When Paul outlines nine of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, last on his list is “the interpretation of tongues.” Later in that chapter, he again refers to the interpretation in his denial that any gift is given. to all Christians (v. 30b). In his instruction on how believers will come to any particular corporate assembly, he says that while one may come with a hymn, another with a word of instruction, another with a revelation from God, another with a tongue, one can also come with “An interpretation” (1 Corinthians 14:26).
Here are ten things to keep in mind regarding this spiritual gift.
1. Someone must interpret what is spoken in the tongues at the meetings
Paul imagines that in any gathering of God’s people, more than “two or at most three” may speak in tongues, “each in turn,” that is, not simultaneously but one after the other. Once they are done, he insists that “someone interpret” (1 Corinthians 14:27b). Although the apostle does not say so explicitly, it may be that he only imagines one person to provide the interpretation of the three expressions in tongues. It is entirely possible, on the other hand, that each language broadcast will have its own individual interpreter. If no one is present at a particular corporate assembly, no one should speak in tongues.
2. Anyone wishing to speak in tongues in public should pray for interpretation
In 1 Corinthians 14:13 Paul exhorts the person who wishes to speak in tongues in public to “pray that he may interpret” ( 1 Corinthians 14:13).) There is no indication in what Paul says that this person has interpreted any sometimes an utterance in tongues. He or she may have, but it is just as likely that this is his or her first experience with this spiritual gift. Paul does not tell us when the prayer is to be pronounced, but it seems likely that this occurs before the utterance in tongues is pronounced. After all, if there is no interpretation, there never should have been a word in tongues in the first place. It seems reasonable, then, that the person who feels led to speak in tongues should first pray for God to grant the interpretation. If God does not answer such a prayer by giving the interpretation, the person must refrain from speaking in tongues altogether.
3. The interpretation of tongues is not necessarily the ability to interpret all of divine revelation
We must never confuse this spiritual gift with a person’s ability to interpret divine revelation on a grand scale. The person with this gift will not necessarily be extraordinarily capable or skilled in the interpretation of biblical texts. There are principles of interpretation in science that we call hermeneutics that can be easily learned by anyone who has the time and commitment to study them. But educating yourself on the rules that govern how to make sense of, say, John 3:16, is not what Paul had in mind when he spoke of the gift of interpretation. This gift is the Spirit-empowered ability to interpret what is spoken in tongues. There is no indication in Scripture that someone with this charisma can interpret dreams, visions, or other revealing phenomena.
4. The interpretation of tongues is not the ability learned to translate the foreign language
This gift must be distinguished from the learned ability to translate a foreign language. I can translate Greek and a little Hebrew and Latin into English, but that is not what Paul has in mind. We all know scenes at the United Nations or an international political conference where translators are employed to interpret speeches by representatives of various countries. This is an impressive ability, but it is a natural, learned, and human ability. They gained this skill through extensive education and practice. The gift that Paul describes, on the other hand, is supernatural, ignorant, and no less a “manifestation” ( 1 Corinthians 12:7 ) of the Holy Spirit than the gift of miracles or prophecy.
5. The interpretation of tongues is a spirit-empowered ability to understand and communicate
I would define the gift of interpretation as the Spirit-empowered ability to understand and communicate an unintelligible public expression of tongues for the spiritual benefit of the congregation as a whole . I hesitate to use the word “translate” to describe this gift, given the fact that this term can lead people to conclude that there will always be a one-to-one or word-for-word translation of the enunciation of tongues in the vernacular of the people. But there is a spectrum from literal translation at one extreme to general summation at the other extreme, whenever the gift of interpretation is exercised. Interpreting an utterance in tongues can take any of several forms.
6. Interpret tongues can be word by word or sum
Someone with this gift can provide a literal, word-for-word representation that corresponds in every conceivable way to the content of the language. It would be the same in length and emphasis. If the tongue was delivered in what appears to be five sentences lasting 45 seconds, so would the interpretation.
There may also be a somewhat looser, more fluid representation that captures the essence of the broadcast. Those who engage in translating the original text of Scripture into another language, such as English, often refer to this as “dynamic equivalence.” The entirety of what is spoken in tongues is conveyed in the words of the interpreter, but it may not be in word-for-word form.
7. Interpretation of tongues can be comment and explanation of the statement
At other times, something of a commentary is provided in which the interpreter explains (perhaps even exegetes) the pronunciation of the languages. After all, what is said in tongues can be enigmatic or parabolic or symbolic and therefore needs an explanation. This is somewhat similar to what happens in an art museum when a scholar or historian “interprets” a painting. He or she can provide feedback on the artist’s mood and background, and even his or her perceived intent in making the painting or sculpture.
8. The interpretation may be a paraphrase of the meaning of the statement
So of course the interpretation may be closer to what we call a paraphrase of what the expression in tongues means. If I appeal again to the discipline of Bible translation, here I have in mind what the Living Bible offers us against the New American Standard translation. The latter is an essentially wooden and quite literal translation of every word, as much as possible, while the former is the translator’s effort to bring the original text into the world of the reader in such a way that the latter can make more sense than it otherwise would. what the text says
I suppose someone can interpret a utterance in tongues by giving us a sum of the gist of what was said. No attempt is made to provide a word in the interpretation that corresponds to a precise word in the language. Rather, the interpreter takes the utterance in a language and boils it down to a much shorter, more abridged statement.
9. More than one person can interpret a statement
There is nothing in what Paul says about the gift of interpretation to exclude the possibility that the Holy Spirit could enable someone to interpret an expression in tongues anywhere along this spectrum. For example, the person with the gift of tongues can speak for five minutes while the interpreter speaks for only three. There is nothing to prevent a single utterance in tongues from being interpreted by two people whose “translations” differ in terms of length and focus. One person may provide a somewhat lengthy, seemingly word-for-word interpretation, while another summarizes its basic content or provides a more practical application of what is spoken in tongues. In either case, the movement is always from the darkness and unintelligibility of tongues to the clarity and intelligibility of interpretation, 1 Cor. 14:16). In this way, the whole body is built up.
10. The content of the interpretation depends on the content of the formulation of the languages
It would seem reasonable to conclude that the content of the interpretation would depend entirely on the content of the enunciation of the tongues. Therefore, we must first ask another question: what is said when one speaks in tongues? The apostle Paul describes tongues as prayer ( 1 Corinthians 14:2 ), praise ( 1 Corinthians 14:16 ) and thanksgiving ( 1 Corinthians 14:16 ).
If the interpretation is to correspond to the statement, the former will emerge in the form of prayers, praises, and expressions of gratitude to God. The interpretation will be an expression of God, no less than the pronunciation of the languages on which it is based.
The standard view among most charismatic believers is that when an expression is interpreted in tongues it becomes the equivalent of prophecy. As such, it is horizontal in its orientation, that is, it is directed at other individuals in the church. But if tongues are always prayer, praise, or thanksgiving, wouldn’t their interpretation be the same? Mark Stibbe writes:
“If an interpretation is offered that is not in the form of prayerful worship, we must be careful in regarding it as a genuine interpretation. If it is offered in the form of praise language, then it has a much better chance of being the true “interpretation” ( Know Your Spiritual Gifts, 179).