Governments
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament [1]
In each of the five lists of spiritual gifts or of gifted persons which St. Paul places in his Epistles ( 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11) there are at least two items which are not found in any other list. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 we have ‘helps’ or ‘helpings’ (ἀντιλήμψεις) and ‘governments’ or ‘governings’ (κυβερνήσεις). In 1 Corinthians 12:23 ‘gifts of healings’ are followed by ‘helpings’ and ‘governings.’ These two form a pair, and refer to management and direction in things external. ‘Governings’ is a word which comes from the idea of a κυβερνήτης, a shipmaster ( Acts 27:11, Revelation 18:17) or pilot ( Ezekiel 27:8; Ezekiel 27:27-28), directing the course of a ship. The word occurs nowhere else in the NT, but in the Septuagintwe have it in the sense of ‘wise guidance’ in peace or war ( Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 24:6). St. Paul probably uses it of those who superintended the externals of organization. It would therefore denote those who are over the rest, and rule them, the προϊστάμενοι of 1 Thessalonians 5:12, Romans 12:8 and the ἡγούμενοι of Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17; Hebrews 13:24, Acts 15:22. The ‘governors’ are directors and organizers, not teachers; still less are they ‘discerners of spirits,’ as Stanley suggests. They are persons with a gift for management. It is possible that they afterwards developed into a class of officials as ‘elders’ or ‘bishops,’ but that stage had not been reached when 1 Cor. was written. See Helps and Church Government.
A. Plummer.
Easton's Bible Dictionary [2]
1 Corinthians 12:28
