Other Tongues are Utterances given by the Holy Spirit through a Spirit filled individual in a language or tongue that is not known to the speaker. The first mention of man speaking in Tongues in the bible is found in the Book of Acts Chapter 2 verse 4. It reads, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language” (verse 6).
To put this into better context, verses 1-3 are most helpful; thus “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”
The afore mention is the very first incidence of so called “speaking in tongues” found in the bible. This phenomenon didn’t just happen. Further down in Acts chapter two we find Peter explaining what had just happened. He said in verses 16-18, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” Peter was quoting from Joel chapter two. The promise of Spiritual endowment was made good.
Other Tongues means another language; a language that is spoken by some other group of people. The Holy Spirit gives the Utterance. He in effect puts the words on the tongue of the cooperating Saint as a supernatural sign to a close-by unbeliever in the unbeliever’s language. He works through the spirit of that believer. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22).
Other Tongues is literally God speaking through a yielded believer. The likely (but not exclusive) setting for Utterance in Other Tongues is in the open Assembly. As Interpretation of Tongues should always accompany a display of Tongues in the open assembly, the Holy Spirit will always orchestrate the same by another using the initial speaker, a standing-by Saint or perhaps in some other way making it known to whom the message of edification and exhortation and comfort was meant.