“My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.” Zephaniah 3:8-9
“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ” Acts 26:14
The Hebrew language is currently spoken by most Jewish people. But could it be the language of Heaven? The first evidence of written Hebrew comes from the 10th Century BCE, in the form of a fragment of the Hebrew Bible. Some believe that it was spoken as early as the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve based on some unsatisfying circumstantial evidence. After the 10th Century, Hebrew was used as both a scholarly and literary language for a good thousand years until Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and the Jews were subsequently scattered. After that time, Hebrew was only used for scholarly work, some periodicals and in religious proceedings. It was basically dead as a primary literary language as the Jews spoke the language of their neighbors.
As more and more Israelites returned to the land in the 20th Century, Hebrew was eventually restored as the first language of most Jews in Israel. Today, special features celebrating the Hebrew language appear on everyday items like milk cartons, and it is generally reverenced by the people.
Some believe the Bible indicates that Hebrew will be spoken during the Kingdom Age. They interpret the “pure language” mentioned in Zephaniah 3:9, which discusses the Millennium time, to mean that Hebrew will be the world’s official language then. Some go as far as saying it is the language that will be spoken in Heaven based on this verse, the possibility that it was spoken in Eden, and the verse in Acts that said God spoke to Paul in Hebrew. However, God may have just been speaking to Paul in his native language and Hebrew is not specifically identified as the “pure language” of Zephaniah, but it is an interesting thought. In any event, Hebrew is a special language as it is the only language in history to be restored from the dead.
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