12:10 prophecy. The “gift of prophecy” was especially for guidance of believers before the New Testament was completed, conveying special revelations from God whenever needed for such a purpose. Sometimes, but not usually, it included predictions of coming events. This gift would definitely cease when no longer needed (I Corinthians 13:8; Revelation 22:18), and this would also be true of tongues and knowledge (I Corinthians 13:8), and therefore probably of the other supernatural gifts, when and if they were no longer needed or might be misused for personal benefit.

12:10 tongues. The “gift of tongues” has been the most controversial of the gifts, especially in connection with the charismatic renewal of recent decades. The word “tongue” itself (Greek glossa from which we get “glossolalia”), as used in both Biblical and extra-Biblical Greek writings, always refers either to a definite structured language or else the physical organ of speech (never to meaningless noises). Its use is clearly described in Acts 2:4-6 when the gift of tongues was first given, and included known ethnic languages that were unknown to the respective speakers. The “interpretation [i.e., “translation”] of tongues” similarly was the supernatural ability to understand and translate words spoken in a language unknown to the translator.