Word of Knowledge

Biblical Text

1 Corinthians 12:8 reads: "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit" (KJV). In 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, Paul lists nine gifts in turn: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. He states that all of these are distributed by "that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:11). Paul does not explain specifically what the word of knowledge is or how it is manifested.

Background and Terminology

The Greek original is logos gnōseōs, meaning "word (logos) of knowledge (gnōsis)." The Corinthian church appears to have been a community that prized knowledge and eloquence. Paul says that the Corinthians were "enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge" (1 Corinthians 1:5), yet he also warns that "knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth" (1 Corinthians 8:1). In chapter 13, the Love Chapter, he writes that one who understands "all mysteries, and all knowledge" but lacks love is nothing, and that "whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away" (1 Corinthians 13:2, 8). It is within this context that the word of knowledge is presented as a gift given for the edification of the community (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Meaning in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament, knowledge is not mere information but is bound up with knowing and fearing God (Proverbs 9:10). Isaiah 11:2 describes the Spirit who will rest upon the Messiah as "the spirit of wisdom and understanding" and "the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." In the New Testament, Paul speaks of knowledge as a gift the Holy Spirit gives to the church, while emphasizing that it must be governed by love and that it is only partial (1 Corinthians 13:9, 12).

Interpretations and Issues

Commentators have reached no consensus on how the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge are to be distinguished.

• As a teaching gift: Many traditions, including the Reformed tradition, often understand the word of knowledge as the ability to grasp Scripture and doctrine deeply and to explain and teach them. Those who hold to cessationism believe that gifts of a revelatory nature ceased with the close of the apostolic age and the completion of the biblical canon, and they likewise read the word of knowledge in terms of teaching.
• As supernatural revelation: The Pentecostal and charismatic traditions understand the word of knowledge as a gift by which the Holy Spirit makes known facts that cannot be learned by natural means, such as a person's circumstances or illness. This understanding is reported to have spread widely through the Third Wave movement, particularly through the ministry of John Wimber.
• Criticism and caution: Paul's text does not describe specifically how the gift operates. Some therefore caution against directly equating particular practices in present-day meetings with the meaning of this verse. Even those who affirm the gift call for guarding against abuse and for exercising discernment (1 Corinthians 14:29).

In the Korean Church

In Korean Pentecostal and charismatic churches and at healing meetings, the practice of naming a particular illness or a person's situation during prayer is sometimes called a "word of knowledge." By contrast, denominations and churches that hold to cessationism generally preach on the term as referring to the gift of rightly understanding and teaching the Word.