Once, during a Bible study, I asked the teacher point-blank: “Does the Bible specifically mention xenolalia (speaking in real foreign languages) and glossolalia (unknown ‘ecstatic’ utterances)?” He confidently said “Yes.”
But when I went back and actually read the passages, I discovered something surprising: the Bible never makes that distinction. The terms xenolalia and glossolalia are scholarly categories we’ve added later to describe what we think is happening. Scripture itself simply calls it “tongues” (glōssa in Greek) — “languages” — without subdividing it.
I’m not here to be bullish or dismissive of anyone’s experience. It may be that some tongues sound like “baby talk” — like a child learning to speak — and God still uses that. Scripture doesn’t address that directly either way. But what follows below is what the Bible actually says.
1. Acts 2 — Tongues as Real Languages
At Pentecost, “each one was hearing them speak in his own language” (Acts 2:6). Luke makes it explicit: the tongues spoken by the disciples were recognizable human languages, a sign of God’s kingdom breaking into the world and reversing Babel.
This wasn’t private babble; it was a public, miraculous sign.
Early church spoke tongues as languages.
2. 1 Corinthians 12–14 — How Tongues Should Function
When Paul writes to the Corinthians he still uses the same word glōssa (languages). The problem at Corinth was how tongues were being used, not what they were:
- Speech to God (14:2). Listeners may not understand, but that doesn’t make it unreal language — only unknown to them.
- Interpretation required for public use (14:27-28). Without it, no one is edified.
- Not everyone speaks in tongues (12:30). It’s one gift among many.
- Order matters (14:33, 40). Gifts should build up the church, not create chaos.
Paul never redefines tongues as something different from Acts; he simply regulates their use for the sake of clarity and edification.
3. Romans 8:26 — “Groans Too Deep for Words”
Sometimes people link Paul’s phrase about the Spirit’s groanings to tongues. But notice the wording:
“The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
The Greek phrase means inexpressible, wordless groans. Paul says the Spirit groans, not us. This is about the Spirit’s mysterious intercession in our weakness, not a charismatic speech phenomenon. Romans 8 is cosmic — creation groans, believers groan, the Spirit groans — longing for final redemption. It’s not Paul secretly teaching on tongues.
The groans in Romans 8 is not about tongues.
4. Where We Often Get It Wrong
Charismatic culture can slip off track when we:
- Treat tongues as “gibberish” automatically (it might be, but Scripture doesn’t say so).
- Use tongues publicly without interpretation, creating confusion (Paul forbids this).
- Make tongues a badge of spirituality or Spirit-baptism (Paul says not all speak in tongues).
- Forget that edification, not display, is the goal.
The Bible’s emphasis is on clarity, order, and building up the church.
5. So What Are Tongues, Biblically?
Putting it all together:
- Tongues are languages empowered by the Spirit — whether foreign to the speaker (Acts 2) or unknown to the congregation (1 Cor 14).
- Scripture does not distinguish xenolalia vs. glossolalia. That’s a later framework, not a biblical one.
- Tongues without interpretation don’t help the body. Paul says be silent in that case.
- Romans 8 groanings are something else entirely — the Spirit’s own wordless intercession.
Could tongues sometimes sound like babbling or baby talk? Perhaps. Scripture doesn’t confirm or deny that possibility. But what we can say with certainty is that the Bible consistently treats tongues as languages and commands that they be used in an orderly, edifying way.
✅ Final Thought
The Spirit’s gifts are real and powerful. But the Bible’s framework is clear:
- Tongues are languages given by God.
- Their use must be ordered, interpreted, and focused on building up the church.
- They are not a litmus test for maturity or Spirit-baptism.
- And the Spirit’s groanings in Romans 8 are a separate, deeper work.
As Paul sums it up:
“Let all things be done for building up” (1 Cor 14:26).
That’s the heartbeat of biblical tongues and the Spirit’s work.
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