Tongues of Angels

Paul uses some of the most picturesque and beautiful language that can be imagined in 1 Corinthians 13. "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels...." King James says "Though I speak...." Tongues of men and angels. Doesn't that soar and raise your spirits with it? It just rolls off the tongue and thrills us. Speaking of tongues, does that, as some have asserted, define a "heavenly or angelic" language that is above the plane of plain talk? Ask an expert.

"Moody Bible Commentary," on this verse explains that whenever angels talk in Scripture it is in a language that the hearer can understand. What need would there be for "another language?" Angels can probably communicate with each other telepathically, if such a thing exists in the angelic realm.

Would it seem that Paul was speaking metaphorically, poetically to convey his message? Let's look at it all.
      If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (And profits the poor nothing as well.)

His word pictures are extreme, aren't they? "Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Those do not convey much of a message, do they? They certainly are "attention getters," but do not go beyond that in the communication department. It appears that there is an element of exaggeration in the second half of each couplet.

Does exaggeration persist throughout the thought? "The gift of prophesy" is certainly a valid gift. But look at the extension: "Know all mysteries and all knowledge...." Whoa! That goes a little beyond what anyone has received. A human brain is literally not capable of possessing all knowledge. Go on. "All faith," for some may be an achievable level, but "remove mountains" may be a little bit of a stretch for most of us.

Notice the pattern. It is "normal or natural," followed by extraordinary. "Tongues of angels, all mysteries and all knowledge, remove mountains." It seems to follow in the final couplet: "give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned...." Feeding the poor is certainly a normal activity, but although being burned is possible, but it certainly is an extreme level of commitment. And it will not help feed anyone. (Don't go there!) All of the normal expressions are useful, helpful. The extensions are extreme, perhaps a little self praising. They are certainly not effective or profitable: "clanging cymbal, nothing, profits nothing."

Context is helpful here. If we do the normal and even if we go extremely above and beyond, yet do not have love, it is all wasted and futile. Paul's point is not that we speak with angels' tongues, know all mysteries and knowledge, move mountains, or sacrifice our lives, but that we love. Instead of going way out of reality, just do this simple, though difficult, we know, task. "Love your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:18)

Finally, is there a crack in the door to let in "angels' tongues?" Think back to the other comparisons. Knowing everything, moving mountains, offering a literal, and personal burnt sacrifice, do not seem to be the intent of the language, if indeed they are possible. They are defined in the end as "not profitable."

All of the final components of the couplets seem to be hyperbole merely for the sake of effect and not as an instruction. Speaking with tongues of men is a pretty difficult challenge for me. Incidentally, the "tongues" gift was for the evangelism of the foreign speakers. The angels do not need to be evangelized. And if we need to communicate with them, as did several guys in the Scripture, a human language seemed to work satisfactorily. There is not a shortage of people with whom to share the message, in our own language, or theirs. There is no need for an added burden or barrier.

Speak with the tongues of men, prophesy, have faith, feed the poor. That should keep us busy until the Lord comes