What languages were spoken in Corinth in Paul's day?
In Paul’s day, Corinth was a multilingual commercial city where probably four, five, or six languages were used constantly. Those languages included Greek, Latin, probably Spanish, Hebrew, and Aramaic, all part of Corinth’s makeup along with its two seaports and pagan temple background.
Les explains that when the word tongues is plural, it means languages. In Corinth in Paul’s day, there were probably four, five, or six languages in constant use: Greek, Latin, probably Spanish, Hebrew, and Aramaic. These were part and parcel of what made up Corinth, its commerce, its two seaports, and its pagan temple background. This setting enters into the picture of chapters 12 and 14, where Paul addresses what today is called the tongues movement, an unknown language no one can decipher, reduce to print, or understand.