1 Corinthians 12:10

1 Corinthians 12:10

8 for to one is given ^athe word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another ^bthe word of knowledge through the same Spirit,

9 ^ato another faith by the same Spirit, to another ^bgifts of healings by the same Spirit,

10 ^ato another the working of miracles, to another ^bprophecy, to another ^cdiscerning of spirits, to another ^ddifferent kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^adistributing to each one individually ^bas He wills.

Unity and Diversity in One Body

12 For ^aas the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, ^bso also is Christ.

13 For ^aby one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—^bwhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and ^chave all been made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

18 But now ^aGod has set the members, each one of them, in the body ^bjust as He pleased.

19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,

25 that there should be no¹ schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ^ayou are the body of Christ, and ^bmembers individually.

28 And ^aGod has appointed these in the church: first ^bapostles, second ^cprophets, third teachers, after that ^dmiracles, then ^egifts of healings, ^fhelps, ^gadministrations, varieties of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But ^aearnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Workings of miracles (energhmata dunamewn). Workings of powers. Cf. energwn dunameiv in Galatians 3:5; Hebrews 2:4 where all three words are used (shmeia, signs, terata, wonders, dunameiv, powers). Some of the miracles were not healings as the blindness on Elymas the sorcerer.

Prophecy (profhteia). Late word from profhthv and profhmi, to speak forth. Common in papyri. This gift Paul will praise most (chapter 1Co. 14). Not always prediction, but a speaking forth of God's message under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Discernings of spirits (diakriseiv pneumatwn). Diakrisiv is old word from diakrinw (see I Corinthians 11:29) and in N.T. only here; Romans 14:1; Hebrews 5:14. A most needed gift to tell whether the gifts were really of the Holy Spirit and supernatural (cf. so-called "gifts" today) or merely strange though natural or even diabolical (I Timothy 4:1; I John 4:1 f.).

Divers kinds of tongues (genh glwsswn). No word for "divers" in the Greek. There has arisen a great deal of confusion concerning the gift of tongues as found in Corinth. They prided themselves chiefly on this gift which had become a source of confusion and disorder. There were varieties (kinds, genh) in this gift, but the gift was essentially an ecstatic utterance of highly wrought emotion that edified the speaker (I Corinthians 14:4) and was intelligible to God (I Corinthians 14:2, I Corinthians 14:28). It was not always true that the speaker in tongues could make clear what he had said to those who did not know the tongue (I Corinthians 14:13): It was not mere gibberish or jargon like the modern "tongues," but in a real language that could be understood by one familiar with that tongue as was seen on the great Day of Pentecost when people who spoke different languages were present. In Corinth, where no such variety of people existed, it required an interpreter to explain the tongue to those who knew it not. Hence Paul placed this gift lowest of all. It created wonder, but did little real good. This is the error of the Irvingites and others who have tried to reproduce this early gift of the Holy Spirit which was clearly for a special emergency and which was not designed to help spread the gospel among men. See on Acts 2:13-21; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:6.

The interpretation of tongues (ermhneia glwsswn). Old word, here only and I Corinthians 14:26 in N.T., from ermhneuw from ermhv (the god of speech). Cf. on diermhneuw in Luke 24:27; Acts 9:36. In case there was no one present who understood the particular tongue it required a special gift of the Spirit to some one to interpret it if any one was to receive benefit from it.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Corinthians 12:10:**

Acts 2:4
Acts 13:9
Romans 14:1
1 Corinthians 12:8
1 Corinthians 12:8
1 Corinthians 12:28
1 Corinthians 12:30
1 Corinthians 14:29
Revelation 11:6

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1 Corinthians 12:11 >>

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