“What was uttered, were articulate sounds — the vehicle of prayer, praise and thanksgiving. I Cor. 14:14-17…. They were edifying, and therefore intelligible to him who uttered them. I Cor. 14:4,16…. They admitted of being interpreted, which supposes them to be intelligible….. Though intelligible in themselves and to the speaker, they were unintelligible to others…not acquainted with the language used” — unless translated for them. “The folly which Paul rebuked — was speaking in Arabic to men who understood only Greek!”
The gift of interpretation was distinct from that of speaking with tongues…. The word gloossai (‘tongues’) must here mean languages…. Greek was the language of educated persons throughout the Roman empire, but it had not superseded the national languages in common life…. The gift of tongues, however, was not the ability to speak all languages. Probably most of those who received the gift, could speak only in one or two….
