God's Creation Language

Question
God created the universe. What language did he use to do so – Hebrew, Greek, French, English, etc.? What is the original language of God in creation?
Answer
The Bible does not tell us what God’s specific language of creation was. The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 38) says that Adam spoke the Hebrew language. Since man was created in the image of God and since the majority of the Old Testament is in Hebrew, perhaps Hebrew – or a dialect thereof – is the original language of Adam and creation. But we don’t know for sure. God later communicated the knowledge of creation in languages that man understood, but the language he used to say such things such as, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3) in the very beginning is not revealed to us in Scripture.

We do know "God said" (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29; 2:18), but what else do we know?

We know that the earth was of one language until the time of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1), and God confused that language to obstruct rebellion (Gen. 11:6-9). However, in his work of redemption, God instructed that his gospel be taken to every nation (cf. Matt. 28:18-20). And one day there will be “a great multitude that no one [can] count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9; cf. Rev. 5:9). God can even have something spoken in one language understood by someone who doesn’t speak that language (cf. Acts 2:8). God is omniscient and can speak each and every language in the universe. Pretty amazing!

What we don't know still raises many questions and speculation: Does God have a unique language that is unknown to man? Is there a unique language in heaven? Do angels have a unique language? Is there a Trinitarian language that only the Godhead uses? Does the Godhead even use language to communicate? After all, each member of the Godhead is all-knowing!

We just don’t have all the answers we'd like to have. Yet we can know we'll enjoy asking God in our own language when we get to heaven. And his answers may surprise us.

Answer by Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr.

Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr., D.D., M.Div. is the Theological Editor at Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill).