tongue

Definition

There are several figurative meanings of "tongue" in the Bible.

In the Bible, the most common figurative meaning for this term is "language" or "speech."
A "tongue" may refer to a language that is normally spoken by a people group on earth.
This term may also refer to a supernatural language given by the Holy Spirit.
The expression, "tongues" of fire refers to "flames" of fire.
Other figurative expressions such as, "my tongue rejoices" or "lying tongues" refer to the whole person or to a person's voice or speech.

Depending on the context, the term "tongue" can often be translated by "language" or "spiritual language." If the meaning is not clear it is better to translate it as "language."
When referring to fire, this term could be translated by "flames."
The expression "my tongue rejoices" could be translated by, "I rejoice and praise God" or "I am joyfully praising God."
A "tongue that lies" could be translated as, "person who tell lies."
Phrases such as "with their tongues" could be translated as, "with what they say" or "by their words."