What does it mean to have a double tongue?

Answer

To be double-tongued is to say one thing at one time to someone and quite another thing at another time to someone else. Having a double tongue can also refer to hypocritically saying one thing and doing another. The concept of having a double tongue is associated with the idioms speaking out of both sides of the mouth and speaking with a forked tongue. If Jane asks, “How do you like my dress?” and June answers, “It’s lovely on you!” then turns to a third party and whispers, “She looks like a moose in that hideous rag!” then June is being double-tongued. Instead of addressing issues in the relationship privately with Jane, the double-tongued individual will say what’s expected in the moment but speak differently when the person is out of earshot.

A double-tongued person is untrustworthy because he or she will say whatever is necessary to elicit a desired response, with no regard for whether it is true or whether he or she has the means to follow through. In 1 Timothy 3:8, Paul mentions being double-tongued as something that should not be a characteristic of a church leader: “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain” (ESV). The NIV translates the words “not double-tongued” positively as “sincere.” Being double-tongued is an indication that someone lacks integrity, and integrity is crucial for godly leaders (Titus 1:6-9).

People pleasers struggle the most with having a double tongue because they have a strong desire to say whatever someone wants to hear in the moment. Bringing a smile to someone’s face, receiving a hug or handshake, or hearing a word of gratitude is a sufficient reward for the double-tongued to continue their insincerity. They may intend, at the time, to follow through on their words but have not considered what th

It will require. Once people pleasers have received their reward, their motivation to follow through diminishes, and they move on to other avenues of self-validation. Ananias and Sapphira exhibited a double tongue in their people-pleasing announcement that they had sold their land and donated all the money to the church (Acts 5:1-11).

Schemers are also double-tongued. These devious individuals are not concerned with making someone else feel good; they care only about their selfish goals. Schemers are always plotting ways to get what they want, regardless of the cost to others. They will promise the moon if it furthers their plans. Schemers are often pathological liars and can deceive even the most cautious with their smooth, convincing words. First Peter 3:10 warns against this type of double-tongued speech: “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.” Judas Iscariot is an example of a double-tongued schemer. Even after plotting with Jewish leaders to betray Jesus, he continued as a false disciple, joining with them even at the Passover meal (Luke 22:4-6, 21).

Gossips are often double-tongued because they pretend friendship to someone’s face but speak evil behind his back. Gossips usually embellish the story along the way to gain a bigger reaction from the hearer. They also pretend friendship with a person but reveal their true feelings to others. John wrote about such a person, Diotrephes, who was disrupting the church with his slanderous gossip (3 John 1:9-10).

It’s possible to be double-tongued toward God as well. We may offer prayers that sound spiritually admirable but do not express the reality of our hearts. Jesus condemned people who try to sound spiritual when praying but are filled with pride.

Deceit and dishonesty are condemned in the Bible (Luke 18:10-14).

Having a double tongue is simply another form of being deceitful. God strongly condemns all forms of falsehood and warns that deceivers will face severe judgment «But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. », (Revelation 21:8). Those who are consistently double-tongued should remember the wisdom of Proverbs 21:23: “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”