Ministry of Grace Church

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Truth to Learn

The Holy Spirit reveals God to Christians.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “what” is tis. This is an interrogative pronoun that introduces an interrogative phrase (a phrase asking a question). It can be translated as “who,” “which,” or “what.”

In each case, the words translated “man” are from anthropos, which refers to a human being or to mankind as a whole. The first occurrence of this word in today’s verse, unlike the others, is written in the plural.

“Knows” is from the Greek verb eidō, which means “to see with perception.” Used metaphorically, as it is here, it refers to mental perception and can be translated as “to know,” “to be aware of,” or “to understand.”

The phrase “the spirit of the man which is in him” can be literally translated as “the spirit of the man, the one in him.”

“No one” is translated from oudeis, which we saw back in verse eight. It means “no one” or “not a single one.” In this case, it can refer to “no human” or “no being of any kind.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse the Apostle Paul made a very bold statement. He said that the Spirit of God has now revealed the secret of God’s wisdom in His plan of salvation. He now explains why it was necessary for the Spirit to reveal this secret to us.

The opening phrase of this verse actually reads a little differently from what our translation (NKJV) gives. It literally reads, “for who of men …” The NIV and NASB have a better rendering of this phrase: “For who among men …” This may seem a little picky here, but the distinction is important. Paul is not saying, “what man knows his own inner thoughts and motives, except his own spirit.” Rather, he is saying “what man knows the inner thoughts and motives of another person except the inner spirit of that person.”

Paul’s point is that none of us knows the inner workings (the thoughts, the plans, the wisdom) of anyone else, and certainly none of us knows the thoughts, plans, or wisdom of God except as they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. The leaders of this age, the philosophers, the sophists, the “holy” men of the world think they can learn about God through their own efforts. But, Paul very clearly tells us here that the only way to really know God is for Him to reveal Himself to us by His Holy Spirit.

It’s sort of like an animal trying to understand the thought processes and motives of a man. By itself, it doesn’t have the ability to understand us. However, we can teach animals to understand us if we so desire. The Holy Spirit of God is just as important to our salvation as the Father and the Son. The Father chose us, the Son gave His life for us, and the Holy Spirit empowers us and teaches us.

Application

Do you want to know God more intimately? If so, you have to let His Spirit talk to you through prayer and through the reading and studying of your Bible.