speech
language
At a glance
In short
Both mean language, and taken literally both are body parts: safah is the lip, lashon the tongue. Rav Dessler explains that the lip is outside the body and the tongue inside, so a lashon is a language whose speakers have taken its inner content into themselves, while a safah is one they hold only externally, its mechanics without its values. That is why Hebrew is called Lashon HaKodesh, since we strive to take in the values it stands for, and why the generation of the Haflagah, who spoke that same language only on the surface, without its essence, had one safah (Bereishis 11:1).
Distinctions
Safah (שפה)
Literally the lip, the outer organ. Rav Dessler: a tongue is called a safah when its speakers carry only its technical, outward features and not its core values. Bereishis 11:1 says the pre-Haflagah world was of one safah: they spoke Lashon HaKodesh but applied it only on the surface, without its essence. In modern Hebrew safah is the ordinary word for language, and Hebrew is called HaSafah HaIvris; the older usage does not work that way.
Lashon (לשון)
Literally the tongue, the inner organ. Rav Dessler: a language earns the name lashon when its speakers internalize what it means. Hence Lashon HaKodesh, since we strive to take in the moral and esteemed values the language signifies. Hebrew is traditionally called Leshon Ivri as well.
Yosef and Lashon HaKodesh
Bereishis 42:23: the brothers spoke freely before the Egyptian viceroy, Reuven telling them their troubles were a punishment for what they had done to Yosef, because they did not know he understood them, a translator standing between them. Rashi (there): Yosef deliberately used a translator throughout, since he pretended to know only Egyptian and they knew only Lashon HaKodesh, so the interpreter had to know both, which implied to them that the viceroy could not follow Lashon HaKodesh on his own. Many commentators, Rashi among them, hold that when Yosef revealed himself he spoke to them in Lashon HaKodesh, without an interpreter, as proof of who he was. The Ramban (to Bereishis 45:12) objects: that proves nothing, since the Canaanites next door spoke Lashon HaKodesh (Yeshayahu 19:18 calls it the language of Canaan) and a king is commonly familiar with the languages of nearby countries, as Nevuchadnetzar spoke Hebrew though his advisers answered in Aramaic (Daniel 2:2-4). The Chasam Sofer answers with a novel interpretation, and it turns on the nature of Hebrew rather than on the two words. He begins from a historical observation: the Jews of Poland, Lithuania and Russia spoke Yiddish, a form of Judeo-German, though the local populations knew no German at all, because most of them descended from the Jews of Western Europe ousted in the First Crusade (whence Ashkenazim, literally Germans), and every family raised its children in that dialect for hundreds of years. Yet after a mere seventy-year exile to Bavel, Hebrew was forgotten so fast that only half the returnees could still speak it (Nechemiah 13:24). Hebrew is unlike other languages: it is preserved only by one who maintains a certain degree of kedushah, and a lapse in kedushah can easily lose it, while German can pass down for generations. Yosef speaking Lashon HaKodesh therefore proved that after all his years in Mitzrayim he had kept the purity and holiness the language requires, and had not defiled himself with the promiscuity Egyptian culture stood for. In this way, Rabbi Klein concludes, Yosef typified Hebrew held as a lashon, taken inside, rather than as a safah.
Radak on these roots
Sefer HaShorashim
ל-ש-ן
לָשׁוֹן, the tongue, and in the plural the tongues of the nations; the verb, to denounce and slander; and by borrowing, a tongue of gold, of fire, of sea, or of rock.
The tongue
לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת (Tehillim 12:4), a tongue speaking great things, and לְשׁוֹנִי עֵט סוֹפֵר מָהִיר (Tehillim 45:2), my tongue is the pen of a swift scribe.
The tongues of the nations
The plural takes the feminine form, and its sense is plain: לְקַבֵּץ אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וְהַלְּשֹׁנוֹת (Yeshayahu 66:18), to gather all the nations and the tongues, and לִלְשֹֽׁנֹתָם בְּאַרְצֹתָם (Bereishis 10:20), by their tongues in their lands.
Informing and slander
אַל־ תַּלְשֵׁן עֶבֶד (Mishlei 30:10), do not denounce a servant to his master, and מְלָשְׁנִי בַסֵּתֶר רֵעֵהוּ (Tehillim 101:5), one who slanders his fellow in secret.
A tongue of gold, of fire, of sea
וּלְשׁוֹן זָהָב אֶחָד (Yehoshua 7:21), one tongue of gold, is a bar of gold shaped like a tongue; and by the same borrowing לְשׁוֹן אֵשׁ (Yeshayahu 5:24), a tongue of fire, לְשׁוֹן יָם (Yeshayahu 11:15), a tongue of sea, and מִן־ הַלָּשֹׁן הַפֹּנֶה נֶֽגְבָּה (Yehoshua 15:2), from the tongue that faces south, a rock in the shape of a tongue. So Yonasan renders it, מִן כֵּיפָא, from the rock.
לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלֽוֹת (תהלים יב, ד), לְשׁוֹנִי עֵט סוֹפֵר מָהִֽיר (תהלים מה, ב), וּלְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּק מַלְקוֹחָי (תהלים כב, טז), וּלְשׁוֹנִי אִם־יֶהְגֶּה רְמִיָּֽה (איוב כז, ד). והקבוץ בלשון נקבות לְקַבֵּץ אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וְהַלְּשֹׁנוֹת (ישעיה סו, יח), לִלְשֹֽׁנֹתָם בְּאַרְצֹתָם (בראשית י, כ), ידוע. והפעל הכבד ממנו [הִפְעִיל] אַל־תַּלְשֵׁן עֶבֶד אֶל־אֲֽדֹנָו [אֲֽדֹנָיו] (משלי ל, י). וכבד אחר [פֹּעֵל] מְלָושְׁנִי [מְלָשְׁנִי] בַסֵּתֶר רֵעֵהוּ (תהלים קא, ה), והוא מבנין פועל הדומה למרובע והיו"ד בו נוספת, יאמר ממנו מְלוֹשֵׁן בשקל מְשׁוֹפֵט ומפני תוספת היו"ד שָׁבָה למ"ד לקמץ חטף. וּלְשׁוֹן זָהָב אֶחָד (יהושע ז, כא), רוצה לומר שבט זהב שדומה ללשון. וכן בדרך ההשאלה עוד לְשׁוֹן אֵשׁ (ישעיה ה, כד), לְשׁוֹן יָם (ישעיה יא, טו), מִן־הַלָּשֹׁן הַפֹּנֶה נֶֽגְבָּה (יהושע טו, ב), סלע כדמות לשון. וכן תרגם יונתן מִן כֵּיפָא.
ש-פ-הhis headword שׂפה
The lip itself in some places and a side or edge in others; and language, as שָׂפָה אֶחָת, one language, with lips of song read as words of song.
Lip and edge
שָׂפָה לְפִיו סָבִיב (Shemos 39:23), a lip round its opening; עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה (Shemos 26:4), on the edge of the curtain; עַל־שְׂפַת הַיְאֹֽר (Shemos 2:3), on the bank of the river; כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂה שְׂפַת־כּוֹס (Melachim I 7:26), like the work of the brim of a cup; שְׂפָתַיִם יִשָּׁק (Mishlei 24:26), he kisses the lips; וְשִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים תִּשְׁמוּרֵם (Mishlei 14:3), and the lips of the wise guard them; שִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים יְזָרוּ דָעַת (Mishlei 15:7), the lips of the wise scatter knowledge; and in the feminine plural, שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּים (Shir HaShirim 5:13), his lips are lilies. Of these, he says, some are the lip itself and some a side.
Language and words
שָׂפָה אֶחָת (Bereishis 11:1) is לשון אחת, one language; and so וְשִׂפְתֵי רְנָנוֹת יְהַלֶּל־פִּֽי (Tehillim 63:6), and with words of song my mouth will praise, which he explains as ודברי רננות, and words of song.
Radak’s root שׂפה
שָׂפָה לְפִיו סָבִיב (שמות לט, כג), עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה (שמות כו, ד), עַל־שְׂפַת הַיְאֹֽר (שמות ב, ג), כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂה שְׂפַת־כּוֹס (מלכים א' ז, כו), שָׂפָה אֶחָת (בראשית יא, א), שְׂפָתַיִם יִשָּׁק (משלי כד, כו), וְשִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים תִּשְׁמוּרֵם (משלי יד, ג), שִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים יְזָרוּ דָעַת (משלי טו, ז). וקבוץ הנקבות שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּים (שיר השירים ה, יג), יש מהם שפה ממש ויש מהם צד. שָׂפָה אֶחָת לשון אחת. וכן וְשִׂפְתֵי רְנָנוֹת יְהַלֶּל־פִּֽי (תהלים סג, ו), ופירושו ודברי רננות.
To break and crush, as also in the Targum and in Chazal; another sense, height; and שְׁפוֹת בָּקָר, cheeses of milk, or as some say, the cows' udder.
Broken and crushed
וְשֻׁפּוּ עַצְמֹתָיו (Iyov 33:21), his bones are broken and crushed. The Targum of וָאֶכֹּת אֹתוֹ טָחוֹן (Devarim 9:21), and I crushed it, grinding it, is וְשָׁפִית יָתֵהּ בְּשׁוּפִינָא, and I filed it with a file; and so in the words of Chazal (Avodah Zarah 42a), גוי ששפה עבודה זרה, a gentile who filed down an idol.
Height
In another sense, וַיֵּלֶךְ שֶׁפִי (Bamidbar 23:3), and he went to a high place; אֶפְתַּח עַל־שְׁפָיִים נְהָרוֹת (Yeshayahu 41:18), I will open rivers on the heights; רוּחַ צַח שְׁפָיִם (Yirmiyahu 4:11), a clear wind of the heights; and from it עַל הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה (Yeshayahu 13:2), on a lofty mountain, whose sense is high. Rabbi Yehudah put וַיֵּלֶךְ שֶׁפִי with ושפו עצמותיו, his bones are broken and crushed; on that reading שֶׁפִי means broken: he went with a broken spirit.
Cheeses
וּשְׁפוֹת בָּקָר (Shmuel II 17:29), and שְׁפוֹת of the herd, has the sense of חריצי חלב, cheeses of milk, and so Targum Yonasan renders וְגוּבְנִין דַחֲלַב תּוֹרִין, cheeses of cows' milk. Chazal said of these cheeses of cows' milk that a fly could not stand on them but fell off at once, so smooth and fat were they, and it seems it was the word שפות that led them to it. It may be drawn from the first sense, as cheeses are also called חריצים, from the sense of חרוץ, cutting, which Radak explains under that root; and some explain it as the udder of the cows.
Perhaps of this root
שְׁפִיפֹן עֲלֵי־אֹרַח (Bereishis 49:17), a שְׁפִיפֹן on the path, may be of this root, the middle root letter doubled as in הֲגִיגִי (Tehillim 5:2), my meditation, from הָגָה. It would then be so called because it crushes other living creatures, from הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ (Bereishis 3:15), he will crush your head, so that שׁוּף and שָׁפָה are of one sense, the sense of וְשֻׁפּוּ עַצְמֹתָיו, his bones are broken and crushed. יָשְׁפֵה too, in תַּרְשִׁישׁ וְשֹׁהַם וְיָֽשְׁפֵה (Shemos 28:20), the tarshish, the shoham and the yashfeh, may be of this root, with the yud added. It is said to be the stone called in Arabic אליס"ף, and that name is close to the Hebrew.
Radak’s root שׁפה
וְשֻׁפּיּ [וְשֻׁפּוּ] עַצְמֹתָיו (איוב לג, כא), נשברו ונכתתו. ותרגום וָֽאֶכֹּת אֹתוֹ טָחוֹן (דברים ט, כא) וְשָׁפִית יָתֵהּ בְּשׁוּפִינָא. וכן בדברי רבותינו ז"ל (עבודה זרה מב, ע"א) גוי ששפה עבודה זרה. וענין אחר וַיֵּלֶךְ שֶֽׁפִי (במדבר כג, ג), אֶפְתַּח עַל־שְׁפָיִים נְהָרוֹת (ישעיה מא, יח), רוּחַ צַח שְׁפָיִם (ירמיה ד, יא). והנפעל ממנו עַל הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה (ישעיה יג, ב), ענינו גבוה. ורבי יהודה הביא וַיֵּלֶךְ שֶֽׁפִי, עם ושפו עצמותיו, כלומר נשבר, ברוח נשברה. וּשְׁפוֹת בָּקָר (שמואל ב' יז, כט), ענינו חריצי חלב. וכן תרגם יונתן וְגוּבְנִין דַחֲלַב תּוֹרִין. ואמרו רבותינו ז"ל גובנין דחלב דתורין שלא היה הזבוב יכול לעמוד עליהם אלא מיד נופל מרוב החלקות והשמנות. ודומה שהצריכם לזה לשון שפות. ואפשר שנגזר מהענין הראשון כמו שנקראו גם כן חריצים מענין חרוץ כמו שפירשנו בשערו. ויש מפרשים הכחל של הפרות. ושם האחר שָׁפֶה בשקל שָֹדֶה, שָֹדוֹת, ואפשר שיהיה מן השרש הזה שְׁפִיפֹן עֲלֵי־אֹרַח (בראשית מט, יז), ועי"ן הפעל כפולה כמו הֲגִֽיגִי (תהלים ה, ב) מן הָגָה. ולפי ששף שאר בעלי חיים נקרא כן מן הוא יְשֽׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ (בראשית ג, טו), ויהיה שׁוּף ושָׁפָה בענין אחד והוא מענין וְשֻׁפּיּ [וְשֻׁפּוּ] עַצְמֹתָיו (איוב לג, כא). ואפשר שיהיה מהשרש הזה עוד תַּרְשִׁישׁ וְשֹׁהַם וְיָֽשְׁפֵה (שמות כח, כ), והיו"ד נוספת והיא נקראת בקמץ רחב ומשפטו היה בקמץ חטף בשקל עֻלְפֶּֽה (יחזקאל לא, טו) והוסב לקמץ רחב לתפארת הקריאה. ואמרו כי היא אבן הנקראת בערבי אליס"ף. והוא קרוב ללשון העברי.
Radak, Sefer HaShorashim, Berlin 1847. Public domain, digitised by Sefaria from the National Library of Israel.
Sources
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "Speaking in Tongues," What's in a Word?, Ohr Somayach, 23 December 2017.
Cited in the essay: Bereishis 11:1; Bereishis 42:23 with Rashi; Bereishis 45:12 with Ramban; Yeshayahu 19:18; Daniel 2:2-4; Nechemiah 13:24; Rav Dessler; the Chasam Sofer.