems have occurred in a church that was not so large. Paul's solutions to the problems surrounding the Corinthian church will reveal the problems and solutions of the modern church. It is important to note that, among these many issues, Paul focused on the issue of “tongue (s), with a lot of pages, which means that he perceived as serious. All of this was not apparent at the time of Paul's ministry at the Corinthian church, but it was likely to occur shortly after his leaving Corinth. For Paul does not seem to have written with certainty about the reality of the “tongue (s)” of the Corinthian Church at the time of writing 1 Corinthians.[9] In 1 Corinthians, he remained a lot of possibilities to interpret differently “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα). In addition, he seemed to be inconsistent enough in his own words to cause confusion for later interpreters. However, Paul does not mention “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the following epistles such as 2 Corinthians, Romans, etc. Judging from this, the problem of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) seems to have been completely resolved until around 2 Corinthians’ writing.”

In this paper, first, in relation to the interpretation of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14, we will conduct academic precedent studies on the theory of “γλῶσσα” as ① “ecstasy utterance” (including “unknown sound”) ② theories of “foreign languages” ③ the theory that “an known tongue” and the meaning of “foreign language” are mixed.

Next, to analyze the use of 1 Corinthians, we will examine the meaning of “γλῶσσα” as the phenomenon of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in Mark and Acts. We will also analyze the use of the Revelation to determine the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians, including the analysis of “Lashon” (לָשׁוֹן) in Isaiah 28:10.

Finally, the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) written in 1 Corinthians 14 is divided into the usuage of singular and plural. The plural will clearly distinguish the meaning of “foreign languages” from the singular “speaking of ecstasy ”(an unknown tongue). In particular, since 1 Corinthians 14 expresses only “tongue” in Korean, the two meanings are alternately used to confuse interpretation. Therefore, we will clarify and address this. In this regard, the King James Version (KJV) refers to "tongues" when it refers to a foreign language, and "extatic utterence" is exactly translated as "an unknown tongue."

C. Scope of the study

For an accurate interpretation of “γλῶσσα”, we will analyze the text of the first part of 1 Corinthians 14. In particular, Chapter 14, verse 2, “ὁ γὰρ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ ἀλλὰ θεῷ · οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει, πνεύματι δὲ λαλεῖ μυστ”. Among these, we will examine in detail the translation of “θεῷ”, “πνεύματι”, and “δὲ”, which seem to be misinterpreted in the Korean version. In this regard, while NA28 does not use the definite article before “θεῷ”, we will consider the fact that “TR1550MR” (Textus Receptus) uses the definite article (τω θεω) and the Greek semicolon (‘·’, in English ‘;’) in two places. We will also try the correct interpretation of 14: 4. This will determine whether Paul sees the “γλώσσῃ” as a singular in a positive or negative way. In addition, we will also analyze the grammar structure of 1 Corinthians 14:14 “ἐὰν [γὰρ] προσεύχωμαι γλώσσῃ, τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν. Similarly, we will examine the comparison of versions and their use cases. This may infer the apostle Paul's attitude toward “an unknown tongue”.

In Chapters 14:21 and 22, we will demonstrate why Paul intentionally used plural expression(ἑτερογλώσσοις) instead of the singular expression “ἑτερογλώσσος”in the process of quoting the Old Testament.

The New Testament does not use “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in one sense. In particular, in 1 Corinthians, “tongue (s)” (γλσσσα) is used in at least over two meanings (foreign language” and “utterance of ecstasy), and “utterance of ecstasy (unknown sound)” also has positive and negative aspects. This paper will analyze this closely.

However, I do not think that this study can make an objective conclusion about the effectiveness of the “tongue (s)” of the Pentecostal movement. The singular “tongue” might be not only a “ecstatic utterance” but also an “unknown language of the unknown race”. It is also clear that in general, in the case of “ecstasy”, there are many believers who actually feel the positive effects. And this "tongue (s)" phenomenon of modern churches will again require complex classification and argumentation. Therefore, the scope of this study is to clarify the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14, and this study is expected to give a good suggestion on the spiritual phenomenon of modern church.

This post (posting) is a personally copyrighted article (including photos) from the Multilingual Bible Institute. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, and processing are not allowed, but can be used when specifying the source and URL of the material. This institute is an organization that supports the multilingual Reading the Bible movement for missionary activities and the Bible translation work of unreached minorities. In addition to the Bible Hebrew and Bible Greek classes for reading the Bible, the lectures of classical Latin are available (online and offline available). We also offer English courses through the BIBLE ENGLISH system, which is aimed at children and adults. This post (posting) is translated into four languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and is serviced all over the world, actively supporting the mission of Christian missionaries.

Inquiries about partnerships such as missionary activities: usedslr@gmail.com, YouTube: Multilingual Bible Research Institute