SUBJECT · Complete Bible Study

Tongue

This word is taken in three different senses. 1. This unified study connects 7 installed resource categories without replacing their source records.

View overview sources
  • Historical Reference: Nave’s Topical Bible — Public domain
  • Historical Reference: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary
  • Historical Reference: concordance
  • Historical Reference: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
  • Historical Reference: STEPBible TBESG (based primarily on Abbott-Smith)
  • Historical Reference: A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament
  • Historical Reference: Installed reference work

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Study overview

Study at a glance

Subject type
Subject
Strong’s
H3956, H3961, G1100, G1258
Hebrew
לָשׁוֹן · lâshôwn
Greek
γλῶσσα · glōssa

Strong’s and original-language information

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping

לָשׁוֹן

H3956
Transliteration
lâshôwn
Pronunciation
law-shone'
Language
Hebrew
Indexed occurrences
117

Glosses

tongue, [phrase] babbler, bay, [phrase] evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.

Lexicon definition

the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water)

Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon

γλῶσσα

G1100
Transliteration
glōssa
Language
Greek
Part of speech
G:N-F
Indexed occurrences
49

Glosses

tongue

Lexicon definition

γλῶσσα, -ης, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for לָשׁוֹן ;] __1. the tongue, as the organ of speech: Mrk.7:33, 35 Luk.1:64 16:24, Act.2:26" (LXX), Rom.3:13 (LXX) 14:11 (LXX), 1Co.14:9, Php.2:11, Jas.1:26 3:5, 6 8, 1Pe.3:10" (LXX), 1Jo.3:18, Rev.16:10; of a tongue-like object, Act.2:3. __2. a tongue, language: Act.2:11; joined with φυλή, λαός, ἔθνος, frequently in pl., Rev.5:9 7:9 10:11 11:9 13:7 14:6 17:15; λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γ., Act.2:4; γ. λαλεῖν καιναῖς, WH, txt. (RV, mg., omit καιναῖς), Mrk.16:17; λαλεῖν γλώσσαις, γλώσσῃ (see ICC, ll. with; DB, iv, 793ff.), Mrk.16:17, WH, txt., R, mg., Act.10:46 19:6, 1Co.12:30 13:1 14:2, 4-6, 13, 18, 23, 27, 39; γλῶσσαι (= λόγοι ἐν γλώσσῃ, 1Co.14:19), 1Co.13:8 14:22; γένη γλωσσῶν, 1Co.12:10, 28; προσεύχεσθαι γλώσσῃ, 1Co.14:14; γλῶσσαν ἔχειν, 1Co.14:26 (Cremer, 163, 679). † (AS)

A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament

Γλῶσσα

G1100
Transliteration
glōssa
Language
Greek
Indexed occurrences
49

Glosses

tongue

Lexicon definition

the tongue, Mar. 7.33, 35, et al.; meton. speech, talk, 1 Jno. 3.18; a tongue, language, Ac. 2.11. 1 Co. 13.1, et al.; meton. a language not proper to a speaker, a gift or faculty of such language, Mar. 16.17. 1 Co. 14.13, 14, 26, et al.: fr. Heb. a nation as defined by its language, Re. 5.9, et al.; met. a tongue-shaped flame, Ac. 2.3.

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

διάλεκτος

G1258
Transliteration
diálektos
Language
Greek
Indexed occurrences
6

Glosses

language, tongue

Lexicon definition

a (mode of) discourse, i.e. "dialect"

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

γλῶσσα

G1100
Transliteration
glōssa
Language
Greek
Indexed occurrences
49

Glosses

tongue

Lexicon definition

the tongue

by implication, a language (specially, one naturally unacquired)

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

לָשׁוֹן

H3956
Transliteration
lâshôwn
Pronunciation
law-shone'
Language
Hebrew
Indexed occurrences
117

Glosses

[phrase] babbler, bay, [phrase] evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.

Lexicon definition

the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water)

Complete dictionary entries

A Biblical and Theological Dictionary

TONGUE

This word is taken in three different senses. 1. For the material tongue, or organ of speech, James iii, 5. 2. For the tongue or language that is spoken in any country, Deut. xxviii, 49. (See _Language_.) 3. For good or bad discourses, Prov. xii, 18; xvii, 20. Tongue of the sea signifies a gulf. To gnaw the tongue, Rev. xvi, 10, is a token of fury, despair, and torment. The gift of tongues was that which God granted to the apostles and disciples assembled at Jerusalem on the day of pentecost, Acts ii. The tongue of angels, a kind of hyperbole made use of by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii, 1.

Source: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary · View data sources

Concordance

Strong's Concordance

Tongue

Indexed occurrences: 93

Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources

Strong's Concordance

Tongues

Indexed occurrences: 48

Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources

All Scripture references206 references

Genesis 4

Exodus 2

Deuteronomy 1

Joshua 6

Judges 1

2 Samuel 1

1 Kings 1

Nehemiah 1

Esther 3

Job 11

Psalms 52

Proverbs 23

Ecclesiastes 2

Song of Solomon 1

Isaiah 15

Jeremiah 9

Lamentations 1

Ezekiel 5

Daniel 8

Hosea 1

Joel 1

Micah 1

Zephaniah 1

Zechariah 2

Mark 3

Luke 3

John 1

Acts 9

Romans 2

1 Corinthians 20

Philippians 1

James 5

1 Peter 1

Revelation 8

Topical Bible

Sources

Ancient Context7 items

Josephus Antiquities Whiston

The Constitution Of The World And The Disposition Of The Elements.

Antiquities Book 1, Chapter 1

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How Moses Ascended Up To Mount Sinai, And Received Laws From God, And Delivered Them To The Hebrews.

Antiquities Book 3, Chapter 5

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How The Canaanites Brought The Israelites Under Slavery For Twenty Years; After Which They Were Delivered By Barak And Deborah, Who Ruled Over Them For Forty Years.

Antiquities Book 5, Chapter 5

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How Solomon Fortified The City Of Jerusalem, And Built Great Cities; And How He Brought Some Of The Canaanites Into Subjection, And Entertained The Queen Of Egypt And Of Ethiopia.

Antiquities Book 8, Chapter 6

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How Shalmaneser Took Samaria By Force And How He Transplanted The Ten Tribes Into Media, And Brought The Nation Of The Cutheans Into Their Country [In Their Room].

Antiquities Book 9, Chapter 14

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How Sennacherib Made An Expedition Against Hezekiah; What Threatenings Rabshakeh Made To Hezekiah When Sennacherib Was Gone Against The Egyptians; How Isaiah The Prophet Encouraged Him; How Sennacherib Having Failed Of Success In Egypt, Returned Thence To Jerusalem; And How Upon His Finding His Army Destroyed, He Returned Home; And What Befell Him A Little Afterward.

Antiquities Book 10, Chapter 1

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Josephus Antiquities Whiston

How Ptolemy Philadelphus Procured The Laws Of The Jews To Be Translated Into The Greek Tongue And Set Many Captives Free, And Dedicated Many Gifts To God.

Antiquities Book 12, Chapter 2

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Related UNLEARN Content16 items

Case File

What Most Christians Get Wrong About Tongues

Speaking in tongues is often misunderstood. What does the Bible teach about its purpose? This video uncovers the Biblical role of tongues and how it was intended to glorify God and bui…

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Case File

The Real Evidence of the Holy Spirit

What is the actual, scriptural proof that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit? For decades, many have been taught that "speaking in tongues" is the primary evidence, but is that wh…

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Case File

Tongues or Babble? (The Biblical Truth)

NEW UPDATED VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSKak_L59hE You might also like: "Can we speak in the tongues of angels" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqkMTNDsdo We want to…

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Topic

TONGUE

Nave’s Topical Bible references for TONGUE.

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Dictionary

Abjects

(Ps. 35:15), the translation of a Hebrew word meaning smiters; probably, in allusion to the tongue, slanderers. (Comp. Jer. 18:18.)

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Dictionary

Bay

Denotes the estuary of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan (Josh. 15:5; 18:19), also the southern extremity of the same sea (15:2). The same Hebrew word is rendered "tongue" in Isa. 11:15, where it is used with reference to the forked mouths of the Nile. Bay in Zech. 6:3, 7 denotes the colour of horses, but the original Hebrew means strong, and is here used rather to describe the horses as fleet or spirited.

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Dictionary

Bilshan

in the tongue

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Dictionary

City

The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12). Next, we have a record of the cities of the Canaanites, Sidon, Gaza, Sodom, etc. (10:12, 19; 11:3, 9; 36:31-39). The earliest description of a city is that of Sodom (19:1-22). Damascus is said to be the oldest existing city in the world. Before the time of Abraham there were cities in Egypt (Num. 13:22). The Israelites in Egypt were employed in building the "treasure cities" of Pithom and Raamses (Ex. 1:11); but it does not seem that they had any cities of their own in Goshen (Gen. 46:34; 47:1-11). In the kingdom of Og in Bashan there were sixty "great cities with walls," and twenty-three cities in Gilead partly rebuilt by the tribes on the east of Jordan (Num. 21:21, 32, 33, 35; 32:1-3, 34-42; Deut. 3:4, 5, 14; 1 Kings 4:13). On the west of Jordan were thirty-one "royal cities" (Josh. 12), besides many others spoken of in the history of Israel. A fenced city was a city surrounded by fortifications and high walls, with watch-towers upon them (2 Chr. 11:11; Deut. 3:5). There was also within the city generally a tower to which the citizens might flee when danger threatened them (Judg. 9:46-52). A city with suburbs was a city surrounded with open pasture-grounds, such as the forty-eight cities which were given to the Levites (Num. 35:2-7). There were six cities of refuge, three on each side of Jordan, namely, Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, on the west of Jordan; and on the east, Bezer, Ramoth-gilead, and Golan. The cities on each side of the river were nearly opposite each other. The regulations concerning these cities are given in Num. 35:9-34; Deut. 19:1-13; Ex. 21:12-14. When David reduced the fortress of the Jebusites which stood on Mount Zion, he built on the site of it a palace and a city, which he called by his own name (1 Chr. 11:5), the city of David. Bethlehem is also so called as being David's native town (Luke 2:4). Jerusalem is called the Holy City, the holiness of the temple being regarded as extending in some measure over the whole city (Neh. 11:1). Pithom and Raamses, built by the Israelites as "treasure cities," were not places where royal treasures were kept, but were fortified towns where merchants might store their goods and transact their business in safety, or cities in which munitions of war were stored. (See [118]PITHOM.)

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Dictionary

Gifts, spiritual

(Gr. charismata), gifts supernaturally bestowed on the early Christians, each having his own proper gift or gifts for the edification of the body of Christ. These were the result of the extraordinary operation of the Spirit, as on the day of Pentecost. They were the gifts of speaking with tongues, casting out devils, healing, etc. (Mark 16:17, 18), usually communicated by the medium of the laying on of the hands of the apostles (Acts 8:17; 19:6; 1 Tim. 4:14). These charismata were enjoyed only for a time. They could not continue always in the Church. They were suited to its infancy and to the necessities of those times.

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Dictionary

Grace

(1.) Of form or person (Prov. 1:9; 3:22; Ps. 45:2). (2.) Favour, kindness, friendship (Gen. 6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 2 Tim. 1:9). (3.) God's forgiving mercy (Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5). (4.) The gospel as distinguished from the law (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 1 Pet. 5:12). (5.) Gifts freely bestowed by God; as miracles, prophecy, tongues (Rom. 15:15; 1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 3:8). (6.) Christian virtues (2 Cor. 8:7; 2 Pet. 3:18). (7.) The glory hereafter to be revealed (1 Pet. 1:13).

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Dictionary

Helps

(1 Cor. 12:28) may refer to help (i.e., by interpretation) given to him who speaks with tongues, or more probably simply help which Christians can render to one another, such as caring for the poor and needy, etc.

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Dictionary

Lapping

Of water like a dog, i.e., by putting the hand filled with water to the mouth. The dog drinks by shaping the end of his long thin tongue into the form of a spoon, thus rapidly lifting up water, which he throws into his mouth. The three hundred men that went with Gideon thus employed their hands and lapped the water out of their hands (Judg. 7:7).

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Dictionary

Phichol

the mouth of all, or every tongue

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Dictionary

Sword

Of the Hebrew was pointed, sometimes two-edged, was worn in a sheath, and suspended from the girdle (Ex. 32:27; 1 Sam. 31:4; 1 Chr. 21:27; Ps. 149:6: Prov. 5:4; Ezek. 16:40; 21:3-5). It is a symbol of divine chastisement (Deut. 32:25; Ps. 7:12; 78:62), and of a slanderous tongue (Ps. 57:4; 64:3; Prov. 12:18). The word of God is likened also to a sword (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17; Rev. 1:16). Gideon's watchword was, "The sword of the Lord" (Judg. 7:20).

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Dictionary

Tongues, Confusion of

At Babel, the cause of the early separation of mankind and their division into nations. The descendants of Noah built a tower to prevent their dispersion; but God "confounded their language" (Gen. 11:1-8), and they were scattered over the whole earth. Till this time "the whole earth was of one language and of one speech." (See [637]SHINAR.)

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Dictionary

Tongues, Gift of

Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have argued that it was merely an outward sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit among the disciples, typifying his manifold gifts, and showing that salvation was to be extended to all nations. But the words of Luke (Acts 2:9) clearly show that the various peoples in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost did really hear themselves addressed in their own special language with which they were naturally acquainted (comp. Joel 2:28, 29). Among the gifts of the Spirit the apostle enumerates in 1 Cor. 12:10-14:30, "divers kinds of tongues" and the "interpretation of tongues." This "gift" was a different manifestation of the Spirit from that on Pentecost, although it resembled it in many particulars. Tongues were to be "a sign to them that believe not."

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