The End of the Tongues Mystery

The working theory is that “tongues” involves a group effort to enclose secrets within the common man’s language (both Hebrew and Greek). This means if you didn’t know one (like Jesus) was “speaking in a tongue” you would mistake his sayings for something that seemed to apply to normal colloquialism, culture, or social constructs. When colloquialism, culture, or social constructs become the prevailing basis for the translation/interpretation process the tongue itself will inevitably be erased and no one will be able to even attempt to interpret it. Such a basis is a very sandy one anyway because who of us can really know what constituted cultural constructs and colloquialisms or not unless we were there?

I thank God, I speak more tongues than you all;

1 Cor. 14:18 YLT Literal

The literal rendering of the verse is I thank God, than all of you more tongues I speak. It wasn’t that Paul spoke in tongues more than everyone but that he spoke more tongues than everyone. The word “in” is not found in the Greek and is added by all the translations except Young’s Literal. The same applies to the other verses

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

1 Cor. 14:5 YLT Literal

Paul spoke more tongues than anyone because he knew the Scriptures better than anyone.

The writers of the Bible have apparently combined many symbolic themes (tongues) into categorical ways of speaking about the same truths. Consider that speaking a parable is “speaking a tongue”.

Here are some lists of such “tongues” with some of the more obvious words. They are roughly categorized, not to be taken as precise. Some tongues appear to be more like sub-languages easily confused such as the Face and the Body. Most people who have spent time in the Church will recognize the symbolic nature of many of these words. But how to interpret?

the Plant tongue	the Animal tongue	the Building tongue	the Family tongue	the Body tongue
seed grass herbs shrubs trees leaves fruit tares chaff grain	seed fish of the Sea crawling creatures wild animals domesticated animals sheep goats cattle birds man and woman (the only creatures who walk upright) etc.	ivory precious stones gold silver brass/bronze ivory wood hay stubble etc.	seed son daughter sister brother son-in-law daughter-in-law mother-in-law Father Mother uncle aunt Baal Beulat Bethulah Bachurim orphan widow etc.	head neck shoulders arms hands (and fingers, and even nails) belly loins thighs feet The Face/Head (sub-tongue) eyes ears cheeks nostril mouth lips teeth tongue beard hair etc.

the Weather tongue	the Musical Instruments tongue	the Water tongue	the Ground tongue	the Numerical tongue
lightning thunder hail rain snow clouds whirlwind drought fall winter summer spring etc.	trumpet harp lyre lute pipe cymbals tambourine bells etc.	spring fountain cistern well mist stream river pool sea rain tears saliva deep etc.	good soil rocky ground wayside thorny ground sand rock mire etc.	one two three four 666 seven twelve twenty-four seventy-seven one thousand ten thousand etc.

There are many of these tongues. And obviously it requires work to figure them out. We don’t just start babbling like a maniac. Sit down and do your homework. Don’t be lazy, be importunate. The more we learn, the more ability we have to decipher the mysteries which often appear to make use of a combination of tongues:

We hanged our harps Upon the willows…

Psalm 137:2

The pictures painted by the authors of the “poetic” scriptures are especially “nonsensical”. Who the hell hangs a harp in a tree? What? The Hebrews were clearly obsessed with speaking/writing enigmatically.

Try to count how many “tongues” are packed into just this one vision:

As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands.

Ezekiel 1:4-8

Yikes!