What Is the Prophesied "Pure Language"? (Part One)
Acts 2 records the giving of the Holy Spirit on that notable Feast of Pentecost. In Peter's sermon that day, he explains the miraculous events by quoting Joel 2:28-32, a prophecy about the Day of the Lord. Peter, though, made use of it on Pentecost because a portion of the prophecy was beginning to be fulfilled before their eyes.
Another prophecy fits this pattern, one that started to be fulfilled with Pentecost, yet is awaiting its complete fulfillment when the Feast of Trumpets is fulfilled with the return of Jesus Christ. It is found in Zephaniah 3:8:
As with the prophecy in Joel 2, most of Zephaniah 3 is still future. However, one aspect of it began to be fulfilled in the first century: "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord" (Zephaniah 3:9). Acts 2:21 is a quotation of Joel 2:38, which foretells that "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Zephaniah 3:9, though, shows that there is another prerequisite to calling on the name of the Lord: There must be a pure language.
In Zephaniah 3:9, the New Kings James Version uses the word "restore," which can be misleading because it implies that all the peoples—all the nations—had a pure language at some point in the past. The Hebrew, though, shows that is not the case. More correctly, the King James Version reads, "I will turn to the people a pure language," while the English Standard Version renders it, "I will change the speech of the people." This verse is speaking about a coming change rather than a return to something that previously existed.
The word translated as "language" also requires a little analysis. The basic meaning of the Hebrew word is "the termination of something," and it is variously translated as "brim," "brink," "edge," and "shore," which all describe terminations. This word is also translated as "lip," another type of edge or termination point. Building on the idea results in a natural progression to words, speech, and thus to language.
We need to take this one step farther. In Hebrew thought, the lips are not merely the "edge" of the mouth, but the termination point of the heart. While the lips are used in making sounds, the real engine of speech is the heart. Consider Proverbs 10:32: "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse." Obviously, the lips and mouth have no intelligence on their own, so what is actually in view is the heart, which approves of either acceptable or perverse things. We see this more clearly in Proverbs 16:23: "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips" (emphasis ours). This is also true of the wicked, as Proverbs 24:2 says that the hearts of the wicked devise violence, and their lips stir up trouble. The lips are the instrument, but the instigator is the heart. Jesus puts this principle so simply, saying, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).
Yet another facet of this prophecy of a pure language is that language continues to develop as people try to describe their reality, which is constantly changing. Because of this, language never stops transforming for good or ill. Some words fall out of use as what they describe is no longer relevant, and new words are created as circumstances change. Existing words are repurposed, taking on different implications.
As obvious examples, consider how the words "gay" and "queer" have taken on radically different meanings in the last few sexually-focused decades. Likewise, somebody decided we needed a word to describe people attempting to change their sex, and so the word "transgender" was cobbled together. The language changed as the culture changed—and as the culture degrades, so does the language.
Currently, we are witnessing an insidious alteration of the meaning of the word "marriage." Although faithful Christians reject the new meaning, which allows for "marriages" other than that of one man and one woman, if time goes on, a new generation will arise within a more profane reality, and the language will adapt because of common usage. Even now we must often modify the term with words like "biblical" and "traditional."
Language, then, is not simply a vast collection of words, but it is also a reflection of the underlying culture. Therefore, when the people have a pure language, it means that the dominant culture will also have experienced a massive renovation. The pure language will reflect a far better reality because it will include God.
Part Two will explore an example of God giving pure speech to one of His prophets, expanding the connection between the state of a person's heart and the language he uses.
What Is the Prophesied "Pure Language"? (Part Two)
As we saw in Part One, language is not only a collection of words, but also a reflection of the culture it describes. When a people begin speaking a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9), we know that the dominant culture must have experienced a cataclysmic change from the sinfulness of human society. The pure language reflects a culture that includes God and His way of life.
The prophet Isaiah is an example of this principle. Isaiah has a vision of the Lord, sitting on His throne in the Temple (Isaiah 6:1-4). As the majesty of God overwhelms the prophet, he cries out, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5; emphasis ours throughout).
The Hebrew word twice translated "lips" here is the same word rendered as "language" in Zephaniah 3:9. Isaiah's response does not necessarily mean that the prophet was in the habit of swearing like a sailor. Undoubtedly, the common tongue of Judah at the time was not pristine, but God's major charge against His people condemned, not the words they were speaking, but their unfaithfulness to Him, particularly regarding their acceptance of paganism. A culture that is far from God will certainly have a debased language, but the real problem was that the Jews of that time were going astray in their hearts, not merely using foul language.
When Isaiah caught a glimpse of the Almighty, he was crushed by the great contrast between the purity of his King compared to his own defilement. Before God could use him, the prophet had to undergo purification: "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged'" (Isaiah 6:6-7).
We understand that sin begins in the heart, even though it often escapes through the mouth. When Isaiah's iniquity was forgiven and his sin purged, what was really being affected was his heart. His mouth was simply the extension of his heart that was visible, being on the outside of his body. After his purification, it is implied that he had pure lips—pure language—just like in Zephaniah. As a typical Jew, he was still speaking the same basic collection of Hebrew words, but they were now true words arranged honestly. In addition to the absence of obscenity, lying, and evil-speaking, they were now reflecting a different spiritual reality.
Recall that in Zephaniah 3:8-9, the prophet describes fires of destruction, followed by a pure language and calling on God. Isaiah experienced a similar purification by fire, then spoke a multitude of Messianic prophecies. Fast-forwarding to Pentecost, AD 31, when the Holy Spirit was given, the apostles appeared with tongues of fire on their heads. In type, a purification allowed the apostles to be witnesses for Jesus Christ and to preach the gospel.
It is worth noting that God does not favor one language of man over another. Every language of man is unclean in the sense that all of them have been developed by unclean people to describe a defiled reality. None can compare with the inexpressible language Paul heard in his vision of the Third Heaven (II Corinthians 12:2-4).
In addition, our God is not like the god of the Muslims, which requires that they all learn the same language—Arabic—to call on him. God chose to have His Word recorded in three different languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—each of which uses different words for Deity. God can express His will regardless of the language, and a believer is not required to learn a certain parlance to call on Him.
Hebrew is misappropriated in this way more than Greek or Aramaic, even though it is impossible to know the original pronunciation of God's Hebrew names because only consonants have been preserved. God did not leave us an audio recording of what He wanted to be called. Instead, He left us a written record of His transcendent character and nature. Our faith must be in who and what He is, not in a collection of sounds whose original pronunciation we are guessing at anyway. The Jews of Isaiah's day certainly had a much better idea how to pronounce God's names than we do, but that knowledge did them no good because their hearts were set on the wrong things—their "lips," like Isaiah's, were unclean.
Earlier, when the freed Israelites had the opportunity to worship the God who brought them out of Egypt, they bowed down in front of a calf made of gold, and Aaron said, "This is your god [Elohim], O Israel . . ." (Exodus 32:4)! The Israelites readily accepted Elohim being used in this way due to their deplorable understanding of God. The words they spoke in the Hebrew of their day did not reflect spiritual reality because their culture was corrupted. Their hearts were not one with God. Using a Hebrew name for God did not grant them favor in God's eyes, nor will so-called "sacred names" put us in a better standing with Elohim.
In Part Three, we will look at how the New Testament handles God's names, as well as some final thoughts on how we can call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart.
What Is the Prophesied "Pure Language"? (Part Three)
Another prophecy fits this pattern, one that started to be fulfilled with Pentecost, yet is awaiting its complete fulfillment when the Feast of Trumpets is fulfilled with the return of Jesus Christ. It is found in Zephaniah 3:8:
"Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.Revelation 14, 16, and 19 also speak of the gathering of the nations—in opposition to God—but they are also gathered so that God can judge them all at once. Zephaniah 3:8 also speaks of a devouring fire, an image echoed in II Peter 3:7-12. The context of all this is the Day of the Lord.
As with the prophecy in Joel 2, most of Zephaniah 3 is still future. However, one aspect of it began to be fulfilled in the first century: "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord" (Zephaniah 3:9). Acts 2:21 is a quotation of Joel 2:38, which foretells that "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Zephaniah 3:9, though, shows that there is another prerequisite to calling on the name of the Lord: There must be a pure language.
In Zephaniah 3:9, the New Kings James Version uses the word "restore," which can be misleading because it implies that all the peoples—all the nations—had a pure language at some point in the past. The Hebrew, though, shows that is not the case. More correctly, the King James Version reads, "I will turn to the people a pure language," while the English Standard Version renders it, "I will change the speech of the people." This verse is speaking about a coming change rather than a return to something that previously existed.
The word translated as "language" also requires a little analysis. The basic meaning of the Hebrew word is "the termination of something," and it is variously translated as "brim," "brink," "edge," and "shore," which all describe terminations. This word is also translated as "lip," another type of edge or termination point. Building on the idea results in a natural progression to words, speech, and thus to language.
We need to take this one step farther. In Hebrew thought, the lips are not merely the "edge" of the mouth, but the termination point of the heart. While the lips are used in making sounds, the real engine of speech is the heart. Consider Proverbs 10:32: "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse." Obviously, the lips and mouth have no intelligence on their own, so what is actually in view is the heart, which approves of either acceptable or perverse things. We see this more clearly in Proverbs 16:23: "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips" (emphasis ours). This is also true of the wicked, as Proverbs 24:2 says that the hearts of the wicked devise violence, and their lips stir up trouble. The lips are the instrument, but the instigator is the heart. Jesus puts this principle so simply, saying, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).
Yet another facet of this prophecy of a pure language is that language continues to develop as people try to describe their reality, which is constantly changing. Because of this, language never stops transforming for good or ill. Some words fall out of use as what they describe is no longer relevant, and new words are created as circumstances change. Existing words are repurposed, taking on different implications.
As obvious examples, consider how the words "gay" and "queer" have taken on radically different meanings in the last few sexually-focused decades. Likewise, somebody decided we needed a word to describe people attempting to change their sex, and so the word "transgender" was cobbled together. The language changed as the culture changed—and as the culture degrades, so does the language.
Currently, we are witnessing an insidious alteration of the meaning of the word "marriage." Although faithful Christians reject the new meaning, which allows for "marriages" other than that of one man and one woman, if time goes on, a new generation will arise within a more profane reality, and the language will adapt because of common usage. Even now we must often modify the term with words like "biblical" and "traditional."
Language, then, is not simply a vast collection of words, but it is also a reflection of the underlying culture. Therefore, when the people have a pure language, it means that the dominant culture will also have experienced a massive renovation. The pure language will reflect a far better reality because it will include God.
Part Two will explore an example of God giving pure speech to one of His prophets, expanding the connection between the state of a person's heart and the language he uses.
What Is the Prophesied "Pure Language"? (Part Two)
As we saw in Part One, language is not only a collection of words, but also a reflection of the culture it describes. When a people begin speaking a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9), we know that the dominant culture must have experienced a cataclysmic change from the sinfulness of human society. The pure language reflects a culture that includes God and His way of life.
The prophet Isaiah is an example of this principle. Isaiah has a vision of the Lord, sitting on His throne in the Temple (Isaiah 6:1-4). As the majesty of God overwhelms the prophet, he cries out, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5; emphasis ours throughout).
The Hebrew word twice translated "lips" here is the same word rendered as "language" in Zephaniah 3:9. Isaiah's response does not necessarily mean that the prophet was in the habit of swearing like a sailor. Undoubtedly, the common tongue of Judah at the time was not pristine, but God's major charge against His people condemned, not the words they were speaking, but their unfaithfulness to Him, particularly regarding their acceptance of paganism. A culture that is far from God will certainly have a debased language, but the real problem was that the Jews of that time were going astray in their hearts, not merely using foul language.
When Isaiah caught a glimpse of the Almighty, he was crushed by the great contrast between the purity of his King compared to his own defilement. Before God could use him, the prophet had to undergo purification: "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged'" (Isaiah 6:6-7).
We understand that sin begins in the heart, even though it often escapes through the mouth. When Isaiah's iniquity was forgiven and his sin purged, what was really being affected was his heart. His mouth was simply the extension of his heart that was visible, being on the outside of his body. After his purification, it is implied that he had pure lips—pure language—just like in Zephaniah. As a typical Jew, he was still speaking the same basic collection of Hebrew words, but they were now true words arranged honestly. In addition to the absence of obscenity, lying, and evil-speaking, they were now reflecting a different spiritual reality.
Recall that in Zephaniah 3:8-9, the prophet describes fires of destruction, followed by a pure language and calling on God. Isaiah experienced a similar purification by fire, then spoke a multitude of Messianic prophecies. Fast-forwarding to Pentecost, AD 31, when the Holy Spirit was given, the apostles appeared with tongues of fire on their heads. In type, a purification allowed the apostles to be witnesses for Jesus Christ and to preach the gospel.
It is worth noting that God does not favor one language of man over another. Every language of man is unclean in the sense that all of them have been developed by unclean people to describe a defiled reality. None can compare with the inexpressible language Paul heard in his vision of the Third Heaven (II Corinthians 12:2-4).
In addition, our God is not like the god of the Muslims, which requires that they all learn the same language—Arabic—to call on him. God chose to have His Word recorded in three different languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—each of which uses different words for Deity. God can express His will regardless of the language, and a believer is not required to learn a certain parlance to call on Him.
Hebrew is misappropriated in this way more than Greek or Aramaic, even though it is impossible to know the original pronunciation of God's Hebrew names because only consonants have been preserved. God did not leave us an audio recording of what He wanted to be called. Instead, He left us a written record of His transcendent character and nature. Our faith must be in who and what He is, not in a collection of sounds whose original pronunciation we are guessing at anyway. The Jews of Isaiah's day certainly had a much better idea how to pronounce God's names than we do, but that knowledge did them no good because their hearts were set on the wrong things—their "lips," like Isaiah's, were unclean.
Earlier, when the freed Israelites had the opportunity to worship the God who brought them out of Egypt, they bowed down in front of a calf made of gold, and Aaron said, "This is your god [Elohim], O Israel . . ." (Exodus 32:4)! The Israelites readily accepted Elohim being used in this way due to their deplorable understanding of God. The words they spoke in the Hebrew of their day did not reflect spiritual reality because their culture was corrupted. Their hearts were not one with God. Using a Hebrew name for God did not grant them favor in God's eyes, nor will so-called "sacred names" put us in a better standing with Elohim.
In Part Three, we will look at how the New Testament handles God's names, as well as some final thoughts on how we can call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart.
What Is the Prophesied "Pure Language"? (Part Three)
Beginning with the Feast of Pentecost in AD 31, God opened salvation to those of any human language He chose to call. The miracle of languages seen in the apostles demonstrates that God can overcome any language barrier to enable His chosen people to call on His name in any language of men, as long as there is a new heart—a new spirit. As we saw in Part Two, what His people need are spiritual lips, speaking from a new heart, not carnal lips speaking Hebrew.
Notice how the apostle Paul begins his first epistle to the Corinthians:
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. (I Corinthians 1:2)
Paul wrote his letter in Greek to a majority Greek audience—certainly, to Greek-speakers. If we were to look at the epistle's manuscripts, we would see that they are entirely in Greek; they are not interspersed with Hebrew names for Deity.
The apostle refers to those who are sanctified in Christos Iesous, as "Christ Jesus" is transliterated from the Greek. Then he mentions all who call on the name of Iesous Christos. When the angel appeared to Mary, he told her that she should call her son Iesous (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). Obviously, this is not a Hebrew (or Aramaic) word, and it differs from the names of God that the heroes of faith would have known.
For instance, unless Abraham had an unrecorded vision of the future, he never heard the word Iesous. Instead, he knew Yahweh El Elyown, the Lord God Most High. On the other hand, Philip never had a chance to instruct the Ethiopian eunuch how to pronounce YHWH:
And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Iesous Christos is the Son of Theos." (Acts 8:36-37; emphasis and the insertion of transliterations of God's names in Greek are ours throughout)
The eunuch's faith, given by God, provided him with the heart—and thus lips—to call on the name of the Lord, which He did in Greek, not Hebrew.
Romans 10 appears amid a long teaching about Israel's place in God's plan. Notice what Paul focuses on in this letter, also written in Greek:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Iesous and believe in your heart that Theos has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)
There is not one word in the whole Book about Jews and Greeks having to learn each other's languages in order to worship God! There is tremendous value in understanding the names and titles of God, as they describe His character, but what He requires is a different heart that can appreciate, value, and desire that character.
This passage also shows that Zephaniah 3:9 was already being fulfilled, in part, because these Corinthians were calling on the name of the Lord. With repentance, baptism, and the receipt of the Holy Spirit, a cleansing takes place and a new heart is given—a heart that will teach the lips to speak in a way that reflects a new spiritual reality. The speech of one who is being converted becomes pure, not merely by avoiding foul language, but also by speaking truth. A Christian's speech increases in purity as it reflects more of the culture of the Kingdom of God and less of the culture of carnal mankind that is passing away.
"Calling on the name of the Lord" is simply another way of describing true worship. Abraham and Isaac are shown calling on the name of the Lord in the context of building altars (Genesis 12:8; 13:4; 26:25). Combining this with the instructions given later for sacrifices—principles the patriarchs undoubtedly knew well—we can understand that calling on God's name involves recognizing the need for a payment for sin, at the very least. It also encompasses committing oneself to complete devotion to God and to fellow man and celebrating peace with God with thanksgiving.
Elijah called on the name of the Lord in front of an altar, with a brief prayer in which he acknowledged God's sovereignty and asked that the Israelites be turned back to God (I Kings 18:24-37). The psalms show that calling on the name of the Lord involves remembering and proclaiming His mighty works (Psalm 80:18; 99:6; 105:1; 116:4-17). In short, calling on the name of the Lord is honoring and beseeching God because of His fundamental nature and character. The actual calling or speaking may be a singular event, but a great deal of spiritual preparation always takes place before it can be done.
Pure lips, and thus a pure heart, are required for this because only when the heart is cleansed can it begin to recognize the truth of God and thus speak what is true. A cleansed heart is turned toward God. With that change in focus and direction, a person's whole life begins to change, and what comes out of his mouth will show that, regardless of his native tongue.
Beyond what is said, a pure heart will be reflected in the life that is lived, for a change of heart affects far more than just a person's words. So, Peter writes that, after conversion, other people will think it strange that we do not continue in sin with them, and they will speak evil of us (I Peter 4:4). What now motivates us is different from what motivates them, even though we are still using the same human tongue. Our lives are a testimony either of God or of the world, no matter what we profess verbally or what language we use.
The Day is approaching when Israel, Judah, and other peoples will be brought through a purifying fire. In the aftermath, the cleansed and humbled peoples will speak a pure language, indicating that they have different hearts. But spiritual Israel has already undergone a cleansing and received access to a pure heart. Yet, despite already having what it takes to call on the name of the Lord, we still have plenty of work to do in purifying our hearts so our King will accept our culture—our way of life—when He returns.
- David C. Grabbe
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