Is Today’s Speaking in Tongues the Same as in the Bible?

“Speaking in tongues” is often seen today as a dramatic spiritual experience, but not everyone agrees on what it really means. Some say it’s a private prayer language. Most people believe it’s an essential sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

But what does the Bible actually say?

Let’s walk through Scripture step-by-step and get clarity—so you can tell the difference between true biblical tongues and what’s commonly practiced today.

The Foundation of Speaking in Tongues — Understanding Acts 2

Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus made a promise.

“You will receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me… unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

He also said:

“These signs shall follow them that believe… they shall speak with new tongues.” (Mark 16:17)

The disciples didn’t fully understand how it would happen. But they trusted, they prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they waited—and then it came.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

It was the time of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival celebrated 50 days after Passover. Devout Jews from every part of the Roman world had made the journey to Jerusalem. The city was packed.

Luke tells us,

“There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:5)

Many were Jews who had been scattered during the exile and had grown up in foreign lands—speaking foreign languages. Places like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Libya, Crete, Arabia, and Rome were all represented. Although Jews, they spoke the languages of the places where they had lived and worked all their lives.

The Bible lists more than 15 different regions and languages. And every one of them heard the gospel being preached—in their exact dialect.

“We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (v.11)

The Reason Behind the Miracle

This gift of the Spirit, speaking in tongues was given for a reason.

At the onset of Christianity, the Jewish people had been scattered across many nations, and they spoke all kinds of different languages. This language barrier could have seriously slowed down the spread of the gospel. But God stepped in and did something powerful through the Holy Spirit, He enabled the apostles to speak in those various tongues instantly. What they couldn’t have done on their own in a lifetime, the Spirit made possible in a moment.

In addition to speaking in tongues being an indication of the mighty power and workings of God, this was about evangelism. This was about people hearing the good news of the death, resurrection and second coming of Jesus, the Messiah, in the language that the people were most familiar with.  

Those who heard and accepted the message at Pentecost would become emissaries of the gospel—carrying the good news back to their own communities, in their own local languages. 

Accused of Drunkenness

The priests and rulers—those who had orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion—were deeply unsettled by what was happening. These were ordinary, uneducated Galileans, yet here they were, boldly preaching in the native languages of every major region of the Roman Empire. These same leaders had once bribed the Roman guards to spread the lie that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body (Matthew 28:12–13), even though the stone had been rolled away by angels, and the grave was clearly empty. So now, in the face of another undeniable miracle, rather than accept the truth, they again chose to discredit it.

So, what did the religious leaders do?

They accused them of being drunk.

“Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.” (Acts 2:13)

So, you see that the idea that they were just babbling or speaking gibberish didn’t come from the truth. It came from mockers trying to discredit an act of God. Some of the people present held strongly to this accusation but those who were familiar with the various languages could attest to the fact that the disciples were communicating accurately.

The tongues were not unintelligible words but real languages which the disciples were enabled to speak, not only as a sign but as a tool for the message of Jesus to reach all nations

Peter stood up, filled with the Spirit, and addressed the crowd:

“These are not drunken, as you suppose… But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel…” (Acts 2:15–16)

Peter pointed them to prophecy, explaining this was the fulfillment of God’s promise and his sermon that day, bold, clear, Spirit-led, led to 3,000 people being baptized.

The tongues were not unintelligible words but real languages which the disciples were enabled to speak, not only as a sign but as a tool for the message of Jesus to reach all nations.

The same miraculous experience at Pentecost occurred again when the gospel reached the Gentiles.

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word… For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”
(Acts 10:44–46)

What’s important here is that those present understood what was being said—they recognized that these Gentiles were praising and magnifying God.

This wasn’t emotional noise or confusion. The Spirit was poured out, the gospel was heard and believed, and the gift of tongues followed the same pattern as in Acts 2. The gentiles spoke in real, meaningful, Spirit-filled speech.

Peter and the Jewish believers saw this as clear evidence that the Gentiles were accepted by God. It confirmed that the gospel and the Spirit were for all people, not just the Jews.

Why This Matters

Now that we’ve understood tongues in Pentecost, where the Bible first mentions the speaking in tongue, we can dive into later instructions, like those in 1 Corinthians 14, knowing that we have laid a solid foundation.

And we’re told in Scripture:

“Precept must be upon precept, line upon line…” (Isaiah 28:10) So any later teachings—like those in 1 Corinthians—must be built on this clear example. We can’t study them in isolation. They are not a different kind of tongues. They are the same gift, explained further for church use.

What Did Paul Mean by an “Unknown Tongue”? – 1 Corinthians 14:1–5

Having seen that tongues are real languages, you might be wondering, what is this “unknown tongue”?

“For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue… no man understandeth him… but in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” (v. 2)

“Unknown tongue” means that the language is unknown to the listeners, not supernatural. It’s mysterious only to those unfamiliar with the language.

Consider Daniel 5—“mene mene tekel parsin” was mysterious to Babylonian leaders but a real Aramaic message Daniel interpreted. 

Paul further explains  in verses 6–11 that communication must be clear and edifying:

“Except ye utter… easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?” (v. 9)

And he quotes Isaiah 28:11:

“In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.” (v. 21)

Revelation 14:6 gives us a powerful picture of the gospel message going to the entire world:

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” (Revelation 14:6)

The Greek word used is γλῶσσα (glōssa)—the same word used in:

• Acts 2, when the disciples spoke in real human languages at Pentecost,
  
• 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul gave guidelines on the use of tongues in the church.
  

In every one of these cases, the word glōssa consistently refers to intelligible, spoken human languages. This confirms again that the gift of tongues was about communicating the gospel across language barriers, just as Revelation 14 shows: the everlasting gospel going out to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.”

What Does It Mean to “Pray in the Spirit” or “Sing in the Spirit”? (1 Corinthians 14:14–19)

One common question is: Does “praying in the Spirit” mean speaking in a language I don’t understand?

Let’s look carefully at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:14,

“If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.”

At first glance, this sounds like praying without understanding—but if we keep reading, Paul explains:

“I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (v.15)

This shows us that Paul valued both spiritual expression and mental engagement. He wasn’t suggesting one replaces the other, but rather that they work together. Praying or singing “in the Spirit” doesn’t mean turning off your mind or speaking random sounds. Paul commits to doing both—with spirit and with understanding.

So what did he mean when he said his “understanding is unfruitful”? Context helps:

In verse 16, Paul clarifies the issue:

“Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen… seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?”

The problem isn’t that Paul doesn’t understand what he’s saying—it’s that others in the congregation don’t understand, and therefore can’t be edified or agree. That’s why in verse 19 Paul says:

“Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also…”

The key word is “others.” Paul was concerned with public understanding, not personal confusion.

So here’s what we can confidently conclude:

• Praying or singing in the Spirit is not devoid of understanding.
• The speaker may understand what he’s saying, but if the language isn’t familiar to others, it won’t edify them.

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Order in Speaking in Tongues – 1 Corinthians 14:26–33

Paul sets guidelines for worship:

“If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most three… and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence.” (v. 27–28)

He explicitly says God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. That means tongues in church must be structured, interpreted, and edifying for everyone.

Paul adds:

“I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding… than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”

This tells us:

• He likely spoke countable individual languages.
• But he cared more about clarity and teaching, especially in church.

Do All Speak in Tongues? – 1 Corinthians 12:27–31

Paul makes a point in 1 Corinthians 12:27–31:

“Now ye are the body of Christ… diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? … do all speak with tongues? … But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”

He’s using a rhetorical question: Of course not! Tongues are only one gift among many, given by the Holy Spirit as He wills. So speaking in tongues should never be seen as the proof of spiritual maturity or salvation.

To strengthen that message, Paul continues in chapter 13 by showing that love is far more essential than any gift, including tongues. He begins with a striking example:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
(1 Corinthians 13:1)

This isn’t Paul teaching that believers speak in the language of angels. Rather, he’s using a hypothetical example—a form of hyperbole—to make a deeper point. Just as he says in the following verses:

• “If I have all faith so that I could remove mountains…”
• “If I understand all mysteries…”
• “If I give my body to be burned…”

These aren’t literal claims about himself—they are rhetorical devices, meant to highlight that even the most extraordinary abilities mean nothing without love.

So, Paul is not suggesting that we actually speak angelic languages, nor is he introducing a new kind of tongue. His point is simple: without love, even the most impressive-sounding gift becomes nothing more than empty noise.

Key Differences Between Biblical Tongues and Modern Tongues

🗣️ Comparison of Tongues: Acts 2 vs. 1 Corinthians 14 vs. Modern Tongues

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After the Apostolic Age – Why the Gift Faded

The gift of tongues had a clear purpose in the early church: to spread the gospel across linguistic barriers. At Pentecost and in other instances, it allowed Spirit-filled believers to communicate the message of Jesus to people from various nations, in their own languages.

As the gospel took root across the Roman Empire and beyond, churches were planted in local regions where leaders could preach and teach in their native tongue. Eventually, the need for miraculous language intervention declined.

Paul later wrote:

“…the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven…”
(Colossians 1:23)

This wide gospel reach explains why the gift of tongues is not commonly seen throughout later parts of the New Testament or early church history—it had served its initial evangelistic purpose.

However, this does not mean that God no longer works through this gift. There have been powerful testimonies throughout history—even in recent times—of missionaries or believers in unfamiliar territories suddenly being able to speak or understand a foreign language, enabling them to share the gospel or minister to others.

Where the gift of tongues was once used to instantly bridge communication gaps, God now often equips His people through preparation and the many tools available for global missions—including interpreters, Bible translations, and cross-cultural training.

The Bible gives us a clear standard for testing spiritual experiences. Paul wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). And Isaiah reminds us, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

This means we’re not called to accept every spiritual manifestation just because it’s popular, deeply emotional, or passed down through tradition. God calls us to test everything—including the modern practice of ecstatic speech often called “tongues”—by the truth of His Word..

Worship that is pleasing to God must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). That means even our expressions of worship—no matter how sincere—must align with what God has revealed in His Word. When there is a battle between truth and emotions, truth must lead. That’s the safeguard God has given us.

Conclusion – Tongues with Purpose, Not Confusion

From Acts to Paul’s letters, from the Spirit of Prophecy to church history, the message is consistent: tongues were real languages. They were given for the spread of the gospel, required understanding and interpretation, and were never meant to be a display of spiritual superiority.

The modern confusion around tongues is largely because people ignore the biblical foundation laid in Acts 2 and explained in 1 Corinthians 12–14.

Paul said it best:

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
(1 Corinthians 14:40)

God desires clarity, not chaos. The true gift of tongues is to propagate a message. A message meant to reach every tribe, nation, and tongue with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to go through this study. If it blessed you, please consider sharing it with someone else who might also be encouraged by it.