Bible Dictionaries
Speech

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

akin to lego (SPEAK, No. 1), most frequently rendered "word" (for an analysis see WORD), signifies "speech," as follows: (a) "discourse," e.g., Luke 20:20 , RV, "speech" (AV, "words"); Acts 14:12 (see SPEAKER); 20:7; 1 Corinthians 2:1,4; 4:19 , AV (RV, "word"); 2 Corinthians 10:10; (b) "the faculty of speech," e.g., 2 Corinthians 11:6; (c) "the manner of speech," e.g., Matthew 5:37 , RV, "speech" (AV, "communication"); Colossians 4:6; (d) "manner of instruction," Titus 2:8; 1 Corinthians 14:9 , RV (AV, "words"); Ephesians 4:29 , RV (AV, "communication"). See SAYING.

akin to laleo (SPEAK, No. 2), denotes "talk, speech," (a) of "a dialect," Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70; (b) "utterances," John 4:42 , RV, "speaking" (AV, "saying"); John 8:43 .

has the meaning "fair speaking, flattering speech" in Romans 16:18 , RV, "fair speech" (AV, "fair speeches"). See BLESSING , C, No. 1.

which has a similar meaning to No. 3, occurs with it in Romans 16:18 [RV, "smooth ... (speech)"]. See SMOOTH , Note.

Notes: (1) For "persuasiveness of speech," Colossians 2:4 , RV, see PERSUASIVE , B. (2) In Acts 14:11 "the speech of Lycaonia" translates the adverb Lukaonisti. Lycaonia was a large country in the center and south of the plateau of Asia Minor; the villages retained the native language, but cities like Lystra probably had a Seleucid tone in their laws and customs (Ramsay on Galatians).