The working of miracles: it will be helpful to carry the idea of “gives … power” from verse 9 (see Good News Bible) over to this verse. One can translate “The Spirit gives to another person the power to work miracles.” Working of miracles is literally “abilities of powers.” “Powers” is commonly used of miracles and is quite general in meaning. The central meaning is not that which is against the normal course of nature, but events which show in a special way the power of God in action (see the discussion of “nature” in 11.14).
The next two items in Paul’s list, prophecy and the ability to distinguish between spirits, belong together for reasons that Paul develops in 14.26-28. However, in this verse the relationship between them is not stressed, and Good News Bible perhaps overtranslates here. However, Good News Bible‘s translation of prophecy as “speaking God’s message” is truer to the meaning of the word as generally used in Paul’s writings. Ability to distinguish, which is plural in Greek, is found in a similar sense in Heb 5.14 and is translated negatively in Rom 14.1 as “opinions.” Paul is probably thinking of different occasions on which it may be necessary to distinguish between spiritual powers (compare verse 3). The related verb translated variously as “decide between,” “discerning,” and “weigh” is used in 6.5; 11.29, 31; and 14.29. It seems possible that there was some discussion in Corinth of claims to possess spiritual judgment. Good News Bible‘s translation “the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not” makes the meaning clearer than Revised Standard Version‘s rendering.
As in other verses in this section, it will be helpful in many languages to identify “the Spirit” (Good News Bible) as “God’s Spirit” or the “Holy Spirit.”
Various kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, like the two phrases we have just discussed, belong together for reasons that Paul will specify in 14.26-28. Translators need to clearly distinguish prophecy from tongues. Prophecy is preaching that is inspired by God, but in normal understandable human language. On the other hand, speaking in tongues in Paul’s letters refers to a type of speech that could not be understood unless it was interpreted by someone having a special gift to do so. In some languages a literal translation of the word tongues will sound strange or may even have an incorrect meaning. In such cases the translator may use expressions such as “ecstatic speech,” “strange sounds,” or “unintelligible sounds.” It is important for translators to avoid giving two wrong impressions: (a) that of normal speech including strange words, and (b) that of natural foreign languages. Translators will also need to coordinate the translation of the various New Testament passages that refer to this kind of ecstatic speech: Acts 2.3, 4, 11; 10.46; 19.6; 1 Cor 12.28, 30; 13.1, 8; and throughout chapter 14.
The term translated interpretation may refer either to understanding, translation, or interpretation. The interpretation of otherwise unintelligible sounds fits the context best here, as in 13.1 and throughout chapter 14. The phrase interpretation of tongues therefore may be expanded to “explain what is meant by these strange sounds.”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .