Voice

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

The word ‘voice’ (φωνή) is used in the NT of any tone or inarticulate sound, whether of animate beings or inanimate things, e.g.  Luke 1:44, ‘the voice of thy salutation,’ or the sound of thunder, wind, water, and musical instruments. More frequently it implies the articulated utterance of a speaker, whether the speech be jargon or intelligible. The exact signification of φωνή-a very common word in early Christian literature-whether literal or metaphorical, articulate or inarticulate, is to be determined by the context.

In  1 Corinthians 14:1-19 St. Paul treats of the subject of tongues ( q.v. [Note: .v. quod vide, which see.]) and declares that mere articulation without intelligibility is of no moment. Even the sound of inanimate instruments such as the flute or the harp is useless, if there are no intervals in the music; for no air can be made out by the listener if the laws of harmony are ignored. Prophecy is superior to glossolalia because it conveys a spiritual message in language that can be understood. The Apostle adds, ‘There are ever so many kinds of language (γένη φωνῶν) in the world, every one of them meaning something’ (v. 10) (Moffatt, The NT: A New Translation , London, 1913). In his use of the word St. Paul includes both the speech of the human voice in its many languages and the notes of musical instruments.

In the Apocalypse φωνή is found very frequently. The formula ‘I heard a voice’ or ‘a great voice’ or ‘the voice that I heard’ ( Revelation 1:10;  Revelation 4:1;  Revelation 5:11;  Revelation 6:6-7;  Revelation 9:13;  Revelation 10:4;  Revelation 10:8;  Revelation 12:10;  Revelation 14:2;  Revelation 14:13;  Revelation 16:1;  Revelation 18:4;  Revelation 19:1;  Revelation 21:3) applies to the voice of God, or of the Lamb, or of the angel of Christ, or of one of the angels of the Presence or of the whole concourse of angels. The voice nearly always implies a personality, even when it is compared to ‘a trumpet speaking’ ( Revelation 4:1); but it is applied to the utterance of the beasts ( Revelation 6:5) as well as their riders ( Revelation 6:8). It is to be noted that in the Apocalypse the voices of the unseen world frequently, though not invariably, convey a distinctive and intelligible message or aspiration or doxology.

In the NT φωνή θεοῦ, ‘the voice of God,’ which is equivalent to the command of God, is an expression found in  Hebrews 3:7;  Hebrews 3:15;  Hebrews 4:7, all passages being quotations from the Septuagint(Psalms 94[95]:7); cf. Barn . viii. 7. The phrase ‘the voice of the Lord’ used in Psalms 29 metaphorically of thunder is quoted in  Acts 7:31 by Stephen of God’s self-revelation to Moses.

For Bath Ḳol see article‘Voice’ in Dict. of Christ and the Gospels , article‘Bat Ḳol’ in Jewish Encyclopedia , article‘Bath Kol’ in PRE [Note: RE Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche.]3 ii. 443 f., and G. Dalman, The Words of Jesus , Eng. translation, Edinburgh, 1902, p. 204 f.

‘The voice of God’-the command or call of God-to the soul is not in either OT or NT an audible message, but rather an inward impression wrought within the consciousness of the recipient by the operation of the Divine Spirit. The objectivity or otherwise of the accompanying phenomena, whether of vision or of sound, is to be determined by the evidence of the context. Take the classical example of the narratives of St. Paul’s conversion in  Acts 9:1-22;  Acts 22:3-16;  Acts 26:9-18. Here we have an intense realization of the presence of the Risen Christ, of the actual words He addressed to the Apostle, and of a succeeding colloquy. To the Apostle’s consciousness the call of Christ took the form of an audible appeal and conversation, just as later on Augustine was to hear the ‘Tolle, lege,’ or authoritative command of God which resulted in his spiritual illumination. The phenomena of sound and speech were valid for the awakened soul in both cases, though the exact message was heard by each alone; cf. the statement that St. Paul’s companions ‘stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no man’ ( Acts 9:7), i.e. they heard a sound, but no articulate utterance. It is easy to understand how the language of the senses-especially seeing and hearing-came to be metaphorically employed in all religious literatures to express the spiritual apprehension of the Divine and the Infinite. ‘Sometimes the symbol and the perception which it represents become fused in that [the surface] consciousness: and the mystic’s experience then presents itself to him as “visions” or “voices,” which we must look upon as the garment he has himself provided to veil that Reality upon which no man may look and live’ (E. Underhill, Mysticism 2, p. 93).

Literature.-The student must consult dictionaries like Dict. of Christ and the Gospels , Thayer Grimm’s Gr.-Eng. Lexicon of the NT, and E. Preuschen’s Vollständiges griechdeut. Handwörterbuch zu den Schriften des NT , Giessen, 1908-10, for the passages where ‘voice’ occurs; but for the larger question of the relation of sensual perception to supersensual realities see E. Underhill, Mysticism 2, London, 1911, passages quoted under ‘Auditions’ in the Index, p. 587.

R. Martin Pope.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Φωνή (Strong'S #5456 — Noun Feminine — phone — fo-nay' )

"a sound," is used of the voice (a) of God,  Matthew 3:17;  John 5:37;  12:28,30;  Acts 7:31;  10:13,15;  11:7,9;  Hebrews 3:7,15;  4:7;  12:19,26;  2—Peter 1:17,18;  Revelation 18:4;  21:3; (b) of Christ, (1) in the days of His flesh,  Matthew 12:19 (negatively);   John 3:29;  5:25;  10:3,4,16,27;  11:43;  18:37; (2) on the Cross,  Matthew 27:46 , and parallel passages; (3) from heaven,  Acts 9:4,7;  22:7,9,14;  26:14;  Revelation 1:10,12 (here, by metonymy, of the speaker),15; 3:20; (4) at the resurrection "to life,"   John 5:28;  1—Thessalonians 4:16 , where "the voice of the archangel" is, lit., "a voice of an archangel," and probably refers to the Lord's voice as being of an archangelic character; (5) at the resurrection to judgment,  John 5:28 [not the same event as (4)]; (c) of human beings on earth, e.g.,   Matthew 2:18;  3:3;  Luke 1:42 , in some texts, AV, "voice," and frequently in the Synoptists; (d) of angels,  Revelation 5:11 , and frequently in the Apocalypse; (e) of the redeemed in heaven, e.g.,  Revelation 6:10;  18:22;  19:1,5; (f) of a pagan god,  Acts 12:22; (g) of things, e.g., wind,  John 3:8 , RV, "voice" (AV, "sound"). See Sound.

 Luke 1:42  Acts 26:10Stone

Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

Qôl ( קֹל , Strong'S #6963), “voice; sound; noise.” This word also appears in Ugaritic (“sound”), Akkadian (“call”), Arabic (“say”), and in Phoenician, Ethiopic, and old South Arabic (“voice”). Qôl appears about 506 times in the Bible and in all periods.

In its first meaning the word denotes a “sound” produced by vocal cords. This includes the human “voice”: “And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel” (Josh. 10:14). The word also includes vocal “sounds” produced by animals: “And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating [literally, sound] of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing [literally, sound] of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Sam. 15:14). In this regard qôl is used of the “voice” of personified inanimate objects or things: “And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10).

The second meaning, “sound” or “noise,” appears especially in poetical passages and covers a great variety of “noises and sounds,” such as the “noise or sound” of battle: “And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp” (Exod. 32:17). It can be used of the “sound” of words (Deut. 1:34), water (Ezek. 1:24), weeping (Isa. 65:19), and thunder (Exod. 9:23)—.

The word can also represent the thing that is spoken: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee …” (Gen. 3:17). In an extended nuance qôl signifies the thing said, even though it is written down: “Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice …” (2 Kings 10:6).

There are several special phrases related to qôl. “To lift up one’s voice and weep” signifies many things including crying out for help (Gen. 39:14), mourning for present or anticipated tragedy (Gen. 21:16), and the “sound” of disaster (Num. 16:34) or joy (Gen. 29:11).

“To hearken to one’s voice” means such things as taking note of something and believing it (Gen. 4:23), following another’s suggestions (Gen. 3:17), complying with another’s request (Gen. 21:12), obeying another’s command (Gen. 22:18), and answering a prayer (2 Sam. 22:7).

Theologically the word is crucial in contexts relating to prophecy. The prophet’s “voice” is God’s “voice” (Exod. 3:18; cf. 7:1; Deut. 18:18-19). God’s “voice” is sometimes the roar of thunder (Exod. 9:23, 29) or a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Thunder demonstrated God’s tremendous power and evoked fear and submission. In covenantal contexts God stipulates that His “voice,” heard in both the roar of thunder and the prophetic message, is authoritative and when obeyed brings reward (Exod. 19:5; 1 Sam. 12:14-18). The blast (“sound”) of a trumpet is used to signify divine power (Josh. 6:5) and presence (2 Sam. 6:15).

Interestingly the first biblical appearance of qôl (Gen. 3:8) is a highly debated passage. Exactly what did Adam and Eve hear in the garden? Was it the sound of God walking (cf. 1 Kings 14:6)?

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) Sound uttered by the mouth, especially that uttered by human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered considered as possessing some special quality or character; as, the human voice; a pleasant voice; a low voice.

(2): ( n.) Sound of the kind or quality heard in speech or song in the consonants b, v, d, etc., and in the vowels; sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; - distinguished from mere breath sound as heard in f, s, sh, etc., and also whisper.

(3): ( n.) The tone or sound emitted by anything.

(4): ( v. i.) To clamor; to cry out.

(5): ( n.) The faculty or power of utterance; as, to cultivate the voice.

(6): ( n.) Language; words; speech; expression; signification of feeling or opinion.

(7): ( n.) Opinion or choice expressed; judgment; a vote.

(8): ( n.) Command; precept; - now chiefly used in scriptural language.

(9): ( n.) One who speaks; a speaker.

(10): ( n.) A particular mode of inflecting or conjugating verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to the action which the verb expresses.

(11): ( v. t.) To utter with sonant or vocal tone; to pronounce with a narrowed glottis and rapid vibrations of the vocal cords; to speak above a whisper.

(12): ( v. t.) To give utterance or expression to; to utter; to publish; to announce; to divulge; as, to voice the sentiments of the nation.

(13): ( v. t.) To fit for producing the proper sounds; to regulate the tone of; as, to voice the pipes of an organ.

(14): ( v. t.) To vote; to elect; to appoint.

King James Dictionary

VOICE, n. L. vox voco. The sense of the verb is to throw, to drive out sound and voice is that which is driven out.

1. Sound or audible noise uttered by the mouth, either of human beings or of other animals. We say, the voice of a man is loud or clear the voice of a woman is soft or musical the voice of a dog is loud or harsh the voice of a bird is sweet or melodious. The voice of human beings is articulate that of beasts, inarticulate. The voices of men are different, and when uttered together, are often dissonant. 2. Any sound made by the breath as the trumpet's voice. 3. A vote suffrage opinion or choice expressed. Originally voice was the oral utterance of choice, but it now signifies any vote however given.

Some laws ordain, and some attend the choice of holy senates, and elect by voice.

I have no words my voice is in my sword.

4. Language words expression.

Let us call on God in the voice of his church.

5. In Scripture, command precept.

Ye would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.  Deuteronomy 8 .

6. Sound.

After the fire, a still small voice.  1 Kings 19 .

Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?  Job 40 .

The floods have lifted up their voice.  Psalms 93 .

7. Language tone mode of expression.

I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice.  Galatians 4 .

8. In grammar, a particular mode of inflecting or conjugating verbs as the active voice the passive voice.

VOICE,

1. To rumor to report.

It was voiced that the king purposed to put to death Edward Plantagenet. Little used.

2. To fit for producing the proper sounds to regulate the tone of as, to voice the pipes of an organ. 3. To vote.

VOICE, To clamor to exclaim. Obs.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

This word is used to describe many sounds and noises. It is not always a human voice that is intended.

 Exodus 4:8 (a) GOD intended that this sign should carry a message to the hearts of all who observed it. It failed to do so. Pharaoh would not believe.

 2 Samuel 22:14 (a) It is quite probable that the thunder was GOD's word of warning concerning His power and His might. (See also  Job 40:9;  Psalm 46:6;  Psalm 77:18;  Psalm 104:7).

 Psalm 93:3 (a) The power of water, the irresistible waves, and the force of the flood are called the voice of GOD, because they are supposed to bring a warning message to the people of the power of GOD. (See also  Jeremiah 10:13;  Jeremiah 51:16;  Ezekiel 43:2;  Revelation 1:15;  Revelation 19:6).