Bible Question: when praying in tongues does the devil know what is being said? |
Bible Answer: Maybe. (Read all the way to the end of my short post before reacting or responding.) If it's a KNOWN tongue of men or of angels, then SOMEONE may be able to get an interpretation or translation out of it. 1 Cor. 13:1 suggests it could be either. So, I don't see why not. But it would be more like whatever spirit or demon is listening would know. I doubt that satan himself spends much time following just ANY Christian around; and would probably focus on those higher up in authority in the Church, and on those who do the most Spiritual warfare. In the KJV, the word "unknown" is added in front of the word tongue in various passages; but it's clearly added to the text. If you take 1 Cor. 14:2 (KJV) awfully literally, then no one understands; but I never really took it that literally, but in the general context of a gift of language within most assemblies, and that, usually, no one understands what is being said, without an interpretation. I don't take it to mean that no one in the whole world would know what it meant, but that people often got a gift of language that they, and most or all of the people in their locale, did not understand. Of course, this is only one kind of tongues, and there is more than one kind (1 Cor. 12:10; 1 Cor. 14:22; and Acts 2:4-12). I don't see a need to add "unknown" in front of the word; though in most situations, it's most likely not known to the speaker. --corrective. ©2008. |