Did Jesus Christ speak in tongues?

March 12th 2018 | 38509 views 

Summary: Yes, Jesus was fluent in different foreign languages. However, he never spoke ecstatically.

Discussion: In the Greek, the word for tongues is glossa, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance word #1100. It is referring to a language. When the early church received the holy spirit, God wanted believers to spread the gospel. So, some believers received a gift of speaking in foreign languages. Thus, people could fluently talk with strangers in that foreigner’s native language. For example: “Speaking in other tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers…” 1 Corinthians 14:22 (CSB). “Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues,” Acts 2:11 (CSB).

Jesus had a perfect, brilliant mind. He could naturally pick up the different languages spoken in his geographical area. He read from the Old Testament written in Hebrew. Luke 4:16-20 (CSB), “he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: The spirit of the Lord is on me…He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.”

His native language was Aramaic. Matthew 27:46 (NET), “At about three o'clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Jesus normally would have spoken in Aramaic.

The common language across cultures of the Roman empire was Greek. Educated people spoke and wrote in Greek. Thus, the New Testament was written in Greek in order to communicate with as many people as possible. We assume Jesus spoke and understood Greek as well. 

Finally, Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus to live in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-19). There the people spoke Coptic. We don’t know how long the family lived in Egypt, but it’s reasonable to think that the child Jesus probably learned some Coptic.

However, today some consider tongues to be ecstatic utterances of angels. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a recorded event of anyone speaking with ecstatic utterances. The record of Jesus’ words always indicated that Jesus was teaching and speaking to his followers in understandable words. No one ever had to translate Jesus’ words.

Additional Resources:
For a more detailed study of tongues, please download the free PDF: "Speaking in Tongues"

Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1047: “Why Did the Tongues of Fire Touch the Apostles?”
How God’s spirit and speaking in tongues really worked in the Bible
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

Episode #1188: “Do We Have the Purpose of the Holy Spirit Backwards?”
Distinguishing God's power from our own desires in our daily life
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated CQ Kids videos: 
“What happened at Pentecost?”
“What is the holy spirit?”
“What does the holy spirit do?”

Related Questions