Lexical Summary heteroglóssos: Of another tongue; foreign-speaking Original Word: ἑτερόγλωσσος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance foreigner, man of other tongue. From heteros and glossa; other- tongued, i.e. A foreigner -- man of other tongue. see GREEK heteros see GREEK glossa NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom heteros and glóssa Definition of another tongue NASB Translation men of strange tongues (1), strange tongues (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2084: ἑτερόγλωσσοςἑτερόγλωσσος, ἑτερογλωσσου, ὁ (ἕτερος and γλῶσσα), one who speaks (another i. e.) a foreign tongue (opposed to ὁμόγλωσσος): Psalm 113:1 Topical Lexicon Biblical Setting The term appears a single time in the New Testament, in the Apostle Paul’s quotation of Isaiah within 1 Corinthians 14:21: “In the Law it is written: ‘By other tongues and by strange lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord’”. Paul, addressing the Corinthian church’s fascination with the gift of tongues, cites Israel’s earlier history to teach on the proper function of spiritual gifts in congregational life. Link to Isaiah’s Warning Paul draws from Isaiah 28:11–12, where God warned Judah that because they refused His clear word, He would speak to them “by people of strange speech.” The foreign tongues of invading Assyrians would signal divine judgment and serve as a sign of covenant breach. In 1 Corinthians, Paul applies this pattern: uninterpreted tongues may likewise become a sign, not of blessing, but of judicial blindness for unbelievers present in worship (1 Corinthians 14:22–23). Purpose in Paul’s Argument on Spiritual Gifts 1. Verification of Prophetic Priority: By highlighting foreign speech as judgment, Paul elevates intelligible prophecy over ecstatic utterance for the church’s edification (1 Corinthians 14:3–5). Historical Implications First-century Corinth was a multilingual seaport. Untranslated speech could easily resemble pagan ecstatic phenomena familiar to that culture. Paul’s reference to strange tongues warns against importing chaotic religious practices into the assembly and reminds believers that the Holy Spirit’s work is coherent with Israel’s Scripture and God’s redemptive history. Ministry Application • Interpretation Required: Any expression of tongues must be interpreted so that all present receive edification, aligning with the principle laid down in 1 Corinthians 14:5. Theological Reflection This lone New Testament occurrence reinforces a broader biblical theme: God sometimes employs unfamiliar speech as a sign of judgment, yet He desires His truth to be heard plainly. The church is therefore called to steward spiritual gifts so that Christ is exalted, the body is built up, and unbelievers are confronted with a comprehensible gospel. Forms and Transliterations ετερογλωσσοις ετερογλώσσοις ἑτερογλώσσοις eteroglossois eteroglōssois heteroglossois heteroglōssois heteroglṓssoisLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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