Translation
For it is true that on the one hand, to one is given, through Spirit, a revelation of wisdom,
Go to footnote numberbut to another
Go to footnote numbera revelation of knowledge,
Go to footnote numberthrough the same Spirit, (See comment below.)
Paraphrase
For it is true that on the one hand, to one follower of Jesus is given, through the Holy Spirit, a revelation of Godly wisdom, but to another is given a revelation of knowledge for life, through the same Spirit. (See comment below.)
Footnotes
1
“Wisdom” mean “clarity,” as well as “full and over-arching understanding.” It can refer to human or divine understanding. The use of the word “wisdom” would have made any Jew think of the way the Hebrew equivalent was used in the proverbs where it always had an element of “Godly understanding, Godly perception.” Here it stands as a mild contrast to “knowledge” which is gleaned from life’s experiences and relationships. Therefore I think it is intended to communicate the specific kind of wisdom that is given by God when He intervenes in a human life to share something that would not otherwise be knowable.
2
The way “to one” and later, “but to another” are employed in this passage forms a contrast between the two. Rather than giving a list, Paul is making the point that we can receive a variety of gracious endowments from the Holy Spirit. The use of several contrasts drives home that point better than a list would. This technique is carried through the end of verse 10 where only the second half of the contrast is used, saying, “but to another … but to another.”
3
The word “knowledge” refers to the kind of knowledge gleaned from personal experience or a direct relationship to something. It is theory and application combined.
Similarities and Differences of Wisdom and Knowledge
These seem very close to each other. I think that Paul mentioned them separately because, in Greek culture, they were often discussed separately, and the Corinthians had likely bought into at least part of that practice of splitting hairs. Although Paul mentions them separately, his intent is to bring them into unity by the reality that, in the life of the Christian and the shared life of the church, both came from the same source – the Holy Spirit.
Both were supernaturally given by God for the benefit of the church; both referred to a union of spiritual realities and daily life. Both were different from the wisdom and knowledge possessed by a person who did not believe in and follow Jesus, although it requires a spiritually discerning person to detect the difference.
Wisdom was sometimes given by God when He intervenes in a human life to share something that would not otherwise be knowable, but it was not always a new revelation, rather it could come from an accumulation of living close to God for many years, which is still a gift from God.
Knowledge was always tied to experience, but it was also a gift from God, thus, it was not just a person who had lived a long time and had lots of stories, even helpful stories. This was a person who, under the guiding hand of God’s Spirit, had learned many spiritually helpful lessons through the hard knocks of life and was gifted with knowing how and when to share them for maximum impact in other’s lives.