40 Bible Verses about Language

wherefore he who is speaking in an unknown tongue -- let him pray that he may interpret;

and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification.

if an unknown tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret; and if there may be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, and to himself let him speak, and to God.

Lo, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah, A nation -- strong it is, a nation -- from of old it is, A nation -- thou knowest not its tongue, Nor understandest what it speaketh.

'Jehovah doth lift up against thee a nation, from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle it flieth; a nation whose tongue thou hast not heard,

For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.

'And signs shall accompany those believing these things; in my name demons they shall cast out; with new tongues they shall speak;

and Paul having laid on them his hands, the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were speaking also with tongues, and prophesying,

and to another in-workings of mighty deeds; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues:

and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, 'Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born?

for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God.

If, therefore, the whole assembly may come together, to the same place, and all may speak with tongues, and there may come in unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

for he who is speaking in an unknown tongue -- to men he doth not speak, but to God, for no one doth hearken, and in spirit he doth speak secrets; and he who is prophesying to men doth speak edification, and exhortation, and comfort; he who is speaking in an unknown tongue, himself doth edify, and he who is prophesying, an assembly doth edify; read more.
and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification. And now, brethren, if I may come unto you speaking tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either in revelation, or in knowledge, or in prophesying, or in teaching? yet the things without life giving sound -- whether pipe or harp -- if a difference in the sounds they may not give, how shall be known that which is piped or that which is harped? for if also an uncertain sound a trumpet may give, who shall prepare himself for battle? so also ye, if through the tongue, speech easily understood ye may not give -- how shall that which is spoken be known? for ye shall be speaking to air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning, if, then, I do not know the power of the voice, I shall be to him who is speaking a foreigner, and he who is speaking, is to me a foreigner; so also ye, since ye are earnestly desirous of spiritual gifts, for the building up of the assembly seek that ye may abound;

By these have the isles of the nations been parted in their lands, each by his tongue, by their families, in their nations.

These are sons of Ham, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

These are sons of Shem, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, by their nations.

Then Darius the king hath written to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who are dwelling in all the land: 'Your peace be great!

and sendeth letters unto all provinces of the king, unto province and province according to its writing, and unto people and people according to its tongue, for every man being head in his own house -- and speaking according to the language of his people.

And a crier is calling mightily: 'To you they are saying: O peoples, nations, and languages!

Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

A testimony on Joseph He hath placed it, In his going forth over the land of Egypt. A lip, I have not known -- I hear.

In the going out of Israel from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a strange people,

And the Chaldeans speak to the king in Aramaean, 'O king, to the ages live, tell the dream to thy servants, and the interpretation we do shew.'

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah saith -- and Shebna, and Joah -- to the chief of the butlers, 'Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in Aramaean, for we are understanding, and do not speak with us in Jewish, in the ears of the people who are on the wall.'

and in the days of Artaxerxes have Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions written unto Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter is written in Aramaean, and interpreted in Aramaean.

and Jehovah saith, 'Lo, the people is one, and one pronunciation is to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.

And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,

and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!

And the chief of the butlers standeth and calleth with a great voice in Jewish, and speaketh and saith, 'Hear ye a word of the great king, the king of Asshur:

and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, insomuch that that place is called, in their proper dialect, Aceldama, that is, field of blood,

and they sing a new song, saying, 'Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah saith -- and Shebna, and Joah -- to the chief of the butlers, 'Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in Aramaean, for we are understanding, and do not speak with us in Jewish, in the ears of the people who are on the wall.'

and in the days of Artaxerxes have Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions written unto Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter is written in Aramaean, and interpreted in Aramaean.

and he was again denying. And after a little again, those standing near said to Peter, 'Truly thou art of them, for thou also art a Galilean, and thy speech is alike;'

and the multitudes having seen what Paul did, did lift up their voice, in the speech of Lycaonia, saying, 'The gods, having become like men, did come down unto us;'

And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words, and it cometh to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they find a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwell there; and they say each one to his neighbour, 'Give help, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them for mortar. read more.
And they say, 'Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.' And Jehovah cometh down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men have builded; and Jehovah saith, 'Lo, the people is one, and one pronunciation is to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do. Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.' And Jehovah doth scatter them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they cease to build the city; therefore hath one called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.

By these have the isles of the nations been parted in their lands, each by his tongue, by their families, in their nations.

These are sons of Ham, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

These are sons of Shem, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, by their nations.

and Paul having laid on them his hands, the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were speaking also with tongues, and prophesying,

then were they laying hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

this title, therefore, read many of the Jews, because the place was nigh to the city where Jesus was crucified, and it was having been written in Hebrew, in Greek, in Roman.

and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes, read more.
Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

so that the tongues are for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelieving; and the prophesy is not for the unbelieving, but for the believing,

and to another in-workings of mighty deeds; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues:

this title, therefore, read many of the Jews, because the place was nigh to the city where Jesus was crucified, and it was having been written in Hebrew, in Greek, in Roman.

And there was also a superscription written over him, in letters of Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew, 'This is the King of the Jews.'

and to another in-workings of mighty deeds; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues:

if, then, I do not know the power of the voice, I shall be to him who is speaking a foreigner, and he who is speaking, is to me a foreigner;

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning,

And Paul being about to be led into the castle, saith to the chief captain, 'Is it permitted to me to say anything unto thee?' and he said, 'Greek dost thou know?

And there was also a superscription written over him, in letters of Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew, 'This is the King of the Jews.'

Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

In the going out of Israel from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a strange people,

And after a little those standing near having come, said to Peter, 'Truly thou also art of them, for even thy speech doth make thee manifest.'

that they say to him, 'Say, I pray thee, Shibboleth;' and he saith, 'Sibboleth,' and is not prepared to speak right -- and they seize him, and slaughter him at the passages of the Jordan, and there fall at that time, of Ephraim, forty and two chiefs.

and it cometh to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they find a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwell there; and they say each one to his neighbour, 'Give help, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them for mortar. And they say, 'Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.' read more.
And Jehovah cometh down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men have builded; and Jehovah saith, 'Lo, the people is one, and one pronunciation is to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.

And Jehovah doth scatter them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they cease to build the city; therefore hath one called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.

While Peter is yet speaking these sayings, the Holy spirit fell upon all those hearing the word, and those of the circumcision believing were astonished -- as many as came with Peter -- because also upon the nations the gift of the Holy Spirit hath been poured out, for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God.

And they have not known that Joseph understandeth, for the interpreter is between them;

For, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue art thou sent -- unto the house of Israel; not unto many peoples, deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou dost not understand. If I had not sent thee unto them -- they, they do hearken unto thee,

Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, 'Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, read more.
Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare.

'And signs shall accompany those believing these things; in my name demons they shall cast out; with new tongues they shall speak;

and the multitudes having seen what Paul did, did lift up their voice, in the speech of Lycaonia, saying, 'The gods, having become like men, did come down unto us;'

lads in whom there is no blemish, and of good appearance, and skilful in all wisdom, and possessing knowledge, and teaching thought, and who have ability to stand in the palace of the king, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

And Paul being about to be led into the castle, saith to the chief captain, 'Is it permitted to me to say anything unto thee?' and he said, 'Greek dost thou know?

And there was also a superscription written over him, in letters of Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew, 'This is the King of the Jews.'

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

and Jehovah saith, 'Lo, the people is one, and one pronunciation is to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.

And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,

and the multitudes having seen what Paul did, did lift up their voice, in the speech of Lycaonia, saying, 'The gods, having become like men, did come down unto us;'

And of their sons, half are speaking Ashdoditish -- and are not knowing to speak Jewish -- and according to the language of people and people.

lads in whom there is no blemish, and of good appearance, and skilful in all wisdom, and possessing knowledge, and teaching thought, and who have ability to stand in the palace of the king, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

After these things I saw, and lo, a great multitude, which to number no one was able, out of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands,

And I -- their works and their thoughts, I come to gather all the nations and tongues, And they have come and seen My honour.

By these have the isles of the nations been parted in their lands, each by his tongue, by their families, in their nations.

These are sons of Ham, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.