TONGUE (rit:), ; Sept. -)Aitivra, 01117) ; Vulg.
lingua, os) is used-1. literally, for the human tongue : Every one that lappeth the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth' (Judg. vii. 5 ; Job xxvii. 4 ; Ps. xxxv. 28 ; xxxix. 3 ; 14 ; lxvi. 17 ; Prov. xv. 2 ; Zech. xiv. 12 ; Mark vii. 33, 35 ; Luke i. 64 ; xvi. 24 ; Rom. iii. 13 ; Cor. xiv. 9 ; James i. 26 ; 5, 6, 8 ; Pet. iii. ; Rev. xvi.
; Ecclus. xvii. 6 ; Wisd. x. 2 I ; 2 Maccab. vii. 4 ; for the tongue of the dog, Ps. lxviii. 23 ; of the viper, Job xx. 16 ; of idols, Baruch vi. 8 ; the tongues of the seven brethren cut out, 2 Maccab. vii. 4, ; comp. Prov. x. 20). Various explanations have been offered, why Gideon's three hundred followers should have been selected because they lapped water out of their hands, standing or per haps moving onward, while they who stayed and bowed down to drink' were rejected. Josephus says, that the former thereby showed their timor ousness and fear of being overtaken by the enemy, and that these poor-spirited men were chosen on purpose to illustrate the power of God in the vic tory (Antiq. v. 6. 3). On Mark vii. 33, 35, Dr. A. Clarke offers thc interpretation, that it was the deaf and stammering man himself who put his own fingers into his ears to intimate his deafness ; spat or emptied his mouth, that the Saviour might look at his tongue ; touched his own tongue to intimate that he could not speak ; looked up to heaven as imploring divine aid ; and groaned to denote his distress under his affliction ; and that our Saviour simply said Be opened' (Commentary). This explanation certainly clears the passage of some obscurities. James iii. 8, Dr. Macknight translates, 'But the tongue of men no one can sub due'—that is, the tongue of other men, for the apostle is exhorting the Christian to subdue his own (comp. ver. 13). He observes that CEcumenius read the passage interrogatively, as much as to say, Wild beasts, birds, serpents, marine animals, have been tamed by man, and can no man tame the ton,gue ? 2. It iS personified. Unto me every tongue shall swear'— that is, every man (Is. xlv. 23 ; comp. Rom. xiv. ; Phil. ii. ; Is. liv. 17)
The tongue is said to rejoice (Acts ii. 26) ; to me ditate (Ps. lii. 2) ; to hate (Prov. xxvi. 28) ; to be bridled (James i. 26); to be tamed (James iii. 8 ; comp. Ecclus. xxviii. 18, etc.) It is apostrophised (Ps. cxx. 3). 3. It is used by metonymy for speech generally. Let us not love in tongue only' (1 John iii. 18 ; comp. -y?tc's,rrarl cpaos, Theogn. 13 ; Job vi. 3o ; xv. 5 ; Prov. vi. 24) ; a soft tongue'—i.e. soothing language (xxv. 15). Accuse not a servant to his master,' literally hurt not with thy tongue' (Prov. xxx. to) ; the law of kindness is in her tongue '—i.e. speech (xxxi. 26 ; Is. iii. 8 ; 1. 4 ; Wisd. 6). 4. For a particular lan guage or dialect, spoken by any particular people. Every one after his tongue' (Gen. x. 5, 20, 31 , Deut. xxviii. 49 ; Esth. i. 22 ; Dan. i. 4 ; John V.
2 ; Acts i. ; 4, 8, ; xxvi. 14 ; Con xii.
; xiii. ; xiv. 2 ; Rev. xvi. 16). 5. For the peofie speaking a language (Is. lxvi. 18 ; Dan. iii. 4, 7, etc. ; Rev. v. 9 ; vii. 9 ; x. ; xi. 9 ; xiv. 6 ; xvii. 15). 6. It is used figuratively for anything resembling a tongue in shape. Thus, a wedge of gold,' literally a tongue' (Josh. vii. 21, 24; Vtt2kract pia xpuafj; Vulg. regula aurea). The French still .say un lingot d'or, 'a little tongue of gold,' whence, by corruption, our word ingot." The bay that looketh southward,' literally tongue' (xv. 2 ; XViil. 19) ; a tongue of fire' (Is. v. 24 ; comp. Acts ii.
3 ; Is. xi. t5). 7. Some of the Hebrew idioms, phrases, etc., formed of this word are highly ex pressive. Thus, an evil speaker' (Ps. cxl. ; t.!,14, literally a man of tongue ;' comp. Ecclus. viii. 3, and see Eccles. x. Hebrew or margin) ; a froward,' or rather false tongue' (Prov. x. ; rrotrin a tongue of revolt/.
ings') ; a wholesome tongue ' (Prov. xv. 4 ; Nrm pt:h, the healing of the tongue,' recon ciliation, etc. ; Sept. taco. 7Xclura-ris, lingua placa bilis) ; a backbiting tongue' (Prov. xxv. 23 ; secret ;" slow of speech' (Exod. iv. to ; ISD pt.,19, literally heavy of tongue,' unfit to be an orator ; 13paot%-yNc000-or ; contrast Ecclus. iv. 29) ; the tongue of the stammerer' (Is. xxxii.