'Tongue' in the Bible

Jesus, taking him aside by himself, away from the crowd, put His fingers into the man’s ears, and after spitting, He touched the man’s tongue [with the saliva];

And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he began speaking plainly.

At once Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God.

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’

And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].

‘Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly;Moreover my flesh also will live in hope [that is, will encamp in anticipation of the resurrection];

When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. And he continued,

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].’

For it is written [in Scripture],“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

But actually, I have written to you not to associate with any so-called [Christian] brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater [devoted to anything that takes the place of God], or is a reviler [who insults or slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others], or is a drunkard or a swindler—you must not so much as eat with such a person.

For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things].

One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church [promotes growth in spiritual wisdom, devotion, holiness, and joy].

So it is with you, if you speak words [in an unknown tongue] that are not intelligible and clear, how will anyone understand what you are saying? You will be talking into the air [wasting your breath]!

Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may [be gifted to] translate or explain [what he says].

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive [because it does not understand what my spirit is praying].

nevertheless, in public worship I would rather say five understandable words in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue [which others cannot understand].

What then is the right course, believers? When you meet together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation (disclosure of special knowledge), a tongue, or an interpretation. Let everything be constructive and edifying and done for the good of all the church.

If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be limited to two or at the most three, and each one speaking in turn, and one must interpret [what is said].

and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious [scrupulously observant of the rituals of his faith], and does not control his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless (futile, barren).

In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark!

And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna).

But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison.

For,“The one who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good—whether apparent or not],Must keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from speaking guile (treachery, deceit).

He was also permitted to wage war against the saints (God’s people) and to overcome them, and authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation.