Daily Bread – September 7, 2022 (The Fourth Day – Genesis 1:14-19) 1 Corinthians 14:13 – Therefore, he who speaks in a tongue should pray to put it into words. To Put Into Words The interpretation of tongues is different than we might think at first glance. The Greek word used for this gift is ‘diermeneuo.’ The usage of this word by Josephus and Philo conveys a meaning different from just providing a translation by interpreting one language into another. The word ‘diermeneuo’ may be understood as “to put into words”, or “bring to articulate expressions” (The Anchor Bible Dictionary- Gift of Tongues). The interpretation of tongues is first observed in Acts 2:7-8, where the miracle of tongues sounds like the native language of a diverse group of people. Many of those who were gathered around were able to hear what the disciples were saying in their own language. The text suggests to us by the use of the word ‘hear’ instead of ‘speaking’ that, although the disciples were speaking in the tongues of the Spirit, many of the people who were present heard what the disciples were saying in their own language. Thus, the miracle of interpretation rested in the hearing, and not in the speaking. “Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all of these speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each in our own native language?'” (Acts 2:7). In this event, there were those in the crowd who did not even hear the disciples speaking in “tongues”, but in their native language – even though the disciples were in fact speaking in tongues. At the same time, there were others standing in the crowd that only heard the utterance of stammering lips and other tongues. They mocked saying, “They are filled with new wine” (Acts 2:13). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 9/7/2022
