1 Corinthians 12
12
The different functions of the Spirit
1Now as to the phenomena of your faith which show in a special way the presence of God and the action of the Spirit. Recollect this Spirit is one. Many of you are moved far beyond your ordinary capacity, and do things which in your own strength would be utterly impossible to you, — you prophesy, teach, heal, speak with tongues, and perform wonders, marvels — and this is not yourselves, it is the Spirit by which you are possessed. 2But recollect, my brethren, there is nothing in this similar to those possessions by spirits you were once familiar with in the old religions. At one time that worship was part of your life. You were carried away willy-nilly as you were led in the service of these dumb idols. 3-5And because this type of worship was so familiar to you, I bid you remember that, if anyone is possessed and cries out a curse on Jesus, such possession you will know comes not from God, whilst on the other hand to acknowledge Jesus as Lord can never be done except by those to whom the Spirit has been imparted. Now this Spirit, as I say, is one, absolutely one, throughout all its manifestations, and that is why all those phenomena which represent to us its operations are so mutually harmonious and complementary. 6-8One man may evidence one kind of gift or service, one man’s sphere of usefulness or inspiration may differ entirely from another’s, but he will not differ in the spirit.
The oneness of the Spirit
9It is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God which imparts, ordains, inspires, possesses. 10The word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, faith, gifts of healing, inspiration and genius, prophecy, spiritual insight and discernment, tongues and the interpretation of tongues — 11these all proceed in varying degrees displayed by different individuals from the one infinite Spirit. He, that Spirit, is all in all, and one, and all these gifts are constituted in His action and operation. 12The Christ is as it were one infinite body, wherein all the parts and members are mutually helpful and interdependent. 13In the unity of the same organism there cannot be inharmonious contradictory parts. 14-16Hand cannot say to foot, I have no need of you. Ear and eye are different members and have different functions, but what if the ear said to the eye, “because I am different from you, we belong to different bodies,” would it be true? And so all of us were baptised into one vast body, the infinite Christ, — Jews, Greeks, slaves, and free — and we all drank the wine of the one Spirit. Hence these different gifts, functions and offices which operate in us. This very variety constitutes the essential being of the Spirit, because the Spirit includes all. 17If the body were all eye, where would the hearing be? If it were all ear, where would the eyebrow be? 18-21Every part is beautifully formed to assist and be complementary to the others; none is otiose, negligible or useless, 22but on the contrary those very parts which are held in least honour often have the most important functions, 23-25and the visible parts of the body which form its beauty are the most dependent on the organs which are not seen and are less esteemed. 26If one member suffer, all suffer with it, and no one part of the body can be affected, for good or ill, without all the others feeling it. 27So is it in that infinite spiritual body of the Christ, which we together constitute, of which we are all members. 28Whether in the church there be those that are called apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, officers, speakers with tongues — what is this but the activity of one life? 29Because it is one thing, all are not therefore apostles, nor all prophets, nor all teachers, 30nor all healers, nor all speakers with tongues, nor all interpreters. 31True, some gifts are greater than others, and it is right to wish for the greatest gifts of all, and in that respect, I will point out to you a way that is better than all others.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 12
12
1Now I do not want you to lack da'as concerning the things of the Ruach Hakodesh, Achim b'Moshiach.
2You have da'as that when you WERE Goyim,#12:2 T.N. i.e., you are no longer heathen pagans somehow you were influenced and led astray to the ELILIM ILLEMIM (Dumb idols, idols incapable of speech).#12:2 Hab 2:18-19
3Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking by the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem says, “Al Yehoshua ki Cherem hu” (a curse of the ban of destruction is on Yehoshua), and no one is able to say, “Yehoshua hu HaAdon” except by the Ruach Hakodesh.
4There are different kinds of matanot (gifts), but the same Ruach Hakodesh.
5There are different avodot hakodesh (ministries), but the one Adonoi.
6And there are a variety of activities [of the Ruach Hakodesh], but the same G-d working all in all.
7But to each is given the disclosure of the Ruach Hakodesh for benefit:
8To one through the Ruach Hakodesh is given a dvar chochmah (a dvar of wisdom);#12:8 Ac 16:7 to another, according to the same Ruach Hakodesh, a dvar da'as (word of knowledge);#12:8 Ac 5:3
9To another, by the same Ruach Hakodesh, emunah (faith);#12:9 Mt 17:20-21 to another, by the one Ruach Hakodesh, matanot harippuy (gifts of healing);#12:9 refuah; Ac 3:6-16
10to another those of cholel niflaot (accomplishing miracles).#12:10 Ex 4:21; Jn 11:42-43 And to another divrei hanevu'ah (words of prophecy),#12:10 1Kgs 17:1 and to another discernings (being about to make a nafka mina distinction) of ruchot (spirits),#12:10 1Kgs 22:22 to another kinds of leshonot (tongues),#12:10 Ac 2:4 and to another, pitronim (interpretations) of leshonot (tongues).#12:10 1C 14:13
11All these things are activated by the one and same Ruach Hakodesh, distributing individually to each one as He determines.
12For even as the body is echad, and has many evarim (members), and all the evarim (members) of the body, though many, are one body, so is Moshiach.
13For also in one Ruach Hakodesh we were all given mikveh tevilah into one body, whether Yehudim or Yevanim (Greeks), whether avadim (slaves) or bnei Chorin (freedman), and all were given to drink, as it were, from one Ruach Hakodesh.
14For the body is not one, but many evarim (members).
15If the regel (foot) says, “Because I am not a yad (hand), I am not of the body,” that would not make it any less one of the evarim of the body.
16And if the ozen (ear) says, “Because I am no ayin (eye), I am not of the body,” that would not make it any less one of the evarim of the body.
17If the whole body were an ayin (eye), where would be the hearing? If the whole body were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18But now Hashem set the evarim (members), each one of them, in the body according to His ratzon (will), as He wanted.
19And if all were all one evar (member), where would the body be?
20As it is, though there are many evarim (members), there is but one body.
21And the ayin (eye) is not able to say to the yad (hand), “I do not have need of you.” Or, again, the rosh (head), speaking to the raglayim (feet), is not to say, “I have no need of you.”
22Just the opposite, the evarim of the body appearing to be weaker are vital.
23And those evarim of the body which we presume to be dishonorable, on these we clothe with even more honor, and our parts with lesser kibbud (respect, honor) are treated with greater.
24Whereas, our evarim with greater kibbud have no need of more. However, Hashem has so composed the achdus yichudim (unit, harmony of unifications) of the body, giving the superior kibbud to the inferior,
25lest there be schisms#12:25 1C 1:10; 11:18 in the body. But the evarim should have the same gemilut chasadim (deeds of lovingkindness and caring) for one another.
26And when one evar (member) has tza'ar (pain and suffering), all the evarim (members) have tza'ar with it; or one evar has the aliyah of kibbud, all the evarim has simcha with it.
27Now you are Moshiachʼs body#12:27 Gn 47:18-19 and individually evarim of it.
28Now Hashem placed some in the Adat HaMoshiach (community of Moshiach), in the Kehillah, rishon (first): shlichim, second, nevi'im, third, morim (teachers), then those of cholel nifla'aot (accomplishing miracles),#12:28 Ex 4:21 then matanot harippuy (gifts of healing), then matanot of helps, then manhigut ruchanit (spiritual leadership, administration), kinds of leshonot.
29Surely not all are shlichim? Surely not all are nevi'im? Surely not all are rabbinical morim? Surely not all are those cholel nifa'ot (accomplishing miracles)?
30Surely not all have matanot harippuy (gifts of healing)? Surely not all speak in leshonot?#12:30 cf. 1C 14:23,26 Surely not all have the pitron (interpretation) of leshonot?
31But earnestly desire the greater matanot (gifts) [of the Ruach Hakodesh]. And yet now I show you a more feste derech.#12:31 Rav Sha'ul now turns to the need for balance. Not that he is trying to terminate the miraculous in Moshiachʼs Kehillah [a futile endeavor!], but that he is showing the need for the fruit of the Ruach Hakodesh to balance His gifts, especially in an environment where pride and carnality have quenched ahavah, which is the Jn 3:16 center of Moshiachʼs saving histalkus (passing), the death of Moshiach in midst of his Redemptive mission on the analogy of Moses dying before he crosses into the Promised Land.
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.