Bible Verses About Language

The whole earth used the same language, the same words.

It came about that as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin‘ar and lived there.

They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them in the fire.” So they had bricks for building-stone and clay for mortar.

Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.”

Adonai came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.

Adonai said, “Look, the people are united, they all have a single language, and see what they’re starting to do! At this rate, nothing they set out to accomplish will be impossible for them!

Come, let’s go down and confuse their language, so that they won’t understand each other’s speech.”

So from there Adonai scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city.

For this reason it is called Bavel [confusion] — because there Adonai confused the language of the whole earth, and from there Adonai scattered them all over the earth.

Totally amazed, they asked, “How is this possible? Aren’t all these people who are speaking from the Galil?

How is it that we hear them speaking in our native languages?

We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Y’hudah, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome;

Jews by birth and proselytes; Jews from Crete and from Arabia. . . ! How is it that we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things God has done?”

Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on all who were hearing the message.

All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out

on the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was,

Love never ends; but prophecies will pass, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass.

For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial;

but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass.

For someone speaking in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, because no one can understand, since he is uttering mysteries in the power of the Spirit.

But someone prophesying is speaking to people, edifying, encouraging and comforting them.

A person speaking in a tongue does edify himself, but a person prophesying edifies the congregation.

I wish you would all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you would all prophesy. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless someone gives an interpretation, so that the congregation can be edified.

Brothers, suppose I come to you now speaking in tongues. How can I be of benefit to you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?