Isa 28:14 and the tongue

*Anshei Latzon and the Two Tongues* When I see *latzon in Isa 28:14 [לָצוֹן]* I think of *lashon [לָשׁוֹן]*. Tongue, to speak. Even though the root here is *l-w-ts [ל־ו־צ]* — to mouth at. Either in scorn, Or as Ambassador. To squeeze in, crowd, afflict as in LXX is hard to see. But this seems to back what Isaiah is doing. The leaders are mocking. And of course they will mock 28:9-12. As they mock a correct understanding of God's word which differs from their agenda and perhaps, false hope. Hope which escapes judgment. *The Dual Nature of the Tongue* *lutz [לוץ]* has two faces. Same mouth. Same tongue thrust between. To scoff — *letz [לֵץ]* — to push your tongue out at the word. To mediate — *melitz [מֵלִיץ]* — to push your tongue in as interpreter between. Both are *lutz [לוץ]*. The difference is heart. And Isaiah gives us two tongues in the same chapter — and most translations hide it by saying "tongue of strangers." *For a dividing, refreshing margea [מַרְגֵּעָה] of v12:* *ve-zot ha-margeah [וְזֹאת הַמַּרְגֵּעָה]* — "this is the rest... this is the refreshing" — but they would not hear. *And for mockery of v14:* *anshei latzon [אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן]* — men of tongue, men of scoff. *In time of writing:* Rulers wanted to escape judgment and captivity. They said *karatnu brit et-mavet [כָּרַתְנוּ בְרִית אֶת־מָוֶת]* — we cut a covenant with Death. *In time of the Apostles:* Rulers wanted to escape accountability in the murder of Yeshua their Messiah. Same *latzon [לָצוֹן]*. Both mocked the instrument of God's refreshing. What was it? Not "tongue of strangers" — that limits understanding to human language only. Isaiah said two things: *ki be-la'agei saphah [כִּי בְּלַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה]* — with stammering lips / foreign speech *u-ve-lashon acheret [וּבְלָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת]* — and in another tongue Murdock from the Peshitta keeps it correct in *1 Cor 14:21*: > "With a foreign speech *[b-memal-la nukhraya [ܒܡܠܐ ܢܘܟܪܝܐ]]*, and in another tongue *[wa-b-leshana achrena [ܘܒܠܫܢܐ ܐܚܪܢܐ]]*, will I speak with this people; and even so also they will not hearken to me, saith the Lord." Two, not one. 1. *Foreign speech — la'agei saphah [לַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה]* — Assyrian to Israel then, judgment tongue, human but unintelligible to them. 2. *Another tongue — lashon acheret [לָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת]* — Other in kind. Not foreign to another nation, other to mankind. The wind-tongue. God, mocking the mockers, uses His people as instruments which, when He blows through, make an indistinguishable sound — As in *John 3:8* — the wind blows where it wishes, you hear its voice, but cannot tell where it comes from. As in *Acts 2:1-4*, *Acts 10:44-45*, *Acts 19:1-7* — they heard them speak with *l-shane acherane [other tongues]* and magnify God. As in *1 Cor 14:21* — Paul quotes Isaiah to show this is the sign. As in *Mark 16:17* — with new tongues — *leshanin chadatin [ܠܫܢܐ ܚܕܬܐ]* — not just new to them, new in creation. To the believer, *lashon acheret [לָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת]* is *margea [מַרְגֵּעָה]* — rest and refreshing. To the unbeliever, both *la'agei saphah [לַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה]* and *lashon acheret [לָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת]* sound like mocking — so they mock. That is why the sign to the believer became a point of mockery to the unbelievers, as to this day. The rulers heard foreign speech and called it drunken babble, because they could not discern another tongue. So God answered tongue with tongue.