2. tongue, ecstatic utterance — Speaking in tongues as a spiritual gift (glossolalia), the charismatic phenomenon of Spirit-empowered utterance in unlearned languages or ecstatic speech. Found primarily in Acts (2:4, 10:46, 19:6) and 1 Corinthians 12-14 (12:10, 12:28, 12:30, 13:1, 13:8, 14:2-39). The prepositional phrase 'in tongues' (en glossais) marks this technical usage. Cross-linguistic evidence shows the same word as the body part but in a distinct collocational pattern: arb bi-alsina, heb bi-leshonot (with preposition be-), hin bhashaon-men (languages), kor bangeondeul-ro (dialects). Notably, Korean translates as bangeon (dialect/tongues-speech) rather than hyeo (physical tongue), confirming the semantic distinction from the body-part sense. 18×
AR["ألسِنَةٍ","بِألسِنَةٍ","بِأَلْسِنَةٍ","بِـ-أَلْسِنَةٍ","بِلِسانٍ"]·ben["ভাষায়","ভাষায়,","ভাষাসমূহে","ভাষাসমূহে,","ভাষাসমূহে।","ভাষাসমূহের;","ভাষাসমূহের।"]·DE["Zunge"]·EN["in-a-tongue","in-tongues","of-tongues"]·FR["langue"]·heb["בִּ-לְשׁוֹנוֹת","בִּ-לָשׁוֹן","בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹת","לְשׁוֹנוֹת"]·HI["भाषा-में","भाषाओं-का","भाषाओं-के","भाषाओं-में"]·ID["bahasa-bahasa","bahasa-roh","dalam-bahasa-bahasa","dalam-bahasa-roh","dalam-bahasa-roh,","dalam-bahasa-roh.","dengan-bahasa-bahasa"]·IT["lingua"]·jav["basa","basa-manca,","basa.","basa;","ing-basa","ing-basa-basa"]·KO["방언들-로","방언들-의","방언들로","방언으로"]·PT["de-línguas.","de-línguas;","em-língua","em-língua,","em-línguas","em-línguas,","em-línguas."]·RU["языками","языков.","языков;","языком"]·ES["de-lenguas","en-lengua","en-lenguas"]·SW["kwa-lugha","lugha,","lugha.","za-lugha"]·TR["daha ziyade","değil","dilde","dillerde","dillerin","dillerle","girse","konuşarak","konuşuyorum","muhtemelen-"]·urd["زبان-میں","زبانوں-میں","زبانوں-کا","زبانوں-کی"]
Mark 16:17, Acts 10:46, Acts 19:6, 1 Cor 12:10, 1 Cor 12:10, 1 Cor 12:28, 1 Cor 12:30, 1 Cor 14:2, 1 Cor 14:4, 1 Cor 14:5, 1 Cor 14:5, 1 Cor 14:6 (+6 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. tongue (body part) — The physical organ of the tongue in the mouth. Occurrences include Mk 7:33, 35 (healing of the man whose tongue was loosed), Lk 1:64 (Zechariah's tongue loosed), Lk 16:24 (rich man begging to cool his tongue), Acts 2:3 (tongues of fire as visible phenomenon), Acts 2:26 (my tongue rejoiced, citing Ps 16), Rom 3:13 (their tongues practice deceit), Rom 14:11 (every tongue shall confess), Phil 2:11 (every tongue confess). Cross-linguistic translations consistently use the physical organ word: arb lisan, deu Zunge, fra langue, heb lashon, hin jibh, kor hyeo, spa lengua. This sense covers the literal body part and its metonymic extensions to speech and confession. 32×
AR["اللِّسانَ","اللِّسانُ","اللِّسانِ","لِسانٌ","لِسانٍ","لِسانَهُ","لِسانِ","لِسَانٍ","لِسَانَ","لِسَانُهُ","لِسَانِ","لِسَانِي"]·ben["জিভ","জিহ্বা","জিহ্বায়","জিহ্বার","ভাষা","ভাষায়।","ভাষার","ভাষার,"]·DE["Zunge"]·EN["a-tongue","tongue"]·FR["langue"]·heb["לְשׁוֹנִ","לְשׁוֹנִי","לְשׁוֹנוֹ","לָשׁוֹן","עַם"]·HI["और","जीभ","जीभ-को","जीभ-पर","जेएभ","भाषा","भाषा,"]·ID["Lidah","bahasa,","bahasa-roh","bahasa-roh.","lidah","lidah,","lidahnya"]·IT["lingua"]·jav["-basa","basa","ilat"]·KO["나-의","방언","방언을","언어-와","언어와","혀","혀-가","혀-로","혀-를","혀가","혀는","혀를"]·PT["língua","língua,","língua."]·RU["язык","языка","языка,","языке","языком,","языку,"]·ES["lengua"]·SW["lugha","lugha,","ulimi"]·TR["benim","dil","dili","diline","dilini","dilinin","dille","o-","ve-"]·urd["زبان","زبان-سے","زبان-میں","زبان-کا","زبان-کو","زبان-کے","زبان،"]
Mark 7:33, Mark 7:35, Luke 1:64, Luke 16:24, Acts 2:3, Acts 2:4, Acts 2:11, Acts 2:26, Rom 3:13, Rom 14:11, 1 Cor 13:1, 1 Cor 13:8 (+20 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
γλῶσσα, Ionic dialect γλάσσα, Refs 3rd c.BC+, Attic dialect γλῶττα, ης, ἡ, tongue, Refs 8th c.BC+ __b γ. λάρυγγος, ={γλωττίς}, larynx, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2 tongue, as the organ of speech, γλώσσης χάριν through love of talking, Refs 8th c.BC+; γλώσσῃ δεινός, θρασύς, Refs 5th c.BC+ by frankness of speech, Refs 6th c.BC+, of fraud opposed to violence, Refs 8th c.BC+; also, by word of mouth, Refs 5th…